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Kawasaki · NHTSA safety record

2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 42 safety complaints about the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the electrical system.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 37 complaints, 88% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 250 miles, the median across the 39 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers February 2013 to December 2020 · How this is counted

What is on file

42 complaints on file

42

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
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%
0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 42.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2013 at 40.

44 33 22 11
13 14 20

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2013 to 2020.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

13V328000 · July 29, 2013

The defect
Kawasaki Motors Corp. is recalling certain model year 2013 Ninja 300 and 300 ABS motorcycles manufactured July 16, 2012, through April 27, 2013. Due to an improper setting in the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), the motorcycle may stall under deceleration.
The risk
A stall under deceleration increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Kawasaki will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU. The recall began on August 5, 2013. Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-866-802-9381.

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. · up to 11,097 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Motorcycle stalling

PE13023

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened June 20, 2013 · closed September 20, 2013 · led to recall 13V328000

the fuel system

ODI opened this PE with eighteen (18) allegations of stalling while riding a subject motorcycle.During the course of gathering information about this subject, Kawasaki decided to address the stalling issue.Kawasaki has informed ODI they intend to remedy approximately 11,097 2013 Model Year Ninja 300 and 300 ABS motorcycles by replacing the Engine Control Unit.Kawasaki's recall (13V-328) resolves the issue raised by this investigation and therefore this investigation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following 56 complaint identification numbers:10498192,10498532,10503493,10503834,10505012,10505031,10505117, 10505548,10505580,10509113,10509756,10510493,10510706,10512296, 10512579,10513051,10513978,10515717,10519423,10521588,10521827, 10521883,10521889,10521959,10521981,10522157,10522286,10522328, 10522426,10522861,10522984,10522991,10523178,10523506,10524022, 10524290,10525055,10525055,10525289,10525289,10525910,10525910, 10531686,10531686,10532034,10532034,10532226,10532226,10532373, 10532373,10532447,10532447,10532590,10532590,10534559,10536049

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE

1 injured · crash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KAWASAKI NINJA MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND BEGAN TO LUNGE VIOLENTLY. AS THE CONTACT TRIED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A FRACTURED SHOULDER. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA complaint 10531686. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · 1,500 miles

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 THE CAR, HIT MY LEG ON THE BUMPER AND LAID THE BIKE DOWN. I HAD THE BIKE TOWED TO HOUSTON MOTORSPORTS AS THE BIKE IS UNDER WARRANTY. HOUSTON MOTORSPORTS IS REFUSING TO HONOR THE WARRANTY ON THE BIKE FOR DEFECTIVE BRAKES. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10547180. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

5,500 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 11384841. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES

5,000 miles

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 PURCHASED THE BIKE ON MARCH 1ST AND IT COMES WITH A 1 YEAR WARRANTY. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED KAWASAKI HONORED THEIR WARRANTY AND REPLACED IT WITH THE SAME TIRE ON AUGUST 14TH. ON JANUARY 13TH, 2014 I FILED ANOTHER CLAIM WITH KAWASAKI AND SENT THEM PHOTOGRAPHS OF IT HAPPENING YET AGAIN. IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO REPLACE THE TIRE EVEN THOUGH THE BIKE IS STILL UNDER

NHTSA complaint 10560034, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

2,050 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KAWASAKI NINJA 300 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,050. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10536049. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

20 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KAWASAKI NINJA 300 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, HE ATTEMPTED TO DOWN SHIFT BUT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 10534559. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

1,000 miles

THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES IN TRAFFIC, WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS ENGAGED. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE BUT THE ENGINE ALWAYS RESTARTS IMMEDIATELY. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10532590. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2013 Kawasaki models

EX300 14

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kawasaki on this site — 4 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst