Yamaha · NHTSA safety record

2014 Yamaha Bolt

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

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Yamaha Bolt have filed 82 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2013 and April 2021. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 56 of them (68%). The typical failure was reported at 85 miles, the median across the 65 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

13V298000 · July 8, 2013

The defect: Yamaha Motor Company (Yamaha) is recalling certain model year 2014 XVS950CU (Bolt) motorcycles manufactured March 2013 through June 2013. Slack or sag in the wiring harness may allow it to contact the exhaust manifold causing the wires to melt, and possibly short circuit.
The risk: If the wires short circuit, the fuses will blow which may cause the engine to stall. An engine stall while riding, increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Yamaha will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness and secure it away from the exhaust. If the wiring harness is damaged, it will first be replaced. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Owners may contact Yamaha at 1-800-962-7926.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA · up to 3,900 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 82.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 56 68%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 23 28%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 9%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 6%

VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 5%

STEERING 3 4%

STRUCTURE 2 2%

VISIBILITY 2 2%

SUSPENSION 1 1%

WHEELS 1 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2014 at 31.

2013 to 2021

In owners' own words

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

EXTERIOR LIGHTING Filed April 30, 2021

4,500 miles

VEHICLE METER IS DANGEROUSLY DIM. NOT VISIBLE DURING DAYLIGHT DUE TO GLARE. ONLY 2014 YAMAHA BOLT MODELS ENCOUNTER THIS ISSUE. THE SPEED CAN NOT BE DETERMINED WHILE RIDING NOR ANY OTHER INFORMATION DISPLAYED ON THE METER.

NHTSA complaint 11414546. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING Filed October 23, 2020

6,500 miles

DEATH WOBBLE- STEERING INSTABILITY AT 35-45 MPH. THIS COULD BE FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER BY USING TAPERED STEERING BEARINGS

NHTSA complaint 11365921. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed September 7, 2018

SPEEDOMETER CAN'T BE SEEN WHEN TRAVELING INTO THE SUN OR ANY TIME THE SUN IS AT THE WRONG ANGLE THAT IT CREATES A NON READABLE DISPLAY, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE ALMOST ANY TIME THE SUN IS OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD NOT BEING ABLE TO READ YOUR SPEED AS WELL AS POSSIBLY CAUSING SPEEDING TICKETS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURE WITH A RECALL. SERIOUSLY ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint 11128017. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING Filed March 20, 2017

SPEEDOMETER CAN'T BE SEEN WHEN TRAVELING INTO THE SUN OR ANY TIME THE SUN IS AT THE WRONG ANGLE THAT IT CREATES A NON READABLE DISPLAY, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE ALMOST ANY TIME THE SUN IS OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD NOT BEING ABLE TO READ YOUR SPEED AS WELL AS POSSIBLY CAUSING SPEEDING TICKETS.

NHTSA complaint 10967154. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING Filed January 27, 2017

1,950 miles

MY CONCERN IS THE DEATH WOBBLE THE BIKE HAS WHEN AT SPEEDS AROUND 45 MPH.

NHTSA complaint 10947988. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Filed January 2, 2017

4,700 miles

DURING THE DAY OR WHEN THE SUN IS BRIGHT I CAN NOT SEE THE SPEEDOMETER READING. ITS DIGITAL AND THERE ISN'T MUCH CONTRAST SO I CANT SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THIS CAN CAUSE ME TO CHECK MY SPEED FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME AND CAN CAUSE A SPEEDING VIOLATION OR ACCIDENT. THIS HAPPENS WHEN IN MOTION OR STATIONARY, ITS TOO DIM.

NHTSA complaint 10939106. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2014 Yamaha models

FZ09 12

Every Yamaha on this site — 5 vehicles, 77 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.

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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst