Check a VIN

2002 Honda GL1800 problems

The most common problem on the 2002 Honda GL1800 is engine and cooling, typically around 4,500 miles. It has 18.2 times the complaints of a typical GL1800 model year.

Year to avoid18.2x the typical complaints
Year score
5/100
Owner complaints
182
Recalls
6
Service bulletins
63
Worst area
Engine

The worst 2002 Honda GL1800 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Engine
    115
  • Body
    30
  • Tires
    11
  • Suspension
    9
  • Brakes
    6
  • Steering
    6
  • Electrical
    4
  • Transmission
    4
  • Visibility
    3
  • Acceleration
    1
  • Lights
    1
  • Wheels
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Honda GL1800

Overheating 80

Recalls 6

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinderReported October 23, 2015 · 145,219 vehicles affected
What is wrong
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2010 and 2012-2015 GL1800, 2001-2005 GL1800A and 2013-2015 GL1800B motorcycles. The rear brakes of the affected motorcycles may drag after the brakes are released.
Risk
A rear brake that drags may increase the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, extended riding with the rear brake dragging could generate enough heat to result in a fire.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary brake master cylinder and the rear brake master cylinder, and flush the brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on December 7, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑866‑784‑1870. Honda's number for this recall is JV6. Note: This recall supercedes recall 14V‑472.

Recall number 15V700000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinderReported December 1, 2011 · 126,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Honda is recalling certain model year 2001-2010, and model year 2012 gl1800 goldwing motorcycles. Under certain conditions, there is a possibility that the combined braking system's secondary master cylinder may cause the rear brake to drag.
Risk
Unexpected braking increases the risk of a crash, and riding the motorcycle with the rear brake dragging may generate enough heat to cause the rear brake to catch fire.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the secondary master cylinder and if necessary, replace it, free of charge. The safety recall began on january 6, 2012. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1‑866‑784‑1870.

Recall number 11V567000 · Recall details

Structure: frame and membersReported January 31, 2005 · 34,919 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On some motorcycles, certain frame welds do not meet manufacturing specifications. High loads created when riding on rough road surfaces or through potholes can cause the affected welds to crack.
Risk
The welded area could break, resulting in rear suspension collapse or lower cross member separation, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, reinforce the welds on 2001-2002 motorcycles free of charge. On 2003-2004 motorcycles, the units will be repaired, no inspection will be necessary. The recall began on february 9, 2005. Owners may contact honda at 1‑866‑784‑1870.

Recall number 05V027000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulicReported January 24, 2005 · 36,046 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Certain motorcycles equipped with combined-brake systems have a proportioning control valve (pcv) that mechanically proportions brake force when the rear brake is applied. A seal in some pcvs is improperly shaped, and brake fluid leakage may occur.
Risk
If the motorcycle continues to be used after a leak occurs, the rear brake would eventually become inoperative. A loss of rear brake force could increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the rear brake forleakage. If leakage is confirmed, the dealer will replace the pcv free of charge. The recall began on january 31, 2005. Owners may contact honda at 866‑784‑1870.

Recall number 05V010000 · Recall details

Structure: frame and members: underbody shieldsReported September 26, 2003 · 8,196 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On some motorcycles, certain frame welds do not meet manufacturing specifications. High loads created when riding on rough road surfaces or through potholes can cause the affected welds to crack.
Risk
The welded area could break, resulting in rear suspension collapse or lower cross member separation, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and reinforce the welds on all frames. Owner notification began during october 2003. Owners should contact honda at 1‑866‑784‑1870.

Recall number 03V350000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pumpReported December 23, 2002 · 660 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain motorcycles, the bank angle sensors designed to shut off the fuel pump and the engine electrical power in the event the motorcycle falls over, were installed using the wrong size screws allowing the screws to eventually detach from their mounting point.
Risk
If the sensor detaches, the engine will stop unexpectedly. Sudden loss of engine power, especially while turning, could cause a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the mounting screw size and, if necessary, install screws of the correct size. Owner notification began december 23, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1‑800‑289‑8226.

Recall number 02V340000 · Recall details

See all 6 recalls for the 2002 Honda GL1800

Defect investigations

Southern Honda PowersportsOpened May 14, 2012, closed May 13, 2013

the federal safety agency opened Audit Query (AQ) 12-001 to determine whether Southern Honda Powersports (Southern Honda) of Chattanooga, Tennessee, had complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations. The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a motor vehicle or equipment manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with federal motor vehicle safety standards.In turn, a dealer may not sell and deliver a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed.(see 49 U.S.C. 30120(i); 49 C.F.R. 573.11)the federal safety agency issued an information request to Southern Honda on May 14, 2012 to which they responded on July 6, 2012.the federal safety agency?s inquiry led it to believe that Southern Honda had failed to complete the requirements of five recalls that required inspections and/or repairs of motorcycles prior to their sale or delivery.the federal safety agency believes that 329 motorcycles affected by recalls had not been inspected and/or repaired prior to their sale and delivery between 2007 and 2012.The agency is unaware of any deaths or injuries involving these vehicles.the federal safety agency concluded that it had a potential civil penalty claim against Southern Honda for violations of the Safety Act.Southern Honda denied any violations of the Safety Act.In order to settle this matter, Southern Honda agreed to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $125,000, to be paid in five annual installments.This AQ is closed.

AQ12001

Frame crossmemeber weld failuresOpened September 21, 2004, closed February 2, 2005

Honda is amending the scope of 03v‑350 to add 34,919 potentially affected gl1800 gold wing motorcycles.the initial recall range included frames manufactured with one of a number of welding processes.honda believed, on the basis of data available at that time, that only those gl's built with that one process were at risk of failure.with the original recall (in september, 2003), honda introduced yet another weld process.subsequently, honda became aware of incidents involving gl's not included in the original recall, built using another early welding process.thus, honda has decided to recall all gl1800's built prior to september 20, 2003 regardless of what weld process was being used at the time.this recall expansion affects the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 model years and the total number of affected u.s. Gl1800 motorcycles increases from 8,196 to 43,115.

RQ04009

Rear suspension collapseOpened August 11, 2003, closed October 10, 2003

The subject motorcycles, introduced with the 2001 model year, utilize an aluminum frame individually welded by honda employees in the company?s marysville, ohio assembly plant.the federal safety agency/odi opened this investigation after learning that some 2002 model year gl1800?s were experiencing rear suspension collapse when the lowest crossmember would completely separate from the frame.it appeared the crossmember was separating due to sub-standard welding of the crossmember to the frame. On september 4, 2003 honda briefed odi staff and advised that the subject weld failures resulted from a combination of production line changes that took effect on march 1, 2002.these changes were:1) few, if any, reinforcing tig welds applied to the crossmember mig welds; 2) a relatively inexperienced welder began welding frames as of that date; and 3) a less robust weld quality control inspection was introduced.effective september 11, 2002 honda addressed these assembly line issues.on september 16, 2003 honda advised the federal safety agency/odi that it was conducting a safety recall of all myr 2002/2003 gl1800?s built from march 1, 2002 through september 10, 2002.this is a worldwiderecall involving 9,521 motorcycles, of which 8,196 are in the united states.for more information concerning both honda?s september 4th briefing and the recall, please refer to the federal safety agency?s october 2, 2003 memo.based on information provided by honda concerning the production line changes; the field performance of all 2001-2003 gl1800?s; and the federal safety agency?s independent information gathering activities; the scope of honda?s recall appears justified.odi will closely monitor subject crossmember weld integrity for bikes built outside the recall scope, as well as the effectiveness of honda?s recall remedy for those bikes within it, and will take additional action if warranted by future developments.

PE03039

Motorcycle coolant spray onto rear tireOpened October 15, 2002, closed March 28, 2003

See the attached report with odi'sfindings.

PE02077

Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Honda GL1800 63

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 63 bulletins for the 2002 Honda GL1800

What 2002 Honda GL1800 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 5, 2023 · Wheels · WA

I recently found a problem with a motorcycle tire that the tread appears to be coming lose from the casing. It has several blisters in the center of the tire t 63v date of manufacture is 01/22 the mileage is approximately 16,000

Filed Apr 26, 2019 · Brakes · 186,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda gl1800 (goldwing) motorcycle. While driving 25 MPH, the rear brakes failed. The contact pulled over and had the bike towed to his residence. There were no warning indicators illuminated. An unknown dealer was notified, but was not able to assist. The contact repaired the rear master brake cylinder sub-assembly himself. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,000.

