2004 Honda VTX1300
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Honda › VTX1300 › 2004
These records cover every 2004 Honda VTX1300. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
78 complaints3 involved a crash3 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Fuel system, gasoline
The contact owns a 2004 Honda VTX1300. The contact stated that while the motorcycle was parked, a fuel-like odor was detected in the garage. The contact then noticed fuel leaking from the motorcycle, with no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The motorcycle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,502.
- Steering
My front end wobbles bad when I'm slowing down. It happens on both city streets and highways.i replaced the front and back tires and had them balanced. Nothing changed. I've researched it and it's apparently a common problem with the 1300 models and replacing the upper and lower steering bearings…
My front end wobbles bad when I'm slowing down. It happens on both city streets and highways.i replaced the front and back tires and had them balanced. Nothing changed. I've researched it and it's apparently a common problem with the 1300 models and replacing the upper and lower steering bearings with the ones used in the 1800 models fixes it. I've researched how to replace them and it requires special tools and the race for each bearing needs to be pressed in at a shop. I noticed that only 75 complaints have been registered. I still can't believe there's not a recall for this issue. I've seen a lot of people complaining about this online. I've had this issue for years and it keeps getting worse. I'm going to have to pay to get them replaced soon and I'm sure it's not going to be cheap after reading about how to do it. Thank you. *tr
- Suspension
There IS a severe front end wobble when decelerating from 50+ mph. The entire front end shakes to the point that control IS almost lost. It IS also causing the tire on the front to wear unevenly and at a very fast rate. The bike has less than 6000 miles on it as of march of 2018.
- Steering
On 2004 honda vtx1300c motorcycle, front tire develops a severe shimmy when decelerating from 40-50 mph. Have reported problem to honda repair center and tech's state they do not know cause of problem where many forums one stated to replace front wheel bearings with vtx 1800 tapered bearings.
- Power train · Suspension
Removed the front and rear wheels to have new tires installed. noticed the final drive flange bearings seal toward wheel, was torn open as if the seal had melted and the bearings were dry and very rough to turn. problem IS, I replaced the bearings and felt resistance when turning the new…
Removed the front and rear wheels to have new tires installed. noticed the final drive flange bearings seal toward wheel, was torn open as if the seal had melted and the bearings were dry and very rough to turn. problem IS, I replaced the bearings and felt resistance when turning the new bearings. read about this problem in one of the forums, removed the new bearings and ordered a second set. measured the bearing fit in the flange and it was .001" too close at the top and .002" at the bottom. had the flange machined to correct clearance and installed new bearings. just like it should have been from the factory, and I am very glad I found the problem before a deadly or costly incident occurred. *tr
- Wheels
This part IS mounted to the rim of the motorcycle and connects to the drive shaft . The housing that the flange bearings press into IS bored to tight causing the bearings to be crushed and not be smooth like they should be . I purchased brand new bearings and had the dealer put them in having the same problem as before . *tr
- Steering
TL* the contact owns a 2004 honda vtx1300. The contact stated that the handle bar wobbled excessively when driving 35 mph and above. The contact changed the tires on the vehicle but that did not correct the failure. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering stem bearings failed…
TL* the contact owns a 2004 honda vtx1300. The contact stated that the handle bar wobbled excessively when driving 35 mph and above. The contact changed the tires on the vehicle but that did not correct the failure. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering stem bearings failed and needed replacement. The dealer stated this was a known problem. The vin was not available. The failure and current mileage was 6,200.
- Steering · Unknown or other
Just purchased this bike I'm 2ND owner, and while inspecting this bike I noticed that left side of front tire was completely worn but right side had tread, so I replaced with new dunlop tires front and rear and after driving having only 300 miles on bike one day I let go of left hand grip at 40 mph…
Just purchased this bike I'm 2ND owner, and while inspecting this bike I noticed that left side of front tire was completely worn but right side had tread, so I replaced with new dunlop tires front and rear and after driving having only 300 miles on bike one day I let go of left hand grip at 40 mph to scratch my nose and the bike front wheel began to wobble enough to really scare me. I called honda they said we know nothing about this problem, however getting on line with several vtx owners web-sites and discovered that this IS a problem with the vtx 1300. I have new tires and vtx with less than 8000 miles on bike, seems like a manufacturing defect. *Tr
- Steering · Suspension
There IS a front fork wobble on my 2004 honda vtx motorcycle. This IS coupled with extremely fast wear on the front tires. The wobble IS most noticeable between 20 - 50 mph, and more prevalent when coasting to a stop. It IS bad enough at time to cause a control issue when going around turns. *tr
- Suspension › Rear · Wheels
Replacing rear tire on 2004 honda vtx 1300c. checking wheel and flange bearings at this time. the flange bearings are rough turning and one bearing IS falling apart. the motorcycle has only 16,000 miles on it. replacing flange bearings with a new set of aftermarket bearings. lucky to find the…
Replacing rear tire on 2004 honda vtx 1300c. checking wheel and flange bearings at this time. the flange bearings are rough turning and one bearing IS falling apart. the motorcycle has only 16,000 miles on it. replacing flange bearings with a new set of aftermarket bearings. lucky to find the bearing problem when I did. this could have cause a fatal accident if the rear wheel would have locked up driving at highway speeds!!! this IS not the first reported flange bearing failure. *tt
- Steering
I have a 2004 honda vtx 1300 and while decelerating, usually between 50 and 30 miles per hour, the handle bars and front end starts to wobble. this IS especially dangerous on a motorcycle. *tr
