2005 Honda VTX1300 problems & reliability
47 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 Honda VTX1300. 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.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 32 | 68% |
| Suspension | 5 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 6% |
| Power Train | 3 | 6% |
| Wheels | 3 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 4% |
| Engine | 1 | 2% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 2% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 2% |
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 7,000 miles (middle 50% between 5,100 and 15,100 miles), based on 27 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Death wobble from 30-65 on my motorcycle. It will cause a wreck, bike wobbles out of control because of faulty steering bearings on my honda vtx 1300c.”
Steering · filed May 12, 2021
“Wheel and handle bar mt 2005 honda vtx 1300s has a serious front end wobble that impedes the safe operation of this vehicle at speeds 35 - 45”
Steering · filed Nov 28, 2017
“While traveling down the freeway at approximately 70mph the motorcycle shut off randomly. I had just put fresh gasoline in the motorcycle. This had never happened before. I restarted the motorcycle without issue and proceeded down the freeway. Once I reached 70mph the motorcycle again shut off. I pulled over to the…”
Engine · filed Jan 10, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
6 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Honda VTX1300.
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.
DLR MSG - Honda · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2014
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-040, Safety Recall…
DLR MSG - Stop S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2014
Honda: on some model vehicles, there is an alternator/starter tester (ast) module capable of testing alternators, installed on gr8 diagnostic battery station. *pe
SB-12-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2012
Load carrying capacity reduced label for all honda vehicles. *pe
08-040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2008
Honda: warranty extension-vehicle warranty mileage. Class action lawsuit alleging that the odometers on certain 2002-2006 honda models were overstating mileage. Federal court provided final approval of settlement on…
SB-06-085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 9, 2008
Cooling fan ground. Honda the wrench. *tt
11012005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2005
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2005 Honda VTX1300 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 2005 Honda VTX1300?
- · 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 7,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.