Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | ||||||
| PE08048 | YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA | 08/08/2008 | 11/21/2008 | MOTORCYCLE STALLING - ELECTRICAL | ||
| Odi is aware of at least 45 allegations of fjr1300 engine stalling while underway due to an ignition switch failure.in some instances, cycling the switch will allow re-start.fjrforum.com has numerous threads alleging the same issue.to gather more focused information about this subject, we are upgrading this pe to an ea (ea08-025). | ||||||
| EA08025 | YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA | 11/21/2008 | 01/09/2009 | MOTORCYCLE STALLING - ELECTRICAL | 09V002000 | |
| Odi is aware of at least 45 allegations of fjr1300 engine stalling while underway due to an ignition switch failure.in some instances, cycling the switch will allow re-start.fjrforum.com has numerous threads alleging the same issue.shortly after opening this ea, and before receiving a related information request from us, yamaha decided to conduct a safety recall (09v-002) to install new ignition switches in all my 2006-8 and early my 2009 fjr1300 motorcycles.with that decision, this investigation is closed. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 08/03/2010 | 78000 | ||
| Aug. 3rd 2010 while driving north on ca 101 at about 4:00 pm in heavy rush hour trafic , the engine stopped dead. it would not restart. it was towed to the nearest yamaha shop where it was diagnosed and repaired. the problem was found to be a bad ground connection(spyder). the connector was removed and the wires were soldered together at the yamaha dealership . i have the connector and gave it to my local dealership . they were not aware of the problem and were not concerned about the safety factor ( driving in rush hour trafic at speed and to have the engine just stop ). | |||
| 04/03/2011 | 41300 | ||
| Total loss of power and control with failure of the motorcycle grounding harness system. | |||
| 03/04/2011 | 89460 | ||
| My motorcycle stopped running twice while riding down a local highway. the engine briefly shut off for a few seconds before starting back up and running normally. when it did so a number of lights came on the dash while the engine was off, including high-beam indicator, emergency flashers, and the the speedo and tach stopped working. later the same day i stopped to fuel up and the bike would not start, and all the same dash lights were on (even though the emergency flashers were not flashing and high-beams were not on. the motorcycle was towed home. i later repaired it. the cause of the failure was a melted ground circuit connector, caused by an overload on the circuit. i repaired it by running an additional ground wire to the frame to offload part of the current. | |||
| 10/20/2010 | 37500 | ||
| Electrical power cutout. no power to starter, multiple dash lights on, flashing fuel meter indicator, turn signal indicators, etc. not a burned out fuse but rather a fried ground point on the wiring harness. this is being reported very often on the fjr forum. my shop took pix and sent to yamaha to see what they will do about it. ground point connector gets corroded, loses ground, overheats and fries circuits. if this happens when you are riding, you will lose all power and the engine will die. | |||
| 09/25/2010 | 24340 | ||
| After starting my motorcycle for the first time that day, my wife and i rode it .9 miles when the engine quit running. i was midway through a steep, downhill left turn when i lost power. i stopped the bike using a combination of front and rear brakes, stopping at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. several of the lights on the instrument cluster were illuminated. both turn signal indicator lights were lit without flashing. the lcd fuel gauge was flashing. the high beam indicator light was illuminated. the bike's headlights were not illuminated. the horn did not work. these symptoms have been reported before on fjrforum.com as i was 150 miles from home, i made a phone call to a friend and asked him to go on fjrforum.com and find the cause of the problem. following the descriptions and photos offered on the forum, i was able to locate a melted connector. it is known as a ground spider. after removing the the ground spider, cleaning it and reinstalling it, i was able to get the bike running. the bike ran normally for 4 or 5 miles before the same problem returned. knowing what to look for, i again partially disassembled the bike to again have access to the ground spider. this time, i cut the melted plastic off the lugs, exposing them and used utility wire to bind them together. the bike ran normally after that. i was able to ride the bike home. i would like yamaha to correct this design flaw. the problem is well documented. some very intelligent fjr owners have tried to make the best of this situation. yamaha could easily use the information generously shared on fjrforum.com to correct their problematic wiring harness. | |||
| 04/20/2009 | 23321 | 1 | |
| This failure occurred on a 2006 yamaha fjr1300a model. after riding motorcycle for a couple of hours i stopped for a meal break. when i tried to start motorcycle it would not restart. instruments were flashing indicating an electrical error. motorcycle needed to be trailer home. upon inspection by an authorized yamaha dealer it was found to have an overheated, melting, ground junction in the main wiring harness. yamaha corp. authorized a replacement of the main wiring harness under my extended warranty. if this had occurred while the motorcycle was under power the engine would have shut down potentially causing injury or death. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Yamaha fjr motorcycle. motorcycle engine will not crank or start. problem was found to be a defective electrical ground splice located near the left front upper corner of the engine. inspection revealed the electrical ground, group splice had overheated and burnt with associated burnt wires. this motorcycle has several of these types of electrical ground splices and there have been internet reports of many failures, not all of them the same splice i had a problem with. the potential danger is an engine stall out and or numerous electrical failures at once. the other potential danger is of an electrical fire under the gas tank due to the melted and burnt wires associated with this failure. *tr | |||
