2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 problems & reliability
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300, 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).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 vehicles were involved in 28 fatal crashes with 28 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 37 | 88% |
| Power Train → | 14 | 33% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 12 | 29% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 7% |
| Steering | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 2% |
| Tires | 1 | 2% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 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.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Connecting rod bolts back out around 6000 miles on a lot of bikes including mine starts with knocking noise let me know what to do”
Engine · filed Dec 24, 2020
“Kawasaki is selling their 2012, 2013 and 2014 ninja 650s with a defective front tire. The tire is dunlop's sportsmax 2, front 120/70zr17(58. They last about 5 months before the tire develops dry-rot in the tread area. This is the second time it has happened to me and others are reporting on motorcycle forums. I…”
Tires · filed Jan 15, 2014
“While driving down barker cypress I was approaching a light. I started downshifting and applying my rear brake. When I pressed down on the rear brake, there was a thug then nothing, no grip, no tightening, nothing but air. I did not have brakes. I realized I was going to hit the car in front of me, I swerved between…”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 8, 2013
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Motorcycle stalling
Preliminary Evaluation PE13023 · opened Jun 20, 2013 · closed Sep 20, 2013 · led to recall 13V328000
Technical service bulletins
1 manufacturer communication (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300.
Assembly and Preparation Motorcycle Manual
99931-1533-04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 29, 2016
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 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 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 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300?
- · 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.