AI Damage1998 Suzuki Intruder: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Suzuki Intruder filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 13
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 54% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 31% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 8% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 7 complaints (54% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (31% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (8% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (8% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 13 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 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.
1998 suzuki 1500 intruder lc ball bearings locked the engine at a slow speed.
Fuel leaks onto the engine compartment. Consumer is concerned that the motorcycle will catch on fire. Gas tanl rotted on the bottom of tank. Motorcycle was only six years old and garage kept. This should not have happened.
The manual transmission jumps out of 4th gear under strong acceleration.t seems that there is a false neutral between 4th and 5th gear.this is extremly dangerous while accelerating and trying to pass a vehicle.
The clutch was slipping real badly at 9000 mile, so I had dealer replace , at my expense , since I was told not covered under warranty.the new clutch started slipping again at 13000 miles. Very scary situation when trying to pull out in traffic. Contacted my dealer as well as american suzuki.
The propane fule line going to t furnance and water devoleped a hole and caused the flames to full the coach.
When rear brakes are applied consumer hears a crunch which makes him aware that there are no brakes. They been replaced 4-5 times, once for free. Dealer has tried to remedy the brake problem numerous times, and nothing seems to be working.
When shifting the transmission into 5th gear, it would jump into neutral, causing motorcycle to lose power. Dealer notified.
When consumer is coming off the highway, the motorcycle backfires and stalls out. Consumer has to either roll over to the side of the road/ put the motorcycle into neutral, or pull the clutch in and restart the motorcycle.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,843 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 27% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Intruder has 8 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 13, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Suzuki Intruder?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, powertrain, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (15%), brake failure (8%), fuel system, fuel smell (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Suzuki Intruder?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1998 Suzuki Intruder from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1998 models
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.