2003 Honda GL1800 problems
NHTSA has received 107 complaints about the 2003 Honda GL1800, and 50% of them involve body & structure. Next are cooling system (10%) and brakes (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 107 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 51% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 12,000 miles 56 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 34 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 56 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 12,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 19,000 miles (26 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 1 injury reported; 3 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the Honda GL1800 with enough data (76 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 honda gl1800 motorcycle. While riding approximately 35 MPH, the rider lost control of the motorcycle and crashed off the side of a 25 foot hill while attempting to maneuver a blind hairpin turn. The rider was fatally injured. A police report was filed. The motorcycle was destroyed. Photos from the police report indicated that during the incident, only the front brakes were applied, and the rear brake did not apply.
I have a honda gl1800 goldwing motorcycle. All these bikes have an issue with front end wobble while decelerating between 35-45 MPH. My honda dealer says honda knows about it but haven't recalled it yet because they have so many other recalls currently active. A review of a web site of owners called gl1800.org has hundreds of people talking about this problem and how to fix it. My honda dealer says the bearing in the steering column isn't sufficient and it would cost me about $300 to have it replaced.
Vehicle overheats at low speed operation, concern of boiling over, engine failure which while manuevering on a motorcycle could be very dangerous.
The vehicle was marked for recall. The recall notice indicated that the motorcycle's frame needed to be welded. The motorcycle has been at the dealer for over 1 yr awaiting repair. Please provide any further details. *nlm consumer received a recall notice regarding the frame on the 2003 honda goldwing. Dealer corrected recall repairs when the necessary parts were received.
The frame in my 2003 honda gold wing has cracked. The bike has been ridden normally two up most of the time and has never been in a accident. The 2003 honda gold wing has only 45,000 miles or so. This motorcycle was already involved in a safely frame recall ordered by the government in late 2003. This frame crack is in a spot on the motorcycles frame that requires that you lay under the bike to inspect. It's very tight and hard to view without a magnifying glass and good light source.