Summary
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX has 6 recalls spanning 2018 through 2022, with the most serious being a rear hub needle-bearing with insufficient grease on 2018-2021 models that can fail and cause the rear wheel to lock up suddenly, raising the risk of a crash.
The 2021 and older production years carry several overlapping mechanical concerns. On 2018 models specifically, the rear wheel bearing can also lack sufficient grease and fail the same way, locking the rear wheel without warning. There is also a transmission control issue on 2018 models where the engine computer can allow engine speed to spike when the transmission jumps out of gear, damaging the gear when it re-engages and potentially causing sudden rear wheel lockup or an inability to select gears. Another 2018-only issue involves the center stand spring, which can detach while riding, allowing the stand to drag on the ground and cause a loss of control. On 2020 models, the engine oil pressure relief valve can be incorrectly assembled, producing insufficient oil pressure that can lead to engine failure mid-ride. Moving to the most recent production covered by these recalls, 2022 models have an instrument cluster that can restart while riding, blanking out the speedometer, warning lights, and other ride information until the display comes back on.
