On February 22, 2023, Suzuki Motor USA issued a safety recall notice for its 2022 Suzuki Hayabusas because of a potential issue with the front brake master cylinder. On affected bikes, incorrect front brake master cylinder port positioning could lead to increased front brake lever play. In a worst-case scenario, this slack in the brake lever could result in increased braking distance and a crash.
According to Suzuki’s official recall report, approximately 2,552 bikes produced between March 26, 2021 and January 11, 2022 are believed to be affected. This represents 100 percent of the population. Affected bikes have VINs ranging between JS1EJ11B5N7100001 and JS1EJ11B7N7102431, or between JS1EJ11D3N7100001 and JS1EJ11D2N7100247.
The official chronology documents that this issue was first observed on a Hayabusa in Portugal in September, 2021. The front brake lever travel had increased unexpectedly on the bike in question, but the condition seemed to resolve itself after repeated application of the front brake lever. That, of course, made it difficult for Suzuki technicians to diagnose at that time.
Over the course of 2022, additional reports were made and investigations initiated by Suzuki to analyze the problem. Eventually, technicians discovered that, under very specific conditions, the front brake master cylinder primary port may become blocked, which could ultimately cause the front brake caliper pistons to retract. This, in turn, could cause an excessive gap to exist between the front brake pad and discs, which could result in an unexpected increase in braking distance, and possibly a reduction in braking force.
Suzuki has issued a stop sale notice on all affected bikes until this problem is remedied. The company began notifying its dealership network about the problem and the recall service. Additionally, Suzuki plans to notify registered owners of affected bikes about this issue and necessary recall service on March 1, 2023.
Owners of affected 2022 Hayabusas should contact their local authorized Suzuki dealership for recall service, which will involve installation of a replacement front brake master cylinder body. With an appointment, Suzuki estimates that the total time for this service should take under an hour to complete on each bike.
Owners may contact Suzuki customer service at 1-800-934-0934. Suzuki’s official number for this recall is 2A99. Additionally, owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. The NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 23V-088.