- Power train › Driveline
2004 honda vtx 1300. bearing flange failure on the rear wheel. approx. 50,000 miles before it got real noticeable real fast. the bearing flange cost 249.00. cant find a cross reference to the bearing used, so had to purchase the whole flange assy. *tr
- Steering
2004 honda vtx 1300c. Front end shake and wobble.the wobble IS between 35-50 mph. New tapered bearings are recommended for the repair. *Tr
- Steering
On 2004 honda vtx1300c motorcycle, front tire develops a severe shimmy when decelerating from 40-50 mph. have reported problem to honda repair center and tech's state they do not know cause of problem where many forums discuss issue in detail. *Tr
- Power train › Driveline
I have a 2004 honda vtx 1300c with 14,483 miles on it. I checked the bearings in rear wheel as I was putting a new tire on. The bearings are so bad it very hard to turn them by hand. I'm 51 years old and put over 300,000 miles on bikes. I've never seen anything like this in such a short time. I've…
I have a 2004 honda vtx 1300c with 14,483 miles on it. I checked the bearings in rear wheel as I was putting a new tire on. The bearings are so bad it very hard to turn them by hand. I'm 51 years old and put over 300,000 miles on bikes. I've never seen anything like this in such a short time. I've been told that honda will not correct this problem so I will try to find better bearings to replace the stock ones that failed. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
Leaking fuel valve on a 2004 honda vtx 1300. Exact same description as the 2007 model year. *Tr
- Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
The speedometer IS off by approximately 9-10% (reads faster than actual speed). this creates a safety issue with other drivers behind you tailgating, passing you in road rage type manners and creates an overall safety issue when you are impeding traffic and don't know if your driving the legal…
The speedometer IS off by approximately 9-10% (reads faster than actual speed). this creates a safety issue with other drivers behind you tailgating, passing you in road rage type manners and creates an overall safety issue when you are impeding traffic and don't know if your driving the legal speed limit. Further more the odometer reading IS falsified because of this. This problem IS well documented with all owners of honda vtx motorcycles, aftermarket companies are making money providing a repair solution because the dealer chooses to ignore that there's a problem and tells the consumer that the problem IS normal. The fact that an aftermarket part called the speedo healer exists should be proof enough that there IS a problem. The dealer should provide the fix for free, I shouldn't need to rely on an aftermarket company to provide accuracy on an important item such as my speedometer. *Tr
- Steering
My 2004 honda vtx 1300c has a bad vibration when decelerating from 50 to 40 mph. several time this has almost caused an accident due to vibration during a curve. according to my repair guy this IS due to a poor design in the steering bearing in the triple tree on the 1300s. apparently the bearing used in the triple tree IS not the same one used on the vtx1800 model which he says IS a good one. *Tr
- Steering · Suspension
I have a 2004 honda vtx 1300cc motorcycle, which has developed a large problem in the steering (wobble). This problem has been noted by hundreds of owners that I have seen on the web. I am replacing the front wheel bearings and the steering stem bearings to avoid being killed. That failure of the…
I have a 2004 honda vtx 1300cc motorcycle, which has developed a large problem in the steering (wobble). This problem has been noted by hundreds of owners that I have seen on the web. I am replacing the front wheel bearings and the steering stem bearings to avoid being killed. That failure of the nhtsa to address this issue with honda IS sickening. I guess people have to die before our wonderful government agencies will do their jobs; maybe not even then. *tr
- Steering
Honda vtx 1300c has a serious front end wobble that impedes the safe operation of this vehicle at speeds of 40 miles per hour. I have replaced tires and replaced fork springs/oil. Still front end shakes violently. This started around 7,000 miles .i'm currently at 20,000 and wanted to replace all parts before complaining. *tr
- Steering › Steering wheel/handle bar · Suspension
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 honda vtx1300. while driving 40-70, the handle bar would shake. as a result, the contact had no control over the vehicle. the dealer stated that the tires caused the failure. they replaced the tires; however, the failure continued to occur. the current mileage was 15,000 and failure mileage was 600. Updated 04/29/08. *lj updated 04/29/08 *tr
- Suspension › Front
TL* - the contact has a 2004 honda motorcycle btx 1300. the contact stated that the motorcycle's front end vibrated. when slowing trhe motorcycle down from 50 - 40 mph it began to vibrate. the contact stated that the motorcycle has been doing this samething since he purchased it 2 years ago. the current mileage was 12500. *Ak
- Power train › Driveline › Differential unit
Rear flange bearing in final drive on 2004 honda vtx 1300 motorcycle. This bearing basically came apart in the rear end, and was discovered by a local tire seller. If I had continued to ride, it could have locked up the rear end, resulting in a very bad accident. *jb
- Steering › Steering wheel/handle bar · Suspension
2004 honda vtx1300c front end wobble at 50 mph. *jb
- Steering
Front end wobble vtx 1300. *Jb
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10128559Dealer 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: Accord, Civic, and Others ? Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-045, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-046, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to ISIS. However, due to the large number of affected units, American Honda is still in the process of populating the VIN status inquiry function on iN, which is expected to take several days. When this process is complete, American Honda will notify all dealers again via iN message. Until that time, the existing acknowledgement procedure must be used for all potentially affected vehicles.
- 10128531Dealer 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.
- 10032953Honda: 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 12/29/07. No models listed.
- 10025523Load carrying capacity reduced label for all honda vehicles.
- 10018337Cooling fan ground. Honda the wrench.
- 10013766Don't straight edge it when performing periodic valve inspection.
- 10009060Trippy trip switch. Honda. The wrench.
Every Honda VTX1300 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.