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Buell S2 ThunderboltYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 4 owner complaints and 8 safety recalls on record for the Buell S2 Thunderbolt.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints4Top: Fuel system, gasolineSafety recalls81995–1996 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Buell S2 Thunderbolt 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 S2 Thunderbolt median. Tap a year for its full report.

'95'96
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
1996Not rated–/1001 complaint · 4 recalls1995Not rated–/1003 complaints · 8 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common Buell S2 Thunderbolt problems

All model years combined: 4 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Fuel system, gasoline30
Steering10
Suspension10
8 recalls

Buell S2 Thunderbolt recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Rear: shock absorber99V-107 · 1995–1996 · May 6, 1999 · 8,950 vehicles–Tank assembly: mounting99V-104 · 1995–1996 · May 6, 1999 · 10,556 vehicles–Storage: tank assembly99V-105 · 1995–1996 · May 6, 1999 · 12,321 vehicles–Suspension: rear99V-106 · 1995–1996 · May 6, 1999 · 8,950 vehicles–Unknown or other95V-153 · 1995 · Aug 14, 1995 · 970 vehicles–Fuel system, gasoline95V-116 · 1995 · Jun 6, 1995 · 1,226 vehicles–Wheels: rim95V-083 · 1995 · Apr 24, 1995 · 651 vehicles–Foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings94V-240 · 1995 · Dec 5, 1994 · 443 vehicles
1 investigation

NHTSA investigations of the S2 Thunderbolt

  1. THROTTLE FAILS TO RETURN TO IDLEPE03043 · 1995–1996 · closed Oct 30, 2003
    Led to recall 03V-427