HONDA SHADOW · model year

2002 HONDA SHADOW

10 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002HONDASHADOW carries 10 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 2002 SHADOW is vehicle speed control with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (1) and wheels (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 2002 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.

10
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

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

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
WHEELS1
WHEELS:RIM1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY1

Recent Complaints

20060919FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

2002 HONDA SHADOW 600 BACKFIRING AND HAS A GAS LEAK. UPON INSPECTION MECHANIC DETERMINED THEY NEEDED A NEW GAS TANK. *KB *JB

20050318EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHT LENSES FELL OFF. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC REPLACED THE LENSES FIVE TIMES. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK THE STORE WHERE CONSUMER PURCHASED THIS HONDA HAVE 2005 HONDAS IN THEIR SHOWROOM MISSING TURN SIGNAL LENSES. THIS IS A CONCERN FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOLLOWING THESE MOTORCYCLES HAVING TO SWERVE TO MISS FALLING PARTS OF THESE BIKES. AT NIGHT WHEN THIS HAPPENS YOU DO NOT HAVE AMBER TURN SIGNALS, YOU HAVE BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT. *BF

20040501VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

MY 2002 HONDA SABRE MOTORCYCLE CAME WITH A SEEDOMETER THAT READS APPROXIMATELY 10% HIGHER VELOCITY THAT ACTUAL VELOCITY. I HAVE CHECKED THIS BY TIMING AGAINST MILE MARKERS WHILE TRAVELING AT A SET SPEED (60 MPH) ON THE SPEEDOMETER, AND I HAVE ALSO CHECKED IT AGAINST SEVERAL OTHER CARS AND MOTORCYCLES. ALL TESTS TO DATE CONFIRM THE 10 % HIGH READING. I HAVE ALSO RESEARCHED OTHER HONDA SABRE OWNERS ON INTERNET AND ALMOST ALL OF THEM COMPLAIN OF THE SAME PROBLEM. HONDA'S RESPONSE TO DATE HAS BEEN TO CLAIM THAT IT IS LEAGAL TO BE OFF 10 %. I THINK THIS IS A SAFTEY HAZARD IN AT LEAST TWO WAYS. SINCE I AM ACTUALLY TRAVELING SLOWER THAN THE SPEEDOMETER SAYS THAT I AM, AT NIGHT TRAVELING HIGHWAYS, CARS CAN APPROACH ME FROM THE REAR VERY QUICKLY AND POSSIBLY OVER-RUN ME. THE OTHER PROBLEM CAUSED BY THIS IS THAT I NOW KNOW THAT IT IS READING TO FAST SO I NOW END UP HAVING TO GUESS/CALCULATE WHILE DRIVING IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN LEAGAL SPEEDS AND NOT IMPEDE THE SAFE FLOW OF TRAFFIC.*AK

20030822EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

TURN SIGNAL LENS WILL NOT STAY ON THE LIGHT IT IS ATTACHED TO. CONSUMER REPAIRED THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THREE TIMES ALREADY, AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED AGAIN.*AK

Mileage: 2,500

20030721VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CONSUMER STATED THROTTLE BROKE. DEALER NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE REGISTRATION CARD AND FURTHER INFORMATION SINCE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 1 MILE. SHADOW 2003. *AK

20030707ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT VEHICLE SHUTTING OFF.MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, AND HAD REPLACED DIFFERENT THINGS ON THE VEHICLE.*AK

20030613UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY HONDA SHADOW SABRE (VT1100C2) HAS A SPEEDOMETER THAT READS APPROXIMATELY 10% OFF ACTUAL SPEED. THIS IS S CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH HONDA SHADOW SABRES FROM 2000 THROUGH 2003 MODEL YEARS.N *NLM

Mileage: 2

20030605WHEELS:RIM

THE REAR TIRE RIM RUSTED. THE DEALER STATED IT WAS DUE TO DRIVER'S NEGLECT. *JB

Mileage: 1,122

20020624WHEELS

BOTH FRONT TIRES WERE LOSING AIR. VEHICLE TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP AND INFORMED THAT BOTH FRONT WHEELS WERE OUT OF ROUND. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 45 TO 55 MILES PER HOUR, THERE IS AN EVIDENT SHAKE IN THE HANDLE BARS, THE FRONT WHEEL HOPS/BOUNCES. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED WHEN VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN FOR IT'S 600 MILE CHECK. DEALER CHANGED THE WHEEL AND TIRE. THIS PROVIDED IMPROVEMENT SOME WHAT. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO DEALER AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE WHEELS HAVE FLAT SPOTS. THE FACTORY WAS INFORMED. THERE ARE CONFLICTING STORIES REGARDING THIS VEHICLE. HONDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. *JG

20020611ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY MOTORCYCLE SHUTDOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

Compare 2002HONDASHADOW to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 HONDA SHADOW have?
The 2002 HONDA SHADOW has 10 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 HONDA SHADOW?
The most-complained component for the 2002 HONDA SHADOW is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE and WHEELS.
Is the 2002 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.