2000 Harley-Davidson Softail

Routine

Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the fuel system, gasoline › storage › tank assembly. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails

Component	Reports		Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Tires	1		0	0	0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Drum › Shoes/Linings	1		0	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly	1		0	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline › Carburetor System	1		0	0	0
Equipment	1		0	0	0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and Associated Pulleys	1		0	0	0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine	1		0	0	0

What owners reported

Newest filings

Equipment

Filed Mar 3, 2006OH

I PURCHASED FORM PERFORMANCE MACHINEINC A CONTOUR BELT DRIVE PRIMARY FOR MY 2000 HARLEY DAVIDSON SOFT TAIL DUCE. AFTER HAVING A HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER INSTALL IT I PUT 400 MILES ON THE MOTORCYCLE WHEN AT ABOUT 20 MPH THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED UP. CAUSED BY THE CLUTCH HUB RETAINING CLIP COMING OFF LETTING THE CLUTCH HUB JAMMING INTO THE OUTER COVER. I SENT IT BACK TO PERFORMANCE MACHINE WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY FOR A REFUND. THEY TELL ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG AND ARE RETURNING IT. THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THIS SYSTEM THAT COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR IF IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED 1/2 MILE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD I WOULD BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 65 MPH. *JB

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and Associated Pulleys

Filed Jun 20, 2005IL

DT: CAM CHAIN TENSIONERS WORE OUT. IF IT GOES THROUGH ALL THE WAY THE ENGINE WILL LOCK UP. IT WILL DISINTEGRATE THE METAL PIECES WHERE THE ENGINE WILL LOCK UP. IT HAPPENS IN THE HOT WEATHER, CONSUMER HEARD EXCESSIVE ENGINE NOISE, AND WAS TOLD TO CHANGE THE TENSIONERS. CONSUMER IS CONCERNED FOR BOTH HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYLCLES HE OWNS. *AK *SB

Tires

Filed Feb 21, 2003CA

THE TIRES LOST AIR PRESSURE, WHILE DRIVING.*JB

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Drum › Shoes/Linings

Filed Dec 29, 2001WV

THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAPS THE FOOT UNDER IT DUE TO ITS DESIGN. HARLEY HAS REDISIGNED IT FOR THE 2001 MODELS BUT WON'T REPLACE IT ON THE OLDER MODELS. I WROTE TO THEM AND THEY REFUSED IN WRITING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE DEFECT.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Carburetor System

Filed Apr 19, 2001NY

WHEN CONSUMER WENT TO TAKE MOTORCYCLE OUT OF HIS GARAGE, HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING FROM CARBURETOR. DEALERSHIP WAS IN POSSESSION OF MOTORCYCLE, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT DEFECT WAS A RESULT OF BAD GAS. THE CONSUMER HAD THE MOTORCYCLE SERVICED LAST SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER - THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MOTORCYCLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine

Filed Sep 12, 2000MD

THE CAM BEARING PROBLEM WAS KNOWN AT THE TIME I PURCHASED MY MOTORCYCLE FOR CLOSE TO $20,000, BUT I WAS NOT NOTIFIED THIS WAS A PROBLEM. THE FAILURE COULD HAVE COST ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND OUR LIVES. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. HARLEY DAVIDSON SENT A SERVICE REPAIRMAN.

Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly

Filed Jun 28, 2000FL

WOULD FILL MOTORCYCLE WITH FUEL & ABOUT 1/2 GALLON WOULD LEAK OUT & WOULD TRAIL MOTORCYCLE WHILE DRIVING.*AK

7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2003

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Assessment
2013	1	0	0	Routine
2012	3	1	0	Routine
2011	3	1	0	Routine
2010	1	0	0	Routine
2008	1	0	0	Routine
2007	2	1	0	Routine
2005	4	3	0	Routine
2004	4	1	0	Routine
2003	7	0	1	Routine
2002	4	0	0	Routine
2001	2	0	0	Routine
2000 — this page	7	0	0	Routine
1999	0	1	0	Routine
1998	3	1	0	Routine
1997	1	1	0	Routine
1996	3	1	0	Routine
1995	3	1	0	Routine

Compare every Softail year →

Other Harley-Davidson models

All Harley-Davidson models →

Flhtcu 276 Flhx 184 Flhtk 161 Flhtc 109 Flhtcui 108 Harley Davidson 101 XG750 88 Flhtcutg 87 Flhr 87 Flstc 73

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.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.