- Vehicles
- 21,970
- Built between
- Feb 1978 – May 1979
- Models
- 10
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 24 August 1979
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1978 and May 1979. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1979 Harley-Davidson 1000Built February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson 1200Built February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson 1340Built February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson 80Built February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson FLHBuilt February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson FXEBuilt February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson FxefBuilt February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson FXSBuilt February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson XLHBuilt February 1978 to May 1979
- 1979 Harley-Davidson XLSBuilt February 1978 to May 1979
What the defect is
The rear brake master cylinder plastic piston employs a non-specified material which may allow excessive water absorption. As a result, the plastic piston might stick in the master cylinder piston bore and cause brake drag.
What gets fixed
DEALER WILL REPLACE REAR BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER PISTONS WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1978 to May 1979
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 July 1979
- Owners notified24 August 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 9 July 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; rear brake master cylinder.consequences of defect: if this condition becomes severe enough, it could causeskidding of the rear wheel, loss of vehicle control, and an accident.
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.