2006 Honda Gl1800 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train:manual Transmission (4) · Wheels (2) · Tires (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Honda Gl1800 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-01-10 · campaign 17V031000 · 882 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2006-2009 and 2012 Honda GL1800 (Goldwing) motorcycles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, if not included in "Zone A," Honda is recalling certain 2006-2009 Honda GL1800 (Goldwing) motorcycles originally sold, or ev
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the operator resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Honda Motorcycle Customer Support at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is KE5.
Air Bags 2016-05-24 · campaign 16V347000 · 2,701 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor, Inc.) is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Honda GL1800 (Gold Wing) motorcycles manufactured February 8, 2006, to May 14, 2009 originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Honda is recalling certain model year
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the rider resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag module containing the inflator, free of charge. Honda distributed an interim notification to owners on July 19, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is KA8.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2015-10-23 · campaign 15V700000 · 145,219 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Equipment 2011-12-12 · campaign 11E054000 · 7,446 vehicles
Defect: KURYAKYN IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET PASSENGER FLOORBOARD MOUNTS, PART NUMBER 607005, SOLD AND INSTALLED FOR USE ON 2001-2012 HONDA GL 1800 (GOLDWING) MOTORCYCLES. THIS MOUNT WAS SOLD ON KURYAKYN 'TRANSFORMER' PASSENGER FLOORBOARD SETS, PART NUMBER 7005 FROM SEPTEMBER 15, 2008, TO PRESENT. THE FLOORBOARD MOUNT MAY CRACK AND BREAK FREE FROM THE MOUNTING BOLTS THAT SECURE THE MOUNT TO THE MOTORCYCLE.
Risk: THE PASSENGER FLOORBOARD MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURY OR A CRASH.
Fix: KURYAKYN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE REPLACEMENT MOUNT KITS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 13, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KURYAKYN AT 1-866-296-4728.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2011-12-01 · campaign 11V567000 · 126,000 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (21)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Equipment 2015-12-11 · GL1800 NO. 23 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"dealer message - on december 11, several sections of s/b gl1800 #23 were revised to include information for the repair of trike coversions."
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid 2015-12-11 · GL1800 SECONDARY · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"service bulletin - honda is launching a safety recall of 2012-2015 gl1800/a and 2013-2015 gl1800b/bd motorcycles, and is implementing a recall remedy for 2001-2010 and 2012 gl1800/a motorcycles already subject to safety recall jg6. honda has determined that under conditions where the brake fluid
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2015-12-10 · MC - THE WRENCH · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
newsletter - the repair procedure for the secondary master cylinder (smc) recall is very involved, so make sure to read through the entire bulletin before hand so you can visualize the procedures before you start. not only will you be installing an updated smc and a new rear master cylinder, but it
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2015-11-24 · DLR MSG - MC - S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"dealer message - effective immediately the secondary master cylinder (smc) kits for this recall are available on open order. as indicated in s/b gl1800 #23 and other communications about this recall, it is absolutely critical that only pro honda dot 4 brake fluid be used during the repair procedur
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid 2015-10-29 · SERVICE BULLETIN · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - honda is launching a safety recall of 2012-2015 gl1800/a and 2013-2015 gl1800/b/bd motorcycles, and is implementing a recall remedy for 2001-2010 and 2012 gl 1800/a motorcycles already subject to safety recall "jg6". honda has determined that under conditions where the brake fluid
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2015-10-23 · DLR MSG - MC - S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"dealer message - the service bulletin in support of the safety recall of 2001-2015 gl1800/a and gl1800b/bd motorcycles for a potentially defective secondary master cylinder is posted on in. servicebulletin safety recall: gl1800 #23 includes the affected models, repair procedure, parts informatio
Showing the 6 most recent of 21 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-10-30 · Equipment:electrical:navigational System(Global Positioning System)“honda/garmin has not provided updates to the integrated navigation system since 2014. as a result, on numerous occasions, the navigation system has given the wrong information to the rider. my motorcycle is a 2006, but i know this problem exists through at least the 2009 model year. contacted garmin for updated navigation data. they said there …”
2024-06-13 · Tires“a shinko se890 size 180-60-16 prematurely started coming apart at 3850 miles. my wife and i were riding 2 up on a honda goldwing. pressure of the tire was checked the day we went for this 480 mile ride. the temperature was 90 degrees and the road was very good. when we neared the end of the ride, the motorcycle started shaking violently. i kept c…”
2016-07-08 · Wheels · 72,121 mi“brake recall service was performed in may. a complete brake fluid replacement and bleed don. a brake shudder problem has been evident since purchase new and an abnormal number of tires have failed due to blistering of the tread and in one case the tread separated from the tire. i have long contended this is due to a braking engineering problem. roa…”
2014-10-26 · Service Brakes · 65,000 mi“i applied the brakes in a normal not a panic situation. the brakes apparently locked up and left a 22' skid mark on the black top road. weather and road conditions were perfect and i am a very experienced goldwing rider having ridden approximately 200,000 miles. i was riding with my wife on board and pulling my escapade trailer as i have done fo…”
2014-04-27 · Wheels · 11,000 mi“front end wobbles at a low speed an at high speeds, makes the motorcycle very unsafe. *tr…”
2012-11-10 · Service Brakes · 25,100 mi“while slowing to a stop using both front and rear brakes, a violent shudder was noted from the rear brake causing the entire motorcycle to shake noticeably. the shudder has re-occurred on a number of occasions (approx 25). my gl1800 was taken to the dealership (nw honda-houston) for the rear brake recall and the issue was brought to the attenti…”
2012-07-25 · Power Train · 14,100 mi“i was accelerating in the entrance lane on the interstate. auto and truck traffic was heavy and as i merged into the traffic lane the motorcycle shifted from 5th gear to fourth and back surprising me and causing me to quickly slow and take action to the right to avert being rear ended by a semi truck. the truck had nowhere to go as the lane to his…”
2011-10-28 · Steering · 8,000 mi“i bought this bike with only 8000 miles on it back in june of this year. at speeds below or around 30mph, the front end wobbles. honda does not recognize this as a warranty issue, yet all the dealers tell me that it is a problem they have heard about from many goldwing owners. the dealer recommends alls balls tapered steering bearings for correc…”
2010-05-05 · Power Train:manual Transmission · 55,000 mi“2006 honda gl1800 motorcycle, the transmission pops out of gear occasionally. it has been happening for about a year and more often now to almost once every tank of gas or 230 miles. two days ago while entering a corner it dropped out of gear then into a lower gear and temporarily locked up the rear tire. the price to look into the transmission i…”
2009-11-28 · Power Train:manual Transmission · 26,899 mi“while riding at approximately 50 mph in 5th gear proceeding normally i felt the transmission 'clunk' as though the transmission had slipped out of gear. then a loud 'clunkety clunk' as the engine seems to now rev free, then a 'clunk' as the transmission 'fell' back into gear. at no time during this event, which took place over a period of 2-3 sec…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.