1997 Buell S3: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1997 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Exterior Lighting:Headlights is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights:High/Low Beam Dimmer Switch | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal:Switch | 1 |
| Power Train | 1 |
| Suspension:Rear | 1 |
| Unknown Or Other | 1 |
Exterior Lighting:Headlights: 1; Exterior Lighting:Headlights:High/Low Beam Dimmer Switch: 1; Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights: 1; Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal:Switch: 1; Power Train: 1; Suspension:Rear: 1; Unknown Or Other: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 |
1999: 1
Pattern summary
Exterior Lighting:Headlights leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 548533 · 1999-09-15 (September 15, 1999)
RIGHT TURN SIGNAL SWITCH FAILED. YH
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 548533 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
98V036000 · Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal
Reported: 1998-02-23 (February 23, 1998)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MOTORCYCLES. FAILURE OF ONE OR MORE TURN SIGNAL LAMPS WOULD NOT BE INDICATED TO THE OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE (NO NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN THE FLASHING RATE OF THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR LIGHT). THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Consequence: AN OPERATOR WOULD NOT BE AWARE THAT THE TURN SIGNAL LAMPS WERE NOT WORKING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TURN SIGNAL LAMPS ON THESE MOTORCYCLES.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | 1100.0% | 1100.0%ODI 834441HEADLIGHTS GO OUT/COME BACK INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER REPLACED THE CONNECTOR THAT HAD MELTED. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Suspension:Rear | 1100.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 882655RECALL 98 V 199 000/SWING ARM : ALSO OTHER MANUFACTURER'S RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED ON A FUEL TANK, KICK STAND SWITCH, AND A BRAKE LINE. NONE OF RECALLS HAVE BEEN HONORED SINCE ABOVE INCIDENT DATE. DEALER: SON HARLEY DAVIDSON, DENVER,CO; PHONE# 303/287-7566, STILL UNABLE TO HONOR RECALL. ASKING NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK |
| Unknown Or Other | 1100.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 882655RECALL 98 V 199 000/SWING ARM : ALSO OTHER MANUFACTURER'S RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED ON A FUEL TANK, KICK STAND SWITCH, AND A BRAKE LINE. NONE OF RECALLS HAVE BEEN HONORED SINCE ABOVE INCIDENT DATE. DEALER: SON HARLEY DAVIDSON, DENVER,CO; PHONE# 303/287-7566, STILL UNABLE TO HONOR RECALL. ASKING NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights:High/Low Beam Dimmer Switch | 1100.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights | 1100.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal:Switch | 1100.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 882655RECALL 98 V 199 000/SWING ARM : ALSO OTHER MANUFACTURER'S RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED ON A FUEL TANK, KICK STAND SWITCH, AND A BRAKE LINE. NONE OF RECALLS HAVE BEEN HONORED SINCE ABOVE INCIDENT DATE. DEALER: SON HARLEY DAVIDSON, DENVER,CO; PHONE# 303/287-7566, STILL UNABLE TO HONOR RECALL. ASKING NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK |
| Power Train | 1100.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1998: 1 complaints · 1999: 1 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Exterior Lighting:Headlights | Exterior Lighting:Headlights:High/Low Beam Dimmer Switch | Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights | Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal:Switch | Power Train | Suspension:Rear | Unknown Or Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights:High/Low Beam Dimmer Switch | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal:Switch | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Power Train | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Suspension:Rear | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Unknown Or Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.