2012 Can-Am Spyder RT problems & reliability
41 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Can-Am Spyder RT, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 22 | 54% |
| Engine | 8 | 20% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 17% |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 10% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 10% |
| Structure | 4 | 10% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 7% |
| Steering | 2 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 5,895 miles (middle 50% between 2,300 and 7,008 miles), based on 23 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Upon cruising down the highway about 60 MPH,my powered windshield support arm broke and the windshield fell back toward me in between the handle bars. Upon inspection,arm broke in half leaving the windshield unsupported. Our safety was put at risk because windshield was laying flat instead of upright for protection…”
Structure · filed Jun 15, 2023
“I have a 2012 can am spyder rt limited with extreme heat on my right foot and around the seat. Also have overwhelming gasoline fumes after parking the bike. Making it unusable and no fun and dangerous to ride. Purchased july 14 2017. 7,200 miles. Had contact several times with local dealer absolutely no help!”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed May 25, 2020
“On 7/11/2019 my 2012 canam rt se5 started throwing out vss fault code, I took it home and contacted my local canam service company. They asked me to bring it in which I did the next day. Enroute to the shop it began showing abs limp home mode but was not in limp home mode. Once connected to the shop computer I was…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 15, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
33 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Can-Am Spyder RT. The 10 most recent:
Electric Throttle Actuator Replacement The Electric Throttle Actuator (ETA) is now available for spare part. In case of any ETA defect, it is not necessary anymore to replace the complete throttle body assembly.
Service Bulletin 2016-7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 15, 2025
Revision of TST 140875 P0730 Active Fault Fault code can be triggered if the unit has the wrong rear sprocket or a different wheel size. The cluster will stop displaying the gear indication and check engine light came…
TST 140875 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 18, 2024
Missing or damaged scavenge pump components could lead to poor engine performance on 1330 engines.
TST 140654 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2022
The low fuel level light indicator stay always ON after cluster replacement on MY12 RT.
TST 138572 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2021
Electric parking brake not holding when applied.
D-94530 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 14, 2015
Technical service tip (tst): customer may complain of excessive heat felt in the engine compartment in certain riding conditions. The solution is to install the air scoop kit. Note that this will not reduce heat felt on…
112333 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 26, 2015
Brp: possible consequences at low speed, engine compartment temperature will rise and increase burn skin or vehicle fire during ambient hot conditions. Model 2013 roadster. *pe
CR-000117416 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2015
Trailer module may fail.
D109338 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 12, 2014
ECM Software update. (optional).
B2012-14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2014
Brp: some motorcycles experience damage to throttle body actuator, leading to limp home mode or fault codes when starting engine; the tcm and ecm software needs updating due to sensitive calibration warning display in…
SB-2012-8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2014
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2012 Can-Am Spyder RT has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2012 Can-Am Spyder RT?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 5,895 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.