HONDA VTR1000F · model year

1998 HONDA VTR1000F

5 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1998HONDAVTR1000F 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, 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 1998 VTR1000F is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 4 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (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 1998 VTR1000F, 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
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

5 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
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20060825ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

THE CAM CHAIN TENSIONER SKIPPED AT AROUND 35000 MILES ON MY 1998 HONDA SUPERHAWK. THERE IS MUCH DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC AT SUPERHAWKFORUM.COM. MY ENGINE WAS DESTROYED. *JB

Mileage: 35,000

20021210ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SECOND FAILURE OF CAMCHAIN TENSIONER WITH ENGINE BREAKDOWN OCCURRED AT 25720 MILES. THIS WAS ALSO REPORTED TO HONDA WITH HONDA AGAIN DENYING THAT A CAMCHAIN PROBLEM EXISTS. DT

20021105ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

THIS CAM CHAIN TENSIONER PROBLEM IS POPULAR AMONG VTR1000F OWNERS, PARTICULARLY 1999 MODELS AND EARLIER. FAILURE OF THE TENSIONER COULD CAUSE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF ENGINE AT SPEED, CAUSING LOCKUP OF REAR WHEEL AND PROBABLE ACCIDENT WITH INJURY. DT

20021105ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

THIS PROBLEM IS FAIRLY COMMON WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. THE CHAIN DRIVING THE CAMS GOES LAX AND THE ENGINE DIES. SOMETIMES THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING AND POSES A DANGER TO THE OPERATOR. I WAS FORTUNATE IN THAT MINE FAILED WHILE THE ENGINE WAS WARMING UP.

20020717ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK

Compare 1998HONDAVTR1000F to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1998 HONDA VTR1000F have?
The 1998 HONDA VTR1000F has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 HONDA VTR1000F?
The most-complained component for the 1998 HONDA VTR1000F is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1998 HONDA VTR1000F 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.