11 Common Honda Talon Problems and Solutions

Ever since Honda launched this special series of sports UTVs a few years ago, the Talon has become a bestseller.  Honda Talon is an off-road vehicle with the excellent transmission. It also has an eager powerplant that keeps it going for hours. Its comfortable ergonomics will take away all the tiredness you might feel from the rough journey and give you the thrills of a fast but smooth ride on bumpy roads.

Although the Honda Talon series has an attractive design, great features, and a sturdy build quality, some problems may arise after using it for a long time.

Common Honda Talon Problems:

1. Engine failure problems
2. Clutch overheating
3. Problems with shifting
4. Suspension is too stiff
5. Prop shaft U joint may break off
6. Spot on the vehicle
7. Fan blowing forward
8. Dirty airbox problems
9. Faulty radiator wiring
10. Four-wheeler does not engage
11. Inferior factory parts
12. A-arm Issue

Problems and solutions of Honda Tallon

Off-road vehicles are very roughly used. UTVs like Honda Talon is expected to run on rocky and muddy roads. So, it is natural that mud and debris can get stuck in parts of the vehicle and cause many problems.

But the problems should not scare you as most of them can be easily resolved. Also, knowing the cause of the problems makes it easier to solve. So, the common problems and the solutions of Honda Talon UTV are given below:

1. Engine failure problems

Engine failure is a very common but serious problem. When your UTTV engine fails it will become locked and stuck. It will be a frustrating experience if it happens when you are a hundred miles away from home.

Solution

The solution to the engine failure problem is to replace the engine. If it happens within the given warranty time, then you will get a free service from the manufacturers but if the warranty time runs out then you will need to pay the money to get your UTV’s engine repaired and it will take a long time for about a month.

2. Clutch overheating

Clutch problems might burn your hands if you do not stop driving when the clutches get too hot. So, make sure you stop driving immediately before it gets too hot. The clutch indicator on Honda Talon UTVs flashes when it becomes too hot so that you can stop driving right away. It can happen when you drive fast on rocky roads.

Solution

When your Honda Talon clutch is hot, shift it into neutral or park to cool it down. But do not turn the vehicle off, you can let the engine idle for some time. This will make the engine pump oil cool air and cool down the clutches. When the clutches cool down, the indicator flash will be off and you will know that it is safe to drive again. And to prevent this problem the next time, drive slowly on rocky roads.

3. Problems with shifting

Occasionally, you will not be able to engage the low shift. A shift problem occurs when the shift lever hits the shift gate on the back. When the shift cables are not positioned correctly, this problem can still occur.

Solution

To solve the shifting problem, you need to replace the shift gate with a new one. Therefore, you need to take the shift gate off of your Honda Talon and put in the new shift gate. And your problem will be fixed.

4. The rear suspension is too stiff

When you suddenly start facing harsh and rough rides, then there might be the shift suspension problem. This problem also occurs when the clickers are set incorrectly. When it becomes rough in driving, then it is not safe to ride on rough and rocky off roads because you might end up having an unwanted accident.

Solution

Rear suspension being too stiff can be a small technical error from the factory assembling of Honda. So, you can contact the dealer for support. However, you can fix this problem by yourself too if you purchase a rear tender spring set and install them according to the instructions in the service manual. But it is better to get this type of work done by an expert if you have no previous experience of solving it.

5. Prop shaft U joint may break off

Honda Talon’s U-joints can fail both at the front and at the rear. Inside the u-joints are retaining clips that prevent cups from falling out. And then the cups of u joints fall and the clips get loosened. 

Solution

The U-joints on the Talon are repaired by Honda for free of charge. You need to have a warranty to receive this free service, so take your Talon to your dealer. However, if your warranty is expired, you might need to pay a small amount.

6. Spot on the vehicle

It is not uncommon that after a rough and muddy ride, your UTV will be covered with mud and dirt that will become hard to remove. But the problem becomes big when the spot does not come off at all unless you remove the ceramic coating too and put new color again.

Solution

There is no ultimate solution to this problem, but if you clean the vehicle immediately after riding it for the day, then the spots will not get too stuck to remove.

7. Fan blowing forward

When the fan of your Honda Talon UTV blows forward, the engine becomes very hot because the fan starts to produce hot air instead of cold air. And the forward direction does not let any air pass through the radiator that making the engine overheat. This happens due to wrong wiring installation in internal parts of engines.

Solution

To solve the engine overheating problem due to the fan moving in the wrong direction, you need to remove the UTV’s hood first, then try to look for the fan connector. After that, check which color is connected to the R/W wire on the loom side. Blue wires are the correct connections. In most cases, however, the R/W wire is connected to a black wire when it has an engine overheating problem. Finally, connect the blue wire to the loom side R/W wire. Thus, your Honda Talon’s Fan blowing problem will be fixed.

8. Dirty airbox problems

Although Honda Talon has the feature of filtering out all the dirt and debris with an air filter, some dirt are too sticky to remove. This usually happens when you drive in a dusty or muddy area. This also harms the snorkel by making it dirty. And when this happens,  It deteriorates the overall performance and efficiency of the filtering system.

Solution

Always keep the filters clean after using it. If the filter is too damaged you might need to replace it with a new one.

9. Four-wheeler does not engage

The Honda Talon 1000X-4 live models experience this rare problem in a small number of units. A blinking light may appear when you choose I4WD between 2WD and 4IWD, then you may also lose power to the front wheels when this happens.

Solution

This is a problem for the Honda company. But if you report them about this problem they might not give you a proper solution except for suggesting not to engage in a four-wheel drive.

10. Inferior factory parts

There might be some parts of the vehicle that you might find not up to the mark and the promised quality. And this might not be a problem immediately but slowly you will find the parts are not durable enough.

Solution

You can replace the parts with better ones but that will cost you a lot of money.

11. A arm Issue

Not only does your Honda Talon get spots after driving in a muddy and dusty road, but also, it gets arm issues if there are too many rocks or pebbles in the driving area. Having installed larger or smaller tires may also cause the problem.

Solution

You can call a mechanic to fix this problem easily. However, if you want to do all the things by yourself to save all the hassles and save money you should thoroughly inspect the frame. Afterward, you can take a measurement of the wheel centers, both front to back and crisscrossed. This is the a-arm problem if you find everything equal. The issue on the Honda Talon will be fixed by installing a frame stiffener kit. Follow the instructions in the manual when installing the kit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

Like any other UTVs Honda Talon is not above faults and problems. But most of the problems can easily be resolved. But still, if you are thinking of buying a new Honda Talon UTV then you have to consider the problems as well.