AI DamageKawasaki ZX14: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Kawasaki ZX14 across 2 model years: 6 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 33% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 17% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 17% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 17% of all complaints
- Structure: 2 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (17% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (17% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (17% of all).
- Steering: 1 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 6 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Kawasaki zx14 2006 model steering head cracked. Not attended to by dealer & kawasaki in south africa, nor was this attended to as per recall in 2008. Rider seriously injured updated 10/28/10 updated ivoq 11/01/10
Applied brakes on a 2006 zx1400 kawasaki to negotiate a turn in the road. At that time the frame broke 3 to 4 inches behind the triple clamps. This caused me to be thrown over the handlebars and onto the road in the way of oncoming traffic. I was hospitalized for 2 days.
2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 frame broke in the same location as recall defect, causing rear suspension collapse. Dealer denied recall coverage due to modifications, but failure matches official recall issue.
The contact stated that the vibration affected the steering, but the vehicle was able to stop properly. The failure mileage was 1,200 and the current mileage was 15,000.
This is the second clutch to go bad the first at 2,800 miles and the second to go at 10,000 miles going out will driving causing the engine to lockup will I was riding it and almost having a accident.
When the contact attempts to accelerate out of a turn, he can hear a very loud clunking noise coming from the engine. The failure began the day after the vehicle was serviced for a manufacturer's recall pertaining to the frame inspection. The vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer, but the failure still persists.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.