NHTSA Complaint #10409144 — 2009 DUCATI 848

ONE DAY RIDING HOME FROM WORK I STARTED TO FEEL LIKE MY KNEE WAS BURNING. I LOOKED DOWN TO MY LEFT KNEE AND SAW THAT IT WAS GETTING WET AND WAS BURNING FROM SOMETHING HOT. PULLED OVER AND SAW THAT I WAS LEAKING COOLANT. THE COOLANT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS COMING OUT OF THE COOLANT HOSE. I HAD THE MOTORCYCLE TOWED TO THE DEALER SHIP THAT I WORK AT. I REMOVED THE FAIRING TO CHECK WHERE IT WAS LEAKING FROM. SAW THAT IT WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE RADIATOR. TRIED TO GET SOME HELP FROM THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY JUST KEPT TRYING TO SAY THAT IT WAS MY FAULT. THE FIRST THING THEY TOLD ME IS THAT IT WAS A STONE THAT HIT THE RADIATOR. WHEN THEY TOLD ME ABOUT THE STONE I WANTED THEM TO SHOW ME WHERE THE STONE HIT BUT THEY COULDN'T SHOW IT TO ME AND BEFORE TAKING THE BIKE DOWN TO THE DEALER I HAD THE RADIATOR PRESSURE TESTED AND FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE LEFT UPPER HANGER SPOT WELD. AFTER THEY COULDN'T SHOW ME I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD IT PRESSURE TESTED AND IT SEEMED TO MAKE THEM MAD AND THEN THEY STARTED TO SAY THAT I DROPPED THE BIKE AND I ASKED THEM THE SAME THING AS BEFORE AND THEY COULDN'T SHOW ME WHERE IT HAD SIGNS THAT IT HAD FALLEN. THEN THEY SEEMED TO GET EVEN MORE MAD. I CALLED DUCATI OF NORTH AMERICA AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPEN AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED AND THAT THEY WOULD HELP ME OUT BUT THAT I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO THAT DEALER SO THEY COULD CHECK IT OUT AGAIN. BUT I WASN'T GOING TO HAVE IT TOWED DOWN THERE AGAIN AT THAT POINT I COULD'VE BOUGHT A NEW RADIATOR. WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN MARCH I LOOKED UP THE PRICE FOR A NEW ONE AND IT WAS $548 AND NOW ITS GONE UP TO $948 AND THE PART NUMBER HAS CHANGED TO 54840742B FROM 54840741B. EVEN WHEN I TALKED TO THE PERSON AT DUCATI HE TOLD ME THAT THEY KNEW THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE RADIATORS THAT ARE IN THE 1098 AND THE 848. AND AS FOR MY KNEE I HAD TO BUY A BURN CREAM SO IT WOULDN'T HURT FROM THE BURN AND THE GLYCOL IN THE COOLANT. *TR