On December 14, 2022, Kawasaki Motors Corporation, U.S.A., issued a recall for certain 2015 through 2023 Ninja H2, Ninja H2 Carbon, Ninja H2 SX, Ninja H2 SX SE, Ninja H2 SX SE+, Z H2, and Z H2 SE bikes due to the risk of a sudden engine stall while riding. If the engine suddenly stalls while in operation, it could increase the risk of a crash and possible injury.
Approximately 3,172 bikes may potentially be involved in this recall, which represents about one percent of the total population according to Kawasaki. The affected bikes were produced between December 1, 2014 and September 27, 2022. There are three affected VIN ranges, which are as follows:
- JKAZXCN10FA000065 to JKBZXVJ17NA004304
- JKBZXVB10JA000006 to JKBZXVD17MA005141
- JKAZRCL11MA000005 to JKAZRCK16PA015234
The issue stems from the plunger in the camshaft chain tensioner, which can lock up while in use on affected bikes due to deterioration of internal parts. One possible warning sign that riders may observe on affected bikes is an abnormal noise that could be generated on the right side of the engine.
Kawasaki issued a stop sale notice to its dealership network on December 9, 2022 for affected models, at which time it also notified dealers that instructions regarding recall service would follow in mid-December. The company plans to notify dealers on or about December 19, 2022, and will also notify registered owners of bikes involved in this recall on or about December 21, 2022.
According to the company, all eligible units will receive replacement of both the affected camshaft chain tensioner and the gasket. From November, 2022, a different tensioner is now in use on Kawasaki’s assembly line, which does not have this problem. The stamped numbers on the outside of the potentially faulty tensioner and the new, remedial tensioner make it easy to tell them apart.
Kawasaki owners who may previously have paid to have failures related to this issue fixed, prior to the recall being announced, may be eligible to receive full or partial reimbursement for their documented costs of repairs. Owners requiring recall service should contact their local authorized Kawasaki dealer to schedule repairs, which will be performed free of charge.
Owners can contact Kawasaki Motors Corporation customer service at 1-866-802-9381. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. NHTSA’s campaign number for this recall is 22V-912.
