Harley-Davidson Sportster
Owners filed 62 complaints across 13 model years of the Harley-Davidson Sportster. The 2003 drew the most (9).
Which Harley-Davidson Sportster years should you avoid?
Not enough of the record to single a year out. Fewer than 4 Harley-Davidson Sportster model years have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to judge, so any ranking would be noise. The table below has every year as filed.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Harley-Davidson Sportster model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Wheels | Routine | |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 2005 | 7 | 2 | — | — | Power Train › Manual Transmission | Routine | |
| 2003 | 9 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices › Exterior | Routine | |
| 2002 | 6 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices | Routine | |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 | — | 2 | Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | Fatalities reported | |
| 2000 | 9 | 0 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 1999 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices | Routine | |
| 1998 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | Electrical System › Ignition | Routine | |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1996 | 6 | 1 | — | — | Fuel System, Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Structure › Frame and Members | Routine | |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.