- Vehicles
- 342
- Built between
- Jun 1978 – Jun 1978
- Models
- 7
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 August 1978
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between June 1978 and June 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FLH1200Built June 1978 to June 1978
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FLH80Built June 1978 to June 1978
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FX1200Built June 1978 to June 1978
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FXE1200Built June 1978 to June 1978
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FXS1200Built June 1978 to June 1978
- 1979 Harley-Davidson XLCH1000Built June 1978 to June 1978
- 1979 Harley-Davidson XLH1000Built June 1978 to June 1978
What the defect is
The involved motorcycles were manufactured with front brake master cylinders in which the plunger piston bore diameter was honed .015 inches over maximum specifications. This oversized bore results in a poor fit between the elastomeric piston cup and the cylinder bore, which allows fluid leakage from the hydraulic system.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER ASSEMBLY AT NO COST TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJune 1978 to June 1978
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 July 1978
- Owners notified11 August 1978
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 19 July 1978.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Vehicle description: motorcycles.system: service brakes; hydraulic system.consequences of defect: fluid depletion could result in loss of brakingeffectiveness, loss of vehicle control, and an accident.note: insufficient brake fluid in the system may be indicated by fluid leakagearound the master cylinder and increased free play in the hand lever.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.