AI Damage2004 Yamaha FZ6: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Yamaha FZ6 filed 34 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 34
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 62% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 18% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 21 complaints (62% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 6 complaints (18% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 6 complaints (18% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (6% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (3% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 34 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 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.
At 9m miles, my 2004 yamaha fz6 began to exhibit the following: 1) after approximately 30 minutes of operation, erratic and prolonged periods of rough idle at 500 rpms instead of the normal 1300 rpms 2) motor would stall during gear changes, even at highway speeds 3) during these times, the smell of gasoline was…
After the motorcycle warms up (approximately 50 miles of riding), it will stall out and/or sputter when the clutch is engaged and/or shifted into neutral. Last july it stalled out in the middle of a right hand turn around a red light, resulting in the back tire loosing traction and causing a crash.
Motorcycle's idle rpms change abruptly, to the point of stalling when at slow speeds. This abrupt change was the source of a rear end collision. The bike had been taken in previously to the dealership on multiple occasions but no corrective measures where taken, as the problem could not be reproduced.
It stalled once while I was on the way to work and I dropped the bike before I could catch it. I've had friends tell me that it is a tps (throttle position sensor), but the motorcycle is out of warranty and I don't have the money to take in to be checked. That would be almost $100 and they may not find it.
Motorcycle shuts off after reducing throttle during deceleration and during shifting. Many riders of the same model motorcycle have reported the same problem. This is dangerous because the bike is w/o power and sometimes during downshifting the rear tire loses traction and causes the bike to slide sideways.
Intermittently, the engine surges, cuts out, lugs, stalls/quits at varying times and speeds/riding situations. Stopping the bike, turning ignition off and on temporarily corrects problem, but problem always recurs. Different weather temperatures and fuel grades have no positive effect.
The motorcycle had progressively worse stalling at stop-lights and stop signs. At times the motorcycle would stutter and stall when trying to initiate the throttle from a stop, and at other times the motorcycle would randomly increase speed while cruising on the highway.
Motorcycle randomly will not idle and stalls between shifts. Has happened 5 or 6 times. Dealer says described symptoms cannot not be diagnosed without fault codes. Fault codes are not stored unless certain "idiotic lights" come on during failure.
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 6,426 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the FZ6 has 17 complaints (3 years in the data). This year has 34, above average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Yamaha FZ6?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, electrical system, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 34. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (71%), hesitation when accelerating (15%), loss of power / limp mode (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Yamaha FZ6?
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 2004 Yamaha FZ6 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 2004 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.