Total Complaints
4 filings
HONDA SHADOW · model year
1997 HONDA SHADOW
4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997HONDASHADOW carries 4 consumer safety complaints 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 1997 SHADOW is electrical system:ignition with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:delivery (1) and equipment:other:owners/service/other manual (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.
NHTSA currently has 77 investigation files overlapping the 1997 SHADOW, 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.
4
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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20021210POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
REF . PREVIOUS REPORTS AS FOLLOWS 541061,735146, 744948, 827854. MR FRANK BURRIS CALLED ME BUT NEVER GOT BACK . DOES ANYBODY CARE OR ARE YOU WAITING TO HEAR FROM A ESTATE LAWYER ?? I HAVE IN MY POSSESION SEALS # 3-5 THAT HAVE RUPTURED I SEEM TO ONLY GET 5000 MILES NOW ON EACH SEAL.THANK YOU RA MURRAY. .
20020320EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
INFORMATION IN OWNERS MANUAL IS INCORRECT. INSTRUCTION STATE THE FOLLOWING: TO PULL IN THE CLUTCH AND RELEASE THE THROTTLE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD READ RELEASE THROTTLE AND THEN PULL CLUTCH.*AK
20010508FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
FUEL HAD RUBBED THROUGH ON CYL. HEAD DUE TO VIB, OF CHEAP DESIGN & ROUTING OF IT. . SMALL LEAK OIL SEAL IS THE THIRD REPLACED ,,10000, 15000 ,20000! MILES . REF PREV. COMPLAINT 541061,735146 ,827854. *AK
20001031ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH STALLING DURING HIGHWAY SPEED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER AWARE OF A DEFECTIVE IGNITION MODULE ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. ASKING HELP FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER. *AK *SLC
Compare 1997HONDASHADOW 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 1997 HONDA SHADOW have?▼
The 1997 HONDA SHADOW has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 HONDA SHADOW?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 HONDA SHADOW is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY and EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL.
Is the 1997 HONDA SHADOW 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.