2004 Harley-Davidson Road King

Routine

Owners filed 10 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Vehicle Speed Control1
000
Tires1
000
Suspension › Rear1
000
Suspension1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
000
Power Train1
001
Fuel System, Gasoline1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling1
000
Electrical System › Horn1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly04V465000
Filed Sep 30, 20042,828 vehiclesHarley-Davidson Motor Company

Defect. ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, A CONDITION OCCURS THAT COULD ALLOW PRESSURE TO BUILD UP IN THE FUEL TANK. ON FUEL INJECTED VEHICLES, THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE FUEL TO SPRAY OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN THE FUEL CAP IS REMOVED. ON CARBURETED VEHICLES, EXCESSIVE FUEL COULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CARBURETOR, WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY ALLOW FUEL TO DRIP FROM THE AIR CLEANER.

Risk. THESE SITUATIONS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR CREATE A FIRE HAZARD FOR PERSONS OR PROPERTY ON OR NEAR THE MOTORCYCLE.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL TEST EACH CANISTER FOR BLOCKAGE, THEN REPLACE AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN NOVEMBER 4, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Power Train1 injured
Filed Aug 2, 2007NY

HARLEY DAVIDSON ROADKING 2004 PURCHASED NEW. GEAR SHIFTER WENT "FLACID" AND I WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR. THIS HAPPENED ONCE IN 2004; TWICE IN 2005; TWICE IN 2006; AND ONCE LAST WEEK IN 2007. EACH TIME THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS TIGHTENED BY THE AMERICAN HARLEY DEALER HERE IN WESTERN NEW YORK; AND ONE TIME IN 2006 HARLEY REPLACED THE GEAR SHIFTER. ON SUCH A NEW BIKE, IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT THIS SAME PROBLEM CONTINUES TO REOCCUR. I COULD BE THROWN OVER THE HANDLEBARS TO MY DEATH IF THIS PROBLEM OCCURS AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THIS BIKE IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD, AND I'M WONDERING IF THIS IS ANOTHER "CHINA" PRODUCT THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED DUE TO CHEAP STEEL!!! AMERICAN HARLEY CHARGED FOR LABOR THE TIME THAT THEY REPLACED THE GEAR SHIFTER, BUT THEY DID REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PART. *TR

Electrical System › Horn
Filed Sep 22, 2005OK

HORN GETS WORSE AND BECOMES INAUDIBLE. THE HARLEY MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD RECALL AND REPLACE ALL HORNS WITH BETTER QUALITY PARTS. MINE HAS BEEN REPLACED AT MY COST. *NM

Fuel System, Gasoline
Filed Aug 24, 200513,100 milesIL

DT: THE CALLER HAD WARRANTY WORK DONE ON GAS TANK LINE AND THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS OF THE SAME DESIGN ONLY SHORTER. THE CALLER SAID THE LINE FROM THE GAS PUMP WAS RUBBING ON TANK AND CAUSING A HOLE IN THE LINE INSIDE THE TANK. DEALER SAID THE REPLACEMENT PART WILL FAIL. THE CALLER DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM YET WITH REPLACEMENT PART. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. *AK

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed May 24, 2005UT

DT: CONSUMER STATES: MOTOR CUTS OUT UPON ACCELERATION FROM STOP OR IF STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE AND MAKING A TURN. ALSO, IT CUTS OUT. IT MAKES A NOISE PRESSURE RELEASE OF THE AIR. *AK

Suspension › Rear
Filed Sep 18, 200450 milesTX

I HAVE REPORTED THIS BEFORE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM YOU... CAN YOU PLEASE HELP? POOR HANDLING MOTORCYCLE, 2004 HARLEY DAVIDSON, FLHTCI - MOTORCYCLE TENDED TO WANT TO "PULL" TO THE LEFT, ESPECIALLY WHEN DECELERATING - SEVERAL VISITS TO THE DEALER FOR "ALIGNMENTS" OF THE ENGINE/FRAME/DRIVETRAIN - PROBLEM MINIMIZED BUT NOT ELIMINATED. - "HIGH SPEED WOBBLES" OCCURRED REGULARLY AND WITHOUT NOTICE WHICH I HANDLED BECUASE I AM AN EXPERIENCED RIDER AND VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SURVIVE. - REMOVAL OF TIRE TO REPAIR PUNCTURE AND CHECK OF SWINGARM FOUND THE SWINGARM MOVES LEFT TO RIGHT ABOUT 1/4 INCH.*AK

Tires
Filed Aug 9, 20043,000 milesOH

PASSING A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER A ABOUT 70MPH FRONT END STEERING ON NEW 04 ELECTRAGLIDE CLASSIC BEGAN A WOBBLING OF THE FRONT TIRE. IT WAS EXTREMELY NOTICABLE AND NEARLY CAUSED THE BIKE TO GO INTO THE TRACTOR TRAILER. IN ORDER TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM I REDUCED MY SPEED W/O APPLYING BRAKES TO ABOUT 40MPH AND THE WOBBLING FINALLY STOPPED. *AK *TC

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Aug 3, 20045,000 milesNM

WHEN BRAKING THERE WOULD BE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE, WHICH COULD CAUSE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Suspension
Filed Jul 24, 200420 milesTX

MOTORCYCLE STABILITY ISSUE. I PURCHASED NEW WITH ABOUT 20 TEST MILES, AN FLHTCI, 2004, HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYLE. IMMEDIATELY UPON RIDING I FOUND IT "PULLED" TO THE LEFT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ROLL OFF THE THROTTLE(DECELERATE). THE AMOUNT OF DEFLECTION WOULD HAVE CAUSED A SWERVE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC HAD I NOT BEEN AN EXPERIENCED RIDER. DEALER HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BUT IS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE.*AK

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jun 4, 2004FL

WITHOUT WARNING, THE MOTORCYCLE LOST POWER WHEN RIDING AT ANY SPEED. THIS CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *AK *SC *JB

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed May 25, 2004FL

THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE FRONT ROTORS AND PADS . HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB

10 of 10 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2004
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2004 — this page10100Routine
20031000Routine
20026000Routine
20018000Routine
19994000Routine
19983000Routine
19971000Routine

Compare every Road King year →

Reading this record

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.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 30, 2004. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.