1999 Kawasaki VULCAN NOMAD: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
13 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
41,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1999 model year. Data snapshot: . 6 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 6 of 13 complaints (46.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Engine operation | 2 | 15.4% |
| Braking behavior | 1 | 7.7% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 7.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 6 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 |
| Electrical System | 1 |
| Engine | 1 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | 1 |
| Power Train | 1 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 1 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Pedals And Linkages | 1 |
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 6; Engine And Engine Cooling: 2; Electrical System: 1; Engine: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System: 1; Power Train: 1; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 1; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Pedals And Linkages: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 2 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 3 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 1 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 3; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (3). 7 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
2000: 2; 2001: 1; 2002: 1; 2004: 3; 2005: 1; 2010: 3; 2011: 1; 2012: 1
Pattern summary
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10054163 · 2004-01-14 (January 14, 2004)
1999 KAWASAKI NOMAD MOTORCYCLE LOST POWER.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE'S OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE MOTORCYCLE LOST ALL POWER. THE BIKE WAS TOWED TO THE CONSUMER'S HOME. THE CONSUMER REMOVED THE OIL FILTER AND FOUND DEPOSITS OF NYLON MATERIAL. THE CONSUMER WENT ONTO A KAWASAKI CLUB WEBSITE AND SAW INFORMATION THAT A NYLON OIL PUMP GEAR WAS USED IN THAT SERIES BIKE AND THAT IT WOULD FAIL BELOW 30K MILES. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT THIS WAS A FACTORY ISSUE. *NM
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10054163 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10075114 · 2004-06-09 (June 9, 2004)
PLASTIC OIL GEAR FAILURE RESULTS IN TOTAL LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE, WHICH COULD LEAD TO ENGINE FAILURE, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL. MINE STARTED AND WARMED NORMALLY, BUT THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON LESS THAN FIVE MILES DOWN THE ROAD. I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND COASTED ONTO A SIDE ROAD, WHERE A CHECK OF MY OIL LEVEL SHOWED IT WAS FULL BUT NO PRESSURE. SEEMS TO ONLY INVOLVE 1999 AND EARLY 2000 MODEL VULCANS. WELL DOCUMENTED DESIGN FLAW THAT KAWASAKI IS AWARE OF. KAWASAKI IS REPAIRING THIS AFTER IT FAILS, WHICH CAN ONLY HAPPEN W…
Owner-reported narrative. 41,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10075114 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10078680 · 2004-06-23 (June 23, 2004)
LODGED ORIGINAL COMPLAINT UNDER SUBCATEGORY 'OTHER'. PLASTIC (NYLON) OIL GEAR FAILURE. MINE FAILED AT 41000 MILES. MOST HAVE FAILED AT EARLIER MILEAGE. FAILURE OCCURRS WITHOUT WARNING, RESULTS IN SUDDEN LOSS OF ALL OIL PRESSURE, CAN LEAD TO ENGINE LOCK-UP, AND LOSS OF CONTROL. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED AS YET. KAWASAKI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT ARE WAITING FOR FAILURE BEFORE REPLACEMENT. FAILURE ONLY OCCURRS WHILE RIDING, WHICH ALWAYS LEAVES THE RIDER STRANDED, REQUIRING A TOW. I HOPE DEATH AND INJURY ARE NOT PREREQUISITES TO RECALL. *A…
Owner-reported narrative. 41,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10078680 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10144833 · 2005-12-09 (December 9, 2005)
DEFECTIVE OIL GEAR DESTROYED THE ENGINE ON MY 1999 VULCAN NOMAD. KAWASAKI IS WILLING TO COVER ONLY THE PUMP AND GEAR OF THE ENGINE BUT NOT THE REST OF THE DAMAGE. I AM GOING TO BE CHARGED OVER $1,700 FOR THEIR FAULTY GEAR. THERE WAS NO WARNING, NO OFFICIAL RECALL, NO INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT TO DO IF THE GEAR FAILED. I TRIED TO WORK IT OUT WITH KAWASAKI. THE LOCAL DEALER IS EVEN ON MY SIDE AND CALLED KAWASAKI MOTOR CORP TO FAUGHT FOR ME. WHEN I TRIED TO WORK IT OUT WITH KAWASAKI MOTOR CORP TECH DEPART, THE TECHNICIAN STATED TO ME THAT THE …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10144833 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10326733 · 2010-04-20 (April 20, 2010)
I HAVE A 1999 KAWASAKI VULCAN NOMAD. THE GEAR ON THE OIL PUMP STRIPED AND DID DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. KAWASAKI KNOWS THAT THE GEAR FAILS. IT DID ON MY BIKE AT 57,000 MILES. IT IS IN THE KAWASAKI SHOP NOW AND WILL COST AROUND $2200 TO FIX. KAWASAKI HAS FIXED SOME BIKES BUT I WAS TOLD BY KAWASAKI THAT THEY STOPPED THIS LAST YEAR. I LIVE IN ARKANSAS AND WAS IN FLORIDA ON A TRIP WHEN I HAD THE PROBLEM. I LOADED IT IN A U-HAUL AND BROUGHT IT BACK HOME. KAWASAKI KNOWING THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS AND DOING NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS NO DIFFERENT T…
Owner-reported narrative. 57,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10326733 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10341275 · 2010-07-02 (July 2, 2010)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 KAWASAKI VULCAN NOMAD. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE OIL LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE OIL GEAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 43000.
Owner-reported narrative. 43,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10341275 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10363996 · 2010-11-04 (November 4, 2010)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KAWASAKI VULCAN NOMAD.(N/A) THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER PERTAINING TO THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT; NHTSA CAMPAIGN RECALL NUMBER 10V507000, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNTIL SPRING OF 2011 DUE TO THE VEHICLE NOT BEING PURCHASED AT THAT SPECIFIC LOCATION. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THERE WERE NO FAILURES AT THIS TIME.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10363996 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10434143 · 2011-11-03 (November 3, 2011)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 KAWASAKI VULCAN NOMAD MOTORCYCLE. THE ONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70-75 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE PLASTIC AND METAL GEAR. THE PLASTIC AND METAL GEAR FAILED AND CAUSED THE OIL PUMP TO FAIL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR DUE TO VEHICLE AGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 19,256.
Owner-reported narrative. 19,256 miles reported. Look up ODI 10434143 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.