Owners filed 13 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Wiring › Fuses and Circuit Breakers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Manual Transmission › Shift Pattern Indicator | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WAS LOST. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AND HAS NOT YET BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 25,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
DT: WITHOUT WARNING THE MOTORCYCLE LOST POWER. THE HEADLIGHTS AND ALL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS MALFUNCTIONED. DEALER HAS MOTORCYCLE NOW AND CANNOT ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. MANUFACTURER IS WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE DEALER SAYS.*AK
MY 2003 HARLEY DAVIDSON CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE INTERMINTELY SHUTS DOWN WHILE IAM RIDING IT.IT HAS DONE THIS OVER THE PAST YEAR. IWAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS DUE TO THIS CONDITION. HARLEY REPLACED THE MAIN BREAKER,HOWEVER THE BIKE STILL SHUTS DOWN TOTALLY WHILE RIDING.WHEN THIS HAPPNES IT IS AS IF THE IGNATION WAS SHUT DOWN OR THE BATTERY SUDDENLY REMOVED EVERYTHING DIES. I HAD IT INTO A HARLEY DEALER A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND THEY COULDNT FIND THE PROBLEM, IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND AGAIN I ALMOST WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT . THE MOTORCLCLE IS IN THE HARLEY SHOP AGAIN, AND THEY ARE COMMUNICATING WITH THE FACTORY TO TRY AND RECTIFY THE PROBLEM.NOTE IAM A POLICE OFFICER IN FLORIDA AND BELEIVE ME IAM NOT EXAGERATING THE PROBLEM. IT IS A GRAVE SAFETY CONCEARN,TWO OF THE INCIDENTS HAPPNED AT NIGHT AND IWAS LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF MOVING TRAFFIC W/OUT LIGHTS OR ENGINE POWER. THANK YOU.*AK
CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE(0302 - REPLACEMENT OF A FUSE AMP) BUT THERE WERE NOT PARTS AVAILABLE. SERVICE MANGER MIKE DILLINGER. *NM
MY HARLEY DAVIDSON 2003 ULTRA GLIDE CLASSIC WILL SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ON FLAT SURFACES THE MOTORCYCLE VEERS LEFT. IF YOU REMOVE YOUR HANDS FROM THE HANDLEBARS THE BIKE WILL CROSS THE CENTERLINE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALER SAID THIS WAS A NORMAL CONDITION. PROBLEM IS ONGOING SINCE NEW. *LA
WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THE SHIFT LEVER FELL OFF WHILE SHIFTING GEARS. THE DRIVER HAD THE MOTORCYCLE TOWED TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE SHIFT LEVER CLAMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
MY 03 HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA CLASSIC ELECTRAGLIDE EXPERIENCED TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE AT 60 MPH. TOWED TO DEALER WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG; THEY CALLED HARLEY WHO ARE SENDING A 40AMP FUSE ASSEMBLE TO REPLACE THE MAIN CIRCUIT BREAKER WHICH IS DEFECTIVE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS INTERNET POSTINGS REGARDING THIS DEFECT THAT HARLEY NEEDS TO RECALL. IN 04 ALL NEW HARLEY MODELS HAVE THE FUSE AND NOT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER. *AK
I RIDE A 2003 HARLEY DAVIDSON CLASSIC (FLHTCI). TO THIS DATE I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 8 OCCURENCES WHERE THE BIKE SHUTS OFF WHILE STARTING OUT IN FIRST GEAR. THE LATEST HAPPENED IN MILWAUKEE AT THE 100TH. MY WIFE WAS ON THE BACK, TO FOLLOW A GROUP OF OUR FRIENDS ONTO A 2 LANE HIGHWAY, IT IS WHERE THE BIKE STALLED AND QUIT. IN MY CASE I STILL HAVE DASH LIGHTS. I CYCLE THE IGNITION AND CUT OFF SWITCH AND PROCEED TO START THE BIKE. ON THE WAY HOME ON SEPT. 3, I DECIDED TO PHONE HARLEY CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENING. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE BIKE TO MY DEALER WHERE THEY COULD CALL THE TECHNICIANS AND HELP FIND THE PROBLEM. HARLEY HAS TOLD ME THAT IF I HEARD OF ANYONE WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM, HAVE HIM OR HER CALL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE IN MILWAUKEE. THE NUMBER IS TOLL FREE, AND IT'S ON THEIR WEB SITE. IN THIS CASE, I'M AFRAID TO HAVE A PASSENGER ON THE BIKE WITH THE FEAR THAT THE BIKE WILL QUIT IN A MAJOR INTERSECTION, WHICH COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. *LA
MY HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN (ENGINE & ELECTRONICS) WHILE RIDING IN TRAFFIC. SOMETIMES AT 30 MPH, SOMETIMES AT UP TO 60 MPH REGARDLESS OF WHAT GEAR I WAS IN.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE VEERS TO THE LEFT.*AK
I RIDE A 2003 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCUI (ULTRA CLASSIC) MOTORCYCLE. AT 2,500 RPM, 60 MPH, THE MOTORCYLCE EXPERIENCED FULL ELECTRICAL FAILURE - NO LIGHTS, NO SIGNALS, NO HORN, NO RADIO, NO FUEL INJECTION, NO ENGINE - ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE FIRST DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A LOOSE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE. THE SECOND DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A LOOSE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE AND INSTALLED A STAR WASHER TO KEEP THE CONNECTION TIGHT. COMING HOME FROM WISCONSIN, THE MOTORCYCLE SHUTDOWN AGAIN. I CHECKED THE BATTERY CABLE AND IT WAS STILL TIGHT. EACH TIME, I WAS TRAVELING BETWEEN 55 MPG AND 60 MPH, WHICH IS BETWEEN 2300 RPM AND 2500 RPM. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN OFF THE IGNITION, WAIT A MOMENT, AND TURN ON THE IGNITION AGAIN. THE SYSTEM RESET ITSELF AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE RIDING. A TOTAL ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN IS DANGEROUS. THUS FAR, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD; IF IN AN INTERSECTION, I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE INTERSECTION.*AK
EXHAUST SYSTEM CROSS OVER PIPE IS LOCATED TOO CLOSE TO SEAT, CAUSING DRIVER TO BE BURNE DWHILE DRIVING, EVEN IF PROPERLY DRESSED.*AK
13 of 13 complaints, reproduced as filed.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.