Recall: ABS May Lock Wheel On Kawasaki Z900 Models

Not the kind of surprise you want to deal with.

By: Sabrina Giacomini

Mar 18, 2019 at 9:30am ET

Comment

The Kawasaki Z900 is one good-looking bike, especially the RS variant. Customers who agree with me and took the leap by buying a shiny-new 2019 ABS-equipped model-year beware, your unit could have an ABS defect. Here are the details.

Kawasaki issued a recall on the 2019 Z900 ABS, Z900 RS ABS, and Z900 RS Café ABS because of a manufacturing defect that may cause the ABS to lock one of the wheels. In fact, the company found out that the hydraulic unit on some of the Z900s has been contaminated with debris during the manufacturing process. According to the supplier, a faulty jig shape shave part of the ABS pump, creating unsuspected aluminum debris. These debris could cause the ABS system to malfunction and lock either wheel of the affected units.

The manufacturer specifies that the front or rear wheel could lock suddenly and with no warning while braking. This could mean a really bad surprise, especially for riders traveling at highway speeds.

Owners should make an appointment and visit their Kawasaki dealer to have the ABS unit manufacturing lot number date checked. Should the unit be part of the faulty lot’s manufacturing date range, the entire unit will be replaced, free of charge. This issue should be addressed sooner rather than later to avoid any potentially life-threatening incidents.

Kawasaki confirms that a total of 497 units are affected by this recall. Owners should have been notified by mail. For any questions or to have the VIN of a Z900 ABS unit checked, owners are welcome to contact the Kawasaki customer care line at 1-866-802-9381 (recall number MC19-01) or reach out to the NHTSA’s hotline at 1-888-327-4236. The assigned campaign number is 19V083000.

Source: NHTSA