Harley-Davidson Fuel System, Gasoline: Fuel Injection System

Harley-Davidson is recalling about 176,515 vehicles over a problem with the fuel system, gasoline. This condition can cause the fuel flow to be unpredictable thus causing the engine to shut down increasing the risk of a motorcycle accident.

Campaign
96V204000
Manufacturer
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.
Reported
22 October 1996
Vehicles
176,515
Built between
Jul 1993 – Sep 1996
Models
4
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
25 October 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between July 1993 and September 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1994-1997 Harley-Davidson FLBuilt July 1993 to September 1996
  • 1995-1997 Harley-Davidson FXBuilt July 1993 to September 1996
  • 1995-1997 Harley-Davidson SoftailBuilt July 1993 to September 1996
  • 1995-1997 Harley-Davidson XLBuilt July 1993 to September 1996

What the defect is

The effects of reformulated gasoline along with certain usage of the fuel supply valve affects the supply of gasoline to the carburetor. This condition requires two factors: (1) the use of reformulated fuels containing mbte and (2) starting the motorcycle with the fuel valve handle in the off position.

What could happen

This condition can cause the fuel flow to be unpredictable thus causing the engine to shut down increasing the risk of a motorcycle accident.

What gets fixed

DEALERS THE REPLACE THE DIAPHRAGM IN THE FUEL VALVE.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJuly 1993 to September 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA22 October 1996
  3. Owners notified25 October 1996

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 22 October 1996.

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

Owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin during october 1996.NOTE:OWNERS who take their motorcycles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact harley davidson at 1-414-342-4680.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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.

Same component

Same brand