Total Complaints
5 filings
HONDA GL1800A · model year
2004 HONDA GL1800A
5 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2004HONDAGL1800A carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 3 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 2004 GL1800A is suspension with 1 filings, followed by power train:manual transmission (1) and electronic stability control (esc) (1). 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. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 77 investigation files overlapping the 2004 GL1800A, 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.
5
Complaints
0
Crashes
3
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 |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
Recalls (3)
05V02700031/01/2005
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
ON SOME MOTORCYCLES, CERTAIN FRAME WELDS DO NOT MEET MANUFACTURING SPECIFICATIONS. HIGH LOADS CREATED WHEN RIDING ON ROUGH ROAD SURFACES OR THROUGH POTHOLES CAN CAUSE THE AFFECTED WELDS TO CRACK.
05V01000024/01/2005
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES EQUIPPED WITH COMBINED-BRAKE SYSTEMS HAVE A PROPORTIONING CONTROL VALVE (PCV) THAT MECHANICALLY PROPORTIONS BRAKE FORCE WHEN THE REAR BRAKE IS APPLIED. A SEAL IN SOME PCVS IS IMPROPERLY SHAPED, AND BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE MAY OCCUR.
15V70000023/10/2015
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2010 and 2012-2015 GL1800, 2001-2005 GL1800A and 2013-2015 GL1800B motorcycles. The rear brakes of the affected motorcycles may drag after the brakes are released.
Recent Complaints
20171026FireELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
I HAVE A 2004 HONDA GOLDWING WITH A CALIFORNIA SIDE CAR KIT. I PURCHASED IT FROM THE SECOND OWNER ABOUT 1.5 YRS AGO. ABOUT A YEAR AGO I WAS RIDING A BACK ROAD WHEN THE STARTER ENGAGED. I HADN'T TOUCHED THE START SWITCH? I TRIED THE KILL SWITCH BOTH POSITIONS AS THIS MODEL HAS AN UP AND DOWN FEATURE. I THEN TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, NO AVAIL. FINALLY IT STOPPED ON IT'S OWN. AFTER RETURNING HOME IT WOULD NOT RESTART, I DID A CHECK AND FOUND THE START RELAY WAS FRIED. A FEW WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN SAME SYMPTOMS AND RESPONSE TO WHAT SHOULD HAVE SHUT A BIKE DOWN SAME RESULTS. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER IN LAKE CITY, FL. AFTER TRYING TO SELL ME A NEW BIKE PIECE BY PIECE I PAID MY $1K AND LEFT WITH A NEW STARTER AND NEW STARTER RELAY. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER WHEN IT HAPPENED I HAD SEVERAL STARTER RELAYS ONBOARD AND SURE ENOUGH REPLACE THE START RELAY IT STARTED I MADE IT HOME. THIS WEEK WHILE WASHING IT I TURNED THE KEY ON AND BEFORE I COULD MOUNT IT IT STARTED CHUGGING BY
Mileage: 45,000
20171026FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I HAVE A 2004 HONDA GOLDWING WITH A CALIFORNIA SIDE CAR KIT. I PURCHASED IT FROM THE SECOND OWNER ABOUT 1.5 YRS AGO. ABOUT A YEAR AGO I WAS RIDING A BACK ROAD WHEN THE STARTER ENGAGED. I HADN'T TOUCHED THE START SWITCH? I TRIED THE KILL SWITCH BOTH POSITIONS AS THIS MODEL HAS AN UP AND DOWN FEATURE. I THEN TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, NO AVAIL. FINALLY IT STOPPED ON IT'S OWN. AFTER RETURNING HOME IT WOULD NOT RESTART, I DID A CHECK AND FOUND THE START RELAY WAS FRIED. A FEW WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN SAME SYMPTOMS AND RESPONSE TO WHAT SHOULD HAVE SHUT A BIKE DOWN SAME RESULTS. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER IN LAKE CITY, FL. AFTER TRYING TO SELL ME A NEW BIKE PIECE BY PIECE I PAID MY $1K AND LEFT WITH A NEW STARTER AND NEW STARTER RELAY. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER WHEN IT HAPPENED I HAD SEVERAL STARTER RELAYS ONBOARD AND SURE ENOUGH REPLACE THE START RELAY IT STARTED I MADE IT HOME. THIS WEEK WHILE WASHING IT I TURNED THE KEY ON AND BEFORE I COULD MOUNT IT IT STARTED CHUGGING BY
Mileage: 45,000
20171026FireENGINE
I HAVE A 2004 HONDA GOLDWING WITH A CALIFORNIA SIDE CAR KIT. I PURCHASED IT FROM THE SECOND OWNER ABOUT 1.5 YRS AGO. ABOUT A YEAR AGO I WAS RIDING A BACK ROAD WHEN THE STARTER ENGAGED. I HADN'T TOUCHED THE START SWITCH? I TRIED THE KILL SWITCH BOTH POSITIONS AS THIS MODEL HAS AN UP AND DOWN FEATURE. I THEN TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, NO AVAIL. FINALLY IT STOPPED ON IT'S OWN. AFTER RETURNING HOME IT WOULD NOT RESTART, I DID A CHECK AND FOUND THE START RELAY WAS FRIED. A FEW WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN SAME SYMPTOMS AND RESPONSE TO WHAT SHOULD HAVE SHUT A BIKE DOWN SAME RESULTS. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER IN LAKE CITY, FL. AFTER TRYING TO SELL ME A NEW BIKE PIECE BY PIECE I PAID MY $1K AND LEFT WITH A NEW STARTER AND NEW STARTER RELAY. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER WHEN IT HAPPENED I HAD SEVERAL STARTER RELAYS ONBOARD AND SURE ENOUGH REPLACE THE START RELAY IT STARTED I MADE IT HOME. THIS WEEK WHILE WASHING IT I TURNED THE KEY ON AND BEFORE I COULD MOUNT IT IT STARTED CHUGGING BY
Mileage: 45,000
20090406POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
ON 2004 HONDA GL1800A MOTORCYCLE TRANSMISSION WOULD JUMP BACK INTO 4TH GEAR FROM OD GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD ALSO DISENGAGE WHILE IN OD GEAR. *TR
Mileage: 9,785
20051011SUSPENSION
DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE AT 40 MPH AND TAKING BOTH HANDS OFF OF THE HANDLE BARS, THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE CONSUMER ALSO NOTICED THIS PROBLEM ON JULY 5, 2005. THE CONSUMER SPOKE TO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE THE CONSUMER FOR INSPECTING THE MOTORCYCLE. THERE WAS NO WARNING OR NOISE BEFORE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED EACH TIME THE CONSUMER DROVE THE MOTORCYCLE. *AK (12/08/05) *SC
Compare 2004HONDAGL1800A 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 2004 HONDA GL1800A have?▼
The 2004 HONDA GL1800A has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2004 HONDA GL1800A?▼
Yes, the 2004 HONDA GL1800A has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 HONDA GL1800A?▼
The most-complained component for the 2004 HONDA GL1800A is SUSPENSION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION and ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC).
Is the 2004 HONDA GL1800A 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.