1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt. The newest campaign is 99V106000. NHTSA received the report on 6 May 1999. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Rear. NHTSA has 10 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 99V106000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the swingarm.

NHTSA VIN lookup

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 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

7 campaigns, newest first. 59,060 units in total.

99V1060006 May 1999Suspension / Rear
99V1070006 May 1999Suspension / Rear / Shock Absorber
99V1040006 May 1999Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
99V1050006 May 1999Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
99V09700029 Apr 1999Unknown or Other
99V08600026 Apr 1999Suspension / Front
97V15300012 Sep 1997Service Brakes, Hydraulic

99V106000Received 6 May 1999. 8,950 units.
Suspension / Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. These motorcycles were built with a swingarm that could break.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the swingarm should break, loss of vehicle control could occur.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the swingarm.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 Jul 1999.
99V107000Received 6 May 1999. 8,950 units.
Suspension / Rear / Shock Absorber
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. These motorcycles were built with a rear shock absorber front eye that could break.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the shock eye should break, the underside of the vehicle will drag on the ground possibly causing loss of vehicle control.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the rear shock absorber.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 28 Jun 1999.
99V104000Received 6 May 1999. 10,556 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. These motorcycles were built with a fuel tank mount system that could, in the event of a crash, allow the fuel tank to separate from the motorcycle.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could result in an explosion or fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the fuel tank mount system.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Jun 1999.
99V105000Received 6 May 1999. 12,321 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. These motorcycles were built with a fuel tank vent valve assembly that could become plugged.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Under certain conditions, this could cause the carburetor to overflow fuel which could result in a fire. This condition could also prevent sufficient fuel flow, which could cause the engine to misfire or stall.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the fuel tank vent valve assembly.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jun 1999.
99V097000Received 29 Apr 1999. 10,255 units.
Unknown or Other
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. These motorcycles were built with a sidestand switch that could become inoperative
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can cause the engine to stall/quit when riding.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the sidestand switch.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Jun 1999.
99V086000Received 26 Apr 1999. 5,208 units.
Suspension / Front
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. The front isolator mount system can lose clamp load and possibly break.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could lead to an unintended distraction to the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the front isolator mount system.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Manufacturer campaign number 0810. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 May 1999.
97V153000Received 12 Sep 1997. 2,820 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: motorcycles. The e-clip which retains the drive pin on the front brake rotor and carrier can separate from the drive pin allowing the pin to move out of position and come in contact with the front brake caliper.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can prevent the front wheel from rotating increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will repair these motorcycles.
Report filed by BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 29 Sep 1997.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

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

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

10 complaints, 15 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Suspension		4
Service Brakes, Hydraulic		3
Unknown or Other		3
Engine and Engine Cooling		2
Fuel System, Gasoline		2
Power Train		1

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 27 Aug 2000

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

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.

Complaints about the 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2000, with 9 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE03043	Preliminary evaluation	THROTTLE FAILS TO RETURN TO IDLE	Vehicle Speed Control / Cables	23 Sep 2003	30 Oct 2003	03V427000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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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.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Buell S3 ThunderboltThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/buell/s3-thunderbolt/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt?: 59,060 units in 7 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Buell S3 Thunderbolt have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for the Buell S3 Thunderbolt, model years 1997 to 2000. 7 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt name most often?: Suspension: 4 of 15 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.