NHTSA Complaint #10227603 — 1997 KAWASAKI VULCAN CLASSIC

I HAVE A 1997 KAWASAKI VULCAN 1500 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE. ON THIS BIKE AND OTHER MODELS, KAWASAKI INSTALLED A PLASTIC GEAR ON THE OIL PUMP. THIS GEAR FAILS CAUSING A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE AND IN SOME CASES DESTROYS MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE ENGINE. THE DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME THAT IT WILL COST ME OVER $8,000.00 IN PARTS TO REPAIR. KAWASAKI IS ONLY WILLING TO REPLACE THE GEAR, PISTON RINGS, GASKETS AND LABOR NEEDED TO REPLACE THOSE PARTS BUT NOT ANY PART THAT WAS DAMAGED BY THE LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM FROM THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE SINCE AT LEAST 1999. THE COST OF THE PARTS FROM THE DEALER IS JUST SHORT OF THE COST TO REPLACE THE BIKE WITH A BRAND NEW MODEL. THIS BEING A MANUFACTURES DEFECT, SHOULDN'T THEY BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE FAILED GEAR? I JUST PURCHASED THIS BIKE LAST SUMMER. I ONLY LEARNED OF THE DEFECTIVE GEAR AFTER ITS FAILURE. THE DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED IT WAS THE GEAR THAT FAILED SHEARING OFF THE GEAR TEETH. THE INSPECTED THE OIL PUMP AND FOUND IT TO STILL BE SERVICEABLE AND SAID THAT HAD THE GEAR NOT FAILED THAT I WOULD HAVE NOT LOST OIL PRESSURE. I DO NOT KNOW THE SPEED AT THE TIME. THE LAST TIME I RODE THE BIKE PRIOR TO DISCOVERING I HAD NO OIL PRESSURE, I HAD ONLY BEEN RIDING CLOSE TO HOME WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT IS NO MORE THAN 55MPH. *TR