| 01/03/2010 | 63115 | 1 | |
| Making a right hand turn on my 2006 yamaha fjr -1300a and the bike died while in mid turn. the start button would not work, the lights were on, even though the key was turned off. when the ignition switch was turned on, the gauges were erratic. i took the bike apart on the side of the road to try and locate the problem. i found a burned grounding connector. apparently yamaha feeds 5 18 gauge wires into a connector with one 18 gauge wire coming out to ground. there are six or seven connections like this in the wiring harness. cleaning the connections was a temporary fix to get me home. i am now looking for a better fix that will be permanent. had this happened at speed in the mountains, the results could have been much worse. *tr | |||
| 03/24/2009 | 24000 | 1 | |
| Failure of grounding coupler (spider) causing loss of all power while motorcycle is in motion. failure caused by environmental (rain, dirt, etc) factors entering the coupler and causing corrosion and failure to conduct electrical ground. motorcycle is disabled until coupler is repaired or wiring harness is replaced. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2009 | 29457 | 1 | |
| 2006 yamaha fjr 1300 a. wire connection near fuel tank corroded and was melting. headlamps quit, along with horn, turn signals. engine would miss with the turn signal switch in the left or right position. i was in the dark, when the lights quit. i have heard of other fjr 1300 owners with the same problem. *tr | |||
| 10/11/2008 | 10812 | 1 | |
| Started motorcycle. wife and i exited our driveway onto road. traveled several hundred feet down the road. complete loss of power while underway due to an ignition switch failure. luckily no injuries. temporarily bypassed (hot wired) ignition switch. *tr | |||
| 08/20/2008 | 11500 | 1 | |
| Sudden failure of ignition switch caused motorcycle to stop running. the failure kills all electrical aspects of bike. have to coast to side of road. *tr | |||
| 09/23/2006 | 6500 | 1 | |
| 1. 2006 yamaha fjr1300a, while riding the bike turned off completely as if the battery was disconnected, bike stalled and fell over. 2.occurred once, bike would not restart, had to get truck and trailer to pick me up and took to dealer. 3.new ignition switch and harness was put on it. *tr | |||
| 09/17/2008 | 22000 | 1 | |
| The ignition switch on my 2006 fjr1300 is defective. it will peridodically not turn on the electrical system to start the motorcycle. many other people have this same problem on the fjr forum. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 16300 | 1 | |
| I went to start my motorcycle in the garage and it had no power. i am an ase certified master technician. i traced the problem to a failure of the ignition switch. i disassembled the switch and found that the solder joint on one of the power wires had melted, and there was heat damage to the contacts inside the switch. i re-soldered the wires, cleaned the contacts, and reassembled the switch. i am still using this switch, but i suspect it may fail again due to the number of other failures that have been occurring lately, as listed on fjrforum.com. *tr | |||
| 08/31/2008 | 11801 | 1 | |
| 2006 yamaha fjr1300 motorcycle. 11300 miles on it. traveling on road at 50 mph. abruptly there was a total shut down of motor and electrics. this is a well known and documented failure published on the fjr forum. the solder joint holding the brown ignition wire to the board in the switch comes free and it is same as turning the switch off. this would be and maybe has been a deadly situation if it were to happen in traffic. with the surprise when it happens and the dead motor causing the bike to slow very quickly could cause a rear end collision. on a motorcycle that ant good. a factory recall is urgently needed to replace these switches with a updated one. a new switch will be ordered by dealer but will it do the same thing? will i be this lucky again? *tr | |||
| 08/10/2008 | 16757 | 1 | |
| 06 yamaha fjr 1300 ignition failure, while parked,no accident . then bike started. has repeated failure several times over last few days.. bike in yamaha shop now being checked. bike has appox.16,800 miles on it. *tr | |||
| 07/02/2008 | 43000 | 1 | |
| 2006 yamaha fjra. turned key on, nothing. after reading the comments on ignition failure, called aaa to have my '06fjra towed to the yamaha dealer. the yamaha dealers service manager checked on ignition and was told there's none in the country. he had no idea how long it would take to get the part. indicated that this is a widespread problem with all years of the fjr. *tr | |||
| 07/31/2008 | 15891 | 1 | |
| 1.during a cross country road trip, ignition switch failed after refueling motorcycle. 2.first time, stranded 1200 miles from home. 3.bike towed by towing service to dealer 50 miles away. by passed switch, installed toggle switches, toggle switch failed on last day of trip while traveling down interstate highway. remove switch, twisted wires together and came on home. *tr | |||
| 06/13/2008 | 19500 | 1 | |
| Ignition switch failure on 2006 yamaha fjr1300 motorcycle. mine failed while parked, but others on the fjr forum failed while riding causing immediate engine cut off. dealer replace the ignition switch at my cost. see http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=26098. *tr | |||
