NHTSA Complaint #10360448 — 2007 DUCATI S2R1000

MY MOTORCYCLE HAS A PLASTIC GAS TANK WHICH HAS BEGUN TO DEFORM AND PRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD. THE OUTER DIMENSIONS OF THE TANK HAVE INCREASED AND IT NO LONGER FUNCTIONS PROPERLY, THE HANDLEBARS HIT IT ON TURNING, AND THE TANK & TANK LATCH PRESS AGAINST THE IGNITION SWITCH HOUSING. THE TANK LATCH IS INOPERABLE AND THE TANK'S RUBBER PADS NO LONGER SIT ON THE FRAME. THE TANK MATERIAL APPEARS TO HAVE EXPANDED INSIDE AS WELL, DECREASING THE FUEL CAPACITY OF THE TANK. THE TANK'S SWELLING HAS MADE IT SO THE HANDLEBARS DO NOT TURN CORRECTLY. THERE HAVE BEEN NO MODIFICATIONS TO THE FUEL TANK OR FUEL PUMP. I AM A DOCTORAL-TRAINED CHEMIST AND AM CONCERNED THAT THIS DEFECT WILL RESULT IN DECREASED INTEGRITY OF THE TANK AND LEAD TO TANK RUPTURE OR WORSE, MAY LEAD TO A SERIOUS CRASH! SOME RESEARCH THAT THE TANK IS CONSTRUCTED OF A POLYAMIDE MATERIAL (PA6), WHICH IS A KNOWN ABSORBER OF WATER TO ~8 WEIGHT PERCENT BY MASS. THIS EFFECT IS MAGNIFIED IN THE FUELS CONTAINING ETHANOL AND LEADS TO DECREASED POLYMER PERFORMANCE. IT APPEARS DUCATI IS CURRENTLY REPLACING DEFECTIVE TANKS WITH TANKS CONSTRUCTED OF SIMILAR MATERIALS, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME ISSUES. MOREOVER, THE EPA IS CURRENTLY CONSIDERING AN INCREASE IN THE ETHANOL CONTENT OF FUEL; AN ACT THAT WILL LEAD TO ACCELERATED DEGRADATION OF THE TANK MATERIALS. THIS IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE! I HAVE TAKEN THE BIKE TO A DEALER WHO SUBMITTED A CLAIM TO DUCATI NORTH AMERICA (THE IMPORTER/FACTORY). THE DEALER INDICATED IT WOULD BE SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE THE CLAIM WAS EITHER APPROVED OR DENIED. I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED THAT MY TANK WILL BE REPLACED WITH ONE OF THE SAME MATERIAL, AS ITS FAILURE IN A SIMILAR TIME FRAME WOULD EXTEND IT BEYOND THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY COVERING PARTS OF THE FUELING SYSTEM. *TR