Harley-Davidson Electrical System: Switch

Harley-Davidson is recalling about 55,013 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. This condition can cause the engine to fail to start, operate erratically, or stall.

Campaign
98V158000
Manufacturer
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY
Reported
14 July 1998
Vehicles
55,013
Built between
Apr 1993 – Jun 1998
Models
13
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
20 July 1998
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 1993 and June 1998. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhsBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhtBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhtcBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994, 1996-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhtciBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhtcuBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhtcuiBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1997 Harley-Davidson FlhtpBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994, 1997-1998 Harley-Davidson FlhtpiBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994, 1996-1998 Harley-Davidson FltcBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FltcuBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994, 1996-1998 Harley-Davidson FltcuiBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FltrBuilt April 1993 to June 1998
  • 1994-1998 Harley-Davidson FltriBuilt April 1993 to June 1998

What the defect is

Vehicle description: fl touring motorcycles. A loss of electrical power through the ignition switch can occur due to excessive current and other factors.

What could happen

This condition can cause the engine to fail to start, operate erratically, or stall.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH/CIRCUIT BREAKER AND INSTALL A RELAY KIT.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 1993 to June 1998
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA14 July 1998
  3. Owners notified20 July 1998

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 14 July 1998.

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 COMPANY
Recall initiated by
ODI

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 began july 20, 1998.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 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

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