Ducati 1199 Panigale Subjected to Five More Recalls

Ducati has issued five recall campaigns for 1199 Panigale for a number of issues. These five new recalls follow an earlier recall in June for a “non-compliant” swingarm mounting screw.

One of the new recalls, campaign ID #12V401000, is also related to the swingarm connection. According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the left and right swingarm shaft pivots may not have been tightened with sufficient torque. As a result, the swingarm shaft pivots can loosen, resulting in a loss of control and risk of a crash.

Ducati has received four field reports of loosening swingarm shaft pivots. Authorized dealers will address the issue by tightening the left and right swingarm shaft pivots.

Recall campaign ID #12V392000 is for the Panigale’s engine. During testing, Ducati discovered the exhaust butterfly valve bowden cable covers may melt or burn under the heat from the catalytic converter.  Melting or burning bowden cable covers could lead to smoke and poses a fire risk.

Authorized dealers will replace the exhaust butterfly valve bowden cable cover with a new one made of a different, burn-resistant material.

Two of the recall campaigns are for the Öhlins steering damper. Recall campaign ID #12V400000 concerns the screws connecting the steering damper to the steering head. According to NHTSA documents, the mounting screws have an insufficient amount of Loctite applied to their threads. Ducati attributes the fault to an error made in the factory. The second Öhlins damper recall, campaign ID #12V399000, was the result of an error in the technical drawing of the steering damper. The Uniball bearing may slip from its seat on the damper due to an incorrect assembly tolerance.

Both of these recalls may result in the steering damper detaching, resulting in a loss of steering control. Ducati dealers will address these two issues apply the proper amount of Loctite on the steering damper mounting screws and install a washer at the mounting point to compensate for the incorrect assembly tolerance.

The fifth recall, campaign ID #12V402000, is for the front brake master cylinder reservoir hose. The routing of the hose may come in contact with the threading on the reservoir retaining screw. Contact with the screw may wear the hose, potentially resulting in a front brake system failure.

Authorized dealers will address the issue by installing a cap nut and washer on the retaining screw.

The five recall campaigns affect all versions of the Panigale including 2321 units from model year 2012 and another 90 units from model year 2013.

[Source: NHTSA]

By Dennis Chung