Buell: recalls by model and year

Name: Buell recall campaigns
Creator: Recall Register
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

NHTSA lists 28 vehicle recall campaigns for Buell. The register has 11 model lines of the make, model years 1995 to 2010. NHTSA has 154 complaints on file for these model lines. NHTSA also lists 3 child seat, tire or equipment campaigns for the make. The equipment pages show them. By vehicle recall campaigns, Buell is number 148 of 644 makes on the register. Vehicle recall campaigns for Buell: none in 2024 and none in 2025. For all makes, the count fell by 6.2%, from 950 in 2024 to 891 in 2025.

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Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 5 Nov 2026. Recall file through 3 Nov 2026.

Model lines

11 model lines, in the order of the number of complaints.

Buell: recall campaigns and complaints for each model line
Model line	Model years	Campaigns	Complaints	Complaints for each model year	Component with the most mentions
1125R	2	2	45	22.5	Electrical System
1125CR	1	1	44	44.0	Electrical System
S1 Lightning	3	8	13	4.3	Suspension
S3 Thunderbolt	4	11	13	3.3	Suspension
XB12X	5	3	13	2.6	Fuel System, Gasoline
M2 Cyclone	4	10	10	2.5	Suspension
X1 Lightning	2	8	7	3.5	Suspension
S2 Thunderbolt	2	8	4	2.0	Fuel System, Gasoline
S1 White Lightning	2	6	4	2.0	Power Train
S2T	2	5	1	0.5	Service Brakes, Hydraulic
S3T Thunderbolt	3	9	0	0.0

This table compares the model lines of Buell only. The NHTSA files have no sales figures. A model line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints. This site does not rate one make against another.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Newest recall campaigns

The newest 5 of 28.

09V465000Received 2 Dec 2009. 23 units.
Equipment
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Buell is recalling certain model year 2010 xb12x and xb12xt motorcycles manufactured from august 20 through september 30, 2009. The right hand side footpeg mount may have been manufactured to incorrect specifications.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could allow the footpeg to move significantly out of position, which could lead to loss of control of the vehicle resulting in injury or death of the rider.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the defective footpeg mount with a new footpeg mount that was manufactured to the correct specifications. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on december 14, 2009. Owners may contact buell distribution company at 1-414-343-8400.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Manufacturer campaign number 0840. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Dec 2009. The campaign has 2 make, model and year entries.
09V109000Received 2 Apr 2009. 3,316 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Buell distribution company is recalling 3,316 my 2008 1125r, my 2009 xb12r and xb12scg motorcycles. The subject motorcycles have a front brake line which may contact the front tire. The condition could cause a hole to develop in the front brake line, allowing brake fluid to leak.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition might cause an ineffective front brake, leading to a possible crash and potential injury or death of the rider.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will re-route the front brake line. If damage to the brake line has occurred, the brake line will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before april 20, 2009. Owners may contact buell distribution company at 1-414-343-8400.
Report filed by HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 0838. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Apr 2009. The campaign has 3 make, model and year entries.
08V554000Received 20 Oct 2008. 140 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Buell is recalling 140 my 2009 1125cr motorcycles. These motorcycles can experience a premature failure of the rear cylinder cam chain tension guide (part number f0020.1am). This can cause plastic debris to block the oil pump screen, possibly leading to oil starvation and engine seizure.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition may allow the engine to seize, resulting in rear wheel lock-up. This could result in a crash, which could cause injury or death to the rider.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the rear cam chain tensioner. The recall began on october 20, 2008. Owners may contact buell at 1-414-342-4680.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Manufacturer campaign number 0836. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Oct 2008. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.
08V267000Received 16 Jun 2008. 1,579 units.
Power Train / Clutch Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Buell is recalling 1,579 my 2008 1125r motorcycles. These vehicles can experience 5th gear galling on the clutch shaft due to lack of lubrication. This condition can allow the gear to seize to the shaft, resulting in rear wheel lock-up.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could result in a crash, which could cause injury or death to the rider.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect and repair the affected motorcycles free of charge. The recall began on june 23, 2008. Owners may contact buell motorcycles at 1-414-343-8400.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Manufacturer campaign number 0834. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 23 Jun 2008. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.
07V026000Received 1 Feb 2007. 2,044 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain motorcycles may have a vibration at the mounting location of the bank angle sensor which, if combined with the misrouting of various wires that impinge on the sensor or its pigtail, can compromise the isolation of the bank angle sensor.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This may create a false 'tip' signal and cause the engine to quit running while being driven, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will move the bank angle sensor from the original location on the battery tray to a location on the seat latch. The recall began on march 5, 2007. Owners may contact buell at 1-414-343-8400.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Manufacturer campaign number 0839. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Mar 2007. The campaign has 2 make, model and year entries.

The list shows the newest 5 of 28 campaigns.

Download all 28 campaigns of Buell (CSV)

Counts by year

Recall campaigns that name Buell vehicles, by the year NHTSA received the report. The largest year is 1999, with 11 campaigns.

Complaints about Buell vehicles, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2011, with 31 complaints.

Components in the complaints

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

Buell: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	Per 1,000	Mentions
Electrical System	373.3	84
Suspension	142.2	32
Fuel System, Gasoline	71.1	16
Engine	66.7	15
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	66.7	15
Engine and Engine Cooling	62.2	14
Exterior Lighting	62.2	14
Power Train	40	9
Unknown or Other	26.7	6
Vehicle Speed Control	22.2	5

Equipment recalls

Buell: equipment recallsNHTSA recall campaigns for other equipment of the brand.

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.

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Recall Register. Buell: recalls by model and year. https://recallregister.com/make/buell/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 5 Nov 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 3 Nov 2026
Complaint file through: 5 Nov 2026
Investigations that name the make: 3
Units in the campaigns: 94,244

Manufacturers in the recall file: BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.; HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY.

The make name is the name in the NHTSA files. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

Which Buell model line has the most recall campaigns?: The S3 Thunderbolt: 11 campaigns for 4 model years. A line with more model years has more campaigns.
Which Buell model line has the most complaints?: The 1125R: 45 complaints for 2 model years. A line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints.
Which components do the complaints about Buell vehicles name?: Electrical System: 373.3 per 1,000 component mentions. Suspension: 142.2 per 1,000 component mentions. Fuel System, Gasoline: 71.1 per 1,000 component mentions.
How many units are in the recall campaigns for Buell?: 94,244 units in 28 campaigns. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make.