2002 Yamaha Road Star problems & reliability
87 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Yamaha Road Star, 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.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 82 | 94% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 1% |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% |
| Structure | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown OR Other | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 6,000 miles (middle 50% between 3,275 and 11,000 miles), based on 36 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 yamaha road star. While driving 60 mph the rear wheel locked. Upon further inspection he noticed that pins that connect the fourth and the fifth gear had fractured. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure…”
Power Train · filed Nov 19, 2009
“Freeway driving at 50 mph, I heard a pop and my speedometer quit. Heard grinding in the drive train. I pulled over to a stop. Upon rolling my bike onto a trailer the rear end locked up. The middle gear shaft snapped off at rear end with the retaining nut floating loose with the front u-joint in the housing. At least…”
Power Train · filed Aug 5, 2009
“Dt: fuel tank vent rollover valve is plunging up, causing vacuum to collapse fuel tank. It is also sucking water inside. Rear wheel alignment, marks are incorrect. This has been a problem for three years. Making it difficult to remove fuel cap. Also, sucking water inside up the tube in raining weather. The model is…”
Fuel System, Other · filed Jun 17, 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 2002 Yamaha Road Star 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 2002 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 6,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.