2002 Honda VTX1800 problems & reliability
63 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Honda VTX1800, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. 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 (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 14 | 22% |
| Power Train → | 13 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 14% |
| Structure | 8 | 13% |
| Wheels | 6 | 10% |
| Tires | 3 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 5% |
| Steering | 2 | 3% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 2% |
| Engine | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 14 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 47 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 15,000 miles (middle 50% between 8,526 and 27,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda vtx1800. While driving between 30-40 mph, the motorcycle began to wobble when one of the handles was released. The vehicle had new tires and brakes due to other necessary repairs; however, the wobbling continued. The contact took the vehicle to interstate cycles (580 sw florida…”
Steering · filed Nov 13, 2017
“Tl* the contact owned a 2002 honda vtx1800. While driving approximately 25 mph, the brakes seized without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into a wall and was thrown off the vehicle. The passenger sustained a fractured arm, a head injury, and a knee injury. The driver sustained a road rash over the left side…”
Service Brakes · filed Jul 13, 2015
“I have replaced the final drive flange bearings 3 times now. I heard that there were some issues with this flange. First time I replaced it, I replaced the whole flange. The second and third time I replaced the bearings only. On the third time I replaced the wheel dampener inside the rear wheel. I now have 96,000…”
Wheels · filed Mar 22, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Southern Honda Powersports
Audit Query AQ12001 · opened May 14, 2012 · closed May 13, 2013
- UNINTENDED SIDE-STAND DEPLOYMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE04063 · opened Sep 15, 2004 · closed Jan 21, 2005 · led to recall 04V564000
Technical service bulletins
18 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Honda VTX1800. The 10 most recent:
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
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
Stuck fuel pump. Honda. The wrench. *tt
07012005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2005
No start condition. To include honda vtx1800 2004. *tt
05012005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2005
Trippy trip switch. Honda. The wrench. *tt
01012004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
Primary drive gear assembly. Honda technician newsletter. *tt
110102 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2002
Information on servicing a stumble condition and fi light flash with no codes stored vtx1800c, r and s models. *tt
010702 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2002
Subject regarding product update campaign, primary ground cable rerouting. *aj
VTX1800C1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2001
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 2002 Honda VTX1800 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 2002 Honda VTX1800?
- · 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 15,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.