2001 Yamaha Road Star problems & reliability
57 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Yamaha Road Star, alongside 2 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.
1 complaint report injuries (14 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 47 | 82% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 7% |
| Suspension | 1 | 2% |
| Wheels | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl*the contact owns a 2001 yamaha road star motorcycle. The contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 03v309000 (power train:manual transmission). The dealer will not perform the recall repair after multiple calls and promises. The contact must call the dealer so they can order the parts for the…”
Power Train · filed Apr 15, 2009
“Fuel (gasoline) is sprayed from rear port of carburetor. As much as 2 oz may be emitted and sprayed on hot exhaust pipes and engine. The fuel immediately vaporizes. This only seems to occur when the motorcycle is hot, then shut off and allowed to sit for approximately 15 minutes. It does not spray liquid gas if…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Apr 14, 2009
“There were no "events" leading up to the failure of my fuel system. While riding in traffic I noticed an odor of raw fuel. When I pulled over to investigate,I discovered gasoline pouring out from under my motorcycle! Shutting off the fuel petcock and running the engine @ an elevated rpm caused the symptom to subside…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Jul 2, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- UNINTENDED REAR WHEEL LOCKUP
Preliminary Evaluation PE03038 · opened Aug 11, 2003 · closed Nov 6, 2003 · led to recall 06V397000
Safety recalls
The 2001 Yamaha Road Star has 2 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 2001 Yamaha Road Star?
- · 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.