Total Complaints
1 filings
HONDA GL1500 · model year
1988 HONDA GL1500
1 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988HONDAGL1500 carries 1 consumer safety complaint in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1988 GL1500 is fuel system, gasoline:carburetor system with 1 filings. Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 77 investigation files overlapping the 1988 GL1500, and 9 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20031017FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 1988 HONDA GL1500 GOLDWING. AT SLOW SPEEDS THE MOTORCYCLE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS UNPREDICTABLE. IT HAS A HESITATION AND THEN SURGES. I HAVE NEARLY DROPPED THE MOTORCYCLE WHENEVER IT SPUN OUT IN GRAVEL BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BY HONDA FOR ALL 1988 GOLDWINGS THAT DEALS WITH THIS EXACT SYMPTOM. THE TSB IS GL1500-2, LOW SPEED DRIVING IMPROVEMENT. THIS TSB WAS COVERED UNDER THE VEHICLE WARRANTY. OBVIOUSLY, THIS MOTORCYCLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I CHECKED WITH MY LOCAL HONDA DEALER AND FOUND THAT THE PARTS ALONE FOR THIS SERVICE ARE OVER $750. I CONTACTED HONDA AMERICA AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO SUPPLY THE PARTS IF I WOULD PAY FOR THE SERVICE. THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT A RECALL BUT RATHER A SERVICE BULLETIN AND THAT THE PARTS WOULD NOT BE PROVIDED. OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS A SERIOUS ENOUGH ISSUE THAT A TSB WAS ISSUED HOWEVER A SAFETY RECALL WAS NOT ISSUED. DO I HAVE
Compare 1988HONDAGL1500 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 9 Open
PE25017Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Inaccurate Rear Passenger Seat Belt Warning Status
PE25016Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Loss of Motive Power
PE25018Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Inadvertent Deployment of Side Air Bags
PE25008Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Engine failure
EA25004Engineering AnalysisOpen
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 HONDA GL1500 have?▼
The 1988 HONDA GL1500 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 HONDA GL1500?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 HONDA GL1500 is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1988 HONDA GL1500 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.