Filed Apr 26, 2019 · Body · 186,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda gl1800 (goldwing) motorcycle. The contact stated that there was a crack on the right side of the frame where an aluminum tube entered into the mainframe. The dealer (fred cummings motorsports, 2211 chester ave, bakersfield, ca 93301, (661) 324-9695) stated there were no recalls and did not assist. The manufacturer had a recorded message stating that there were no recalls. The contact emailed the manufacturer's website and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was 186,000.

Filed Apr 15, 2019 · 48,000 miles · FL

Have a 2002 honda goldwing never hade any problums at all

Filed May 7, 2018 · Electrical · 31,177 miles · FL

My f1 light came on while driving. Since my goldwing is a conversion to a trike, the kickstand was fixed and is inoperable. On the public highway, trike was running very rough and smelled of a very lean fuel mixture and stalling at every traffic light and had to be restarted. A very unsafe condition. I took it to my licensed honda mechanic and he knew immediately that it was the computer. He stated if I would have driven it in that condition the catalytic converter would have melted and really caused problems. Another unsafe condition. My mechanic said it was a problem with the location of the o2 sensor being placed too far back in the exhaust in 2001-2005 models. The problem was fixed by honda in 2006 and following. The computer and installation cost $997.23 and the problem should have been subject of a recall. Honda apparently knew it but didn't do anything about it.

Filed Nov 16, 2016 · Body · 153,950 miles · OK

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda goldwing. While driving 65 MPH, the consumer struck a small object in the road and a pop was heard. The dealer diagnosed that the welds fractured in several different places and needed to be replaced. The motorcycle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v027000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 153,950. Updated 01/04/17*lj updated 01/05/17.

Filed Dec 30, 2015 · Brakes · KS

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda goldwing motorcycle. The contact stated that brake fluid leaked onto the ground from the rear master cylinder. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the master cylinder was replaced. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v700000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the dealer refused to service the vehicle under the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Filed Aug 20, 2015 · Suspension · 3,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda goldwing equipped with a 2015 rally wagon prl. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the axle for the trailer fractured and the tires detached. The trailer was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the material used was defective. The trailer was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,000.

Filed Mar 6, 2012 · Body · 72,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda goldwing motorcycle. The contact noticed that there was a huge crack on the left side of the motorcycle under the passenger side foot rest. The contact was concerned that if driving over a road bump, the crack would proceed to spread and cause a severe failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they inspected the vehicle and stated that the sub-frame needed to be replaced. The failure and the current mileage was 72,000. Updated 04/11/12 *bf updated 05/10/12

Filed Jan 12, 2012 · Steering · 30,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda goldwing motorcycle. The contact was driving approximately 30-37 MPH when the vehicle began to violently shake in the front end. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised the contact that the steering bushings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired for the bushings. The failure recurred a few months later. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised the contact that the vehicle was performing as designed. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2002 Honda GL1800 before you buy

Compare the 2002 Honda GL1800

Other model years

2001200220032004200520062007200820092010201220132014201520162018201920202021202220232024

Questions about the 2002 Honda GL1800

Is the 2002 Honda GL1800 reliable?

Owners have filed 182 complaints about the 2002 Honda GL1800, 18.2 times a typical GL1800 model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.

What is the 2002 Honda GL1800 year score?

The 2002 Honda GL1800 scores 5 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Honda GL1800: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2002 Honda GL1800?

Engine and cooling, with 115 complaints, typically around 4,500 miles. Next is body (30).

How many recalls does the 2002 Honda GL1800 have?

6 recalls, covering service brakes, hydraulic, structure and fuel system, gasoline.

What year does the Honda GL1800 have bad engine?

The Honda GL1800 model years with the most engine complaints are 2002 (115 complaints), 2001 (42 complaints) and 2012 (17 complaints).

Share your experience with the 2002 Honda GL1800

Tell other buyers what went wrong and what it cost. We review every report before it appears, and we never publish names, emails or VINs.

No names, contact details or links. Reports about a dealer or a person are not published.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2002 Honda GL1800?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history
Is this car on a recall?Check VIN