2003 Yamaha Road Star problems & reliability
105 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 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 | 100 | 95% |
| Suspension | 2 | 2% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 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 4,500 miles (middle 50% between 2,350 and 7,350 miles), based on 35 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 yamaha roadstar. He experienced difficulty when attempting to raise the vehicle using the jack. Upon further inspection he noticed that the shock spring assembly mount had fractured. He called several dealerships and was told that the failure was never reported. He called the manufacturer…”
Suspension · filed Dec 16, 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 2003 yamaha road star. While driving 55 mph, the rear tire struck the top of the rear fender. The dealer stated that the rear shock mount caused the failure; as of november 19, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 59,000. Updated 12/04/07”
Suspension · filed Nov 19, 2007
“Carburetor on 2003 yamaha roadstar (xv1600) will spit gas out on hot cylinder heads and crankcase unpredictably. Happens when restarting engine after engine has been stopped for a short period after coming in from a ride. Ride can be short or long; unpredictable. Was checked by dealer during first few months when new…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Mar 31, 2007
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 2003 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 2003 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 4,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.