| 07/28/2008 | 12500 | 1 | |
| While on cross country motorcycle trip, the ignition switch failed causing the vehicle to lose all power. had this occurred in traffic (which it has on other's bikes) it could have been catastrophic. it only failed once, and remained broken. roadside repair required hot wiring the bike and bypassing the failed ignition switch. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2008 | 19500 | 1 | |
| Total failure of the ignition switch while in traffic. had just turned left onto a highway and the bike just shut down. i was lucky that i could get to the side of the road right away. this could have been bad with a different mix of traffic. i had no warning at all that anything was wrong. *tr | |||
| 07/28/2008 | 19924 | 1 | |
| My motorcycle is a 2006 yamaha fjr1300a with 19924 miles at the time the ignition switch failed in enterprise nevada. i tried to start the bike and no power. fuses all good. no prior indication of failure. by putting the key between 'off' and 'on' i sometimes got power and the bike would start. i had no cell service. nearest next store/help was 92 miles. no tow service available. fearful the bike would have suddenly quit if the key was jiggled by a road bump prior to or after my temporary repair. i duct taped the key in position to minimize the chance of crash or injury. *tr | |||
| 04/10/2008 | 1 | ||
| The ignition on my 2006 yamaha fjr1300 keeps failing when i try to start it. i have taken it to a dealership who stated that the battery posts were loose. after getting it back the same problem keeps occurring. when i turn the key the gauges sweep and there is a brief moment where the gauges light up then it all goes dead. i can move the wires and wiggle the key to get it started but if i move either of those after i start the bike it dies. this is an ongoing problem. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 22000 | 1 | |
| Ignition switch failure (soldered wire fell off). happened in slow speed maneuver. i cut the ignition wire and put in a temporary switch. if this had happened on the highway... *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 09/16/2007 | 18500 | 1 | |
| No special events leading to the failure of my ignition switch. complete loss of power on the motorcycle. i believe there is ample opportunity for loss of life with this problem. will talk to the dealer about a fix. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2007 | 19896 | 1 | 04/23/2006 |
| My motorcycle(2006 yamaha fjr 1300) just had a total electrical failure while taking a slow right turn. turns out the wiring was pulled so tight to the ignition the wire coming off the battery was pulled loose from the igniton. on the fjr owners website others complained about this problem as well. | |||
| 05/29/2007 | 8500 | 1 | 01/07/2007 |
| 2006 yamaha fjr1300 motorcycle. sudden complete shut down of electrical system. problem caused by wires detaching from ignition switch. wires too tight from factory and were cold soldered with very weak connection. can you imagine powering up to overtake a vehicle and you have a sudden without warning complete loss of power,a very dangerous senario | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 07/30/2007 | 13500 | 1 | |
| Lost all electrical power to the motorcycle as i was accelerating up a hill with a car directly behind me causing an extremely unsafe situation. problem was diagnosed as an ignition switch failure by north country powersports in rangely maine. *tr | |||
| 06/02/2008 | 34450 | 1 | 08/30/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 yamaha fjr 1300. he stated that there was an electrical failure with the motorcycle. the ignition switch (main switch) brown wire was improperly manufactured. the contact is a former bike mechanic and replaced the ignition switch. the failure mileage was 34,450 and current mileage is 39,020. updated 09/10/08 *bf updated 09/15/09*jb | |||
| 09/16/2007 | 18500 | 1 | |
| No special events leading to the failure of my ignition switch. complete loss of power on the motorcycle. i believe there is ample opportunity for loss of life with this problem. will talk to the dealer about a fix. *tr | |||
| 06/17/2007 | 23850 | 3 | 05/03/2006 |
| Stopped for fuel and stopped engine, after fueling turned ignition switch to on position, dasn lights and display did not come on, starter motor would not work. | |||
| 04/12/2007 | 14500 | 1 | 03/06/2006 |
| Ignition switch failure on 2006 yamaha motorcycle model number fjr 1300a resulted in sudden loss of power in a corner and stranded in death valley, nevada. four wires enter the switch housing. one of the two large wires pulled completely out of the switch, with the brass switch contact still soldered/crimped on the end. this failure *appears* to be the result of the wiring harness being stretched too tight during the assembly process. the wires going into the switch have no slack, they are 'banjo string tight'. | |||
| 06/14/2007 | 15199 | 1 | 05/13/2006 |
| Turning the ignition key failed to turn on the power. unable to start motorcycle. due to location at time of failure (no cell or public phone readily available) almost had to leave motorcycle in this remote location. was able to 'jiggle' the key and finally get power to start. continued to hotel where upon morning, no amount of 'jiggling' would turn on power to start. was suggested to 'try' brake cleaner in the ignition switch to clean the contacts, but switch would still not function, and to rent u- haul truck to return motorcycle to home location. 22 hours later upon returning home, ignition switch intermittently would turn the power on. due the intermittent nature dealer replaced the switch. still awaiting parts and determination of who was paying the bill. *ak | |||