Buell S1 LightningYears to avoid, problems & recalls
NHTSA has 13 owner complaints and 8 safety recalls on record for the Buell S1 Lightning.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.
Best & worst years
Buell S1 Lightning years to avoid
Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the S1 Lightning median. Tap a year for its full report.
'96'97'98
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
Complaints by system
Most common Buell S1 Lightning problems
All model years combined: 13 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
9Suspension
4Electrical system
4Fuel system, gasoline
3Service brakes, hydraulic
1Engine and engine cooling
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 9 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 4 | 0 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 1 | 0 |
8 recalls
Buell S1 Lightning recalls
Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.
Rear: shock absorber99V-107 · 1996–1998 · May 6, 1999 · 8,950 vehiclesTank assembly: mounting99V-104 · 1996–1998 · May 6, 1999 · 10,556 vehiclesStorage: tank assembly99V-105 · 1996–1998 · May 6, 1999 · 12,321 vehiclesSuspension: rear99V-106 · 1996–1998 · May 6, 1999 · 8,950 vehicles12v/24v/48v battery: cables99V-095 · 1996–1998 · Apr 29, 1999 · 3,878 vehiclesUnknown or other99V-097 · 1996–1998 · Apr 29, 1999 · 10,255 vehiclesSuspension: front99V-086 · 1997–1998 · Apr 26, 1999 · 5,208 vehiclesService brakes, hydraulic97V-153 · 1997–1998 · Sep 12, 1997 · 2,820 vehicles
1 investigation
NHTSA investigations of the S1 Lightning
- THROTTLE FAILS TO RETURN TO IDLELed to recall 03V-427