- Vehicles
- 2,547
- Built between
- Aug 1978 – May 1979
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 July 1979
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1978 and May 1979. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1979 Harley-Davidson 80Built August 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson FLHBuilt August 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson FLH80Built August 1978 to May 1979
What the defect is
The seat handrail may have been assembled to the motorcycle with the two center attaching bolts missing. If these two bolts are missing the seat will be attached by the front bracket and rear bolt only.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND INSTALL THE PROPER SEAT HANDRAIL HOLD DOWN HARDWARE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1978 to May 1979
- Recall reported to NHTSA31 May 1979
- Owners notified9 July 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 31 May 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: equipment; seat bolts.consequences of defect: missing bolts could allow the seat to shift or possiblycome loose from motorcycle during operation, resulting in loss of vehiclecontrol and serious personal injury.note: owner is advised not to carry passengers and to operate motorcycle withcaution because of the possible excessive seat movement.
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.