- Vehicles
- 85
- Built between
- Nov 1978 – Nov 1978
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 11 January 1979
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between November 1978 and November 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FLH1200Built November 1978 to November 1978
- 1978 Harley-Davidson FLH80Built November 1978 to November 1978
What the defect is
The involved motorcycles were produced with an incorrect front brake caliper piston assembly which allows excessive caliper pad retraction from the front brake disc. Because of this, more than one application of the front handlever could be required to produce effective front braking of the motorcycle.
What gets fixed
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKE CALIPER AT NO COST TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtNovember 1978 to November 1978
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 January 1979
- Owners notified11 January 1979
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 4 January 1979.
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; disc caliper.consequences of defect: if the operator does not realize that a second brakeapplication is required, or if there is insufficient time for a secondapplication, an accident could result.note: the operator will be forewarned of this condition by an increase in thehandlever movement before the front brake becomes effective. Drivers areadvised not to operate motorcycles under these circumstances.
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.