2016 Indian Roadmaster

Routine

Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. It has been recalled 5 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System2
100
Power Train1
000
Fuel/Propulsion System1
000

5 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Electrical System19V776000
Filed Oct 29, 201952,745 vehiclesIndian Motorcycle Company

Defect. Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Chief, Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Springfield motorcycles. The gear position switch contacts may oxidize, causing the gear position display to inaccurately show that the motorcycle is in neutral when it is actually in gear.

Risk. If the transmission is not in neutral when the motorcycle is started, the motorcycle may move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the switch free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2020. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-19-03.

Electrical System › Wiring › Rear Compartment/Trunk18V055000
Filed Jan 16, 20187,392 vehiclesIndian Motorcycle Company

Defect. Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Roadmaster motorcycles. Water may enter the trunk wiring harness, potentially causing the brake light to remain illuminated even when the brakes are not applied.

Risk. If the brake light remains illuminated when the brakes are not applied, a vehicle behind the motorcycle may not know when the motorcycle is actually slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Indian will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trunk wiring harness with an updated harness that contains sealing plugs in the connectors, free of charge. The recall began on January 30, 2018. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-18-01.

Fuel System, Gasoline16V877000
Filed Dec 6, 201623,761 vehiclesIndian Motorcycle Company

Defect. Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain model year 2014-2017 Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Vintage, Chieftan, Chieftan Dark Horse, Springfield and Roadmaster motorcycles manufactured April 15, 2013, to July 15, 2016. In the affected motorcycles, the fuel rail may contact other components and result in a fuel leak.

Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Indian will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket that will limit movement of the fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began on December 12, 2016. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-16-03.

Electrical System › Ignition16V446000
Filed Jun 17, 201618,383 vehiclesIndian Motorcycle Company

Defect. Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Chief Classic, Dark Horse, Chieftain, Roadmaster, Vintage, Springfield, and Chieftain Dark Horse motorcycles manufactured April 15, 2013, to June 16, 2015. In the event of an engine misfire, unburned fuel may pass through parts of the exhaust system, raising the exhaust temperatures.

Risk. Elevated exhaust temperatures may result in an increased risk of fire.

Remedy. Indian will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. The recall began July 2016. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-16-02.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Master Cylinder15V721000
Filed Nov 2, 20157,614 vehiclesIndian Motorcycle Company

Defect. Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chief Classic, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Roadmaster, and 2016 Dark Horse motorcycles manufactured January 2, 2015, to October 23, 2015. Due to a problem with the rear brake master cylinder, the motorcycles may have a reduction in, or a complete loss of, rear brake power.

Risk. A full or partial loss of rear braking power may lengthen the distance needed to slow or stop the motorcycle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Indian will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear brake master cylinder piston assembly, free of charge. The recall began on November 5, 2015. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-15-04.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Feb 24, 2024IN

Backlights on instrument cluster went out. I can no longer see my speedometer, tachometer, or fuel guage on my hour ride home from work which is always in the dark. The backlights are nonservicable which makes no sense to me. I feel like this is dangerous not being able to tell how fast you are going, and the way people drive these days, you can't use them to pace yourself. I also feel that being stranded on the side of the road because you ran out of gas is not the safest place to be for a motorcyclists, but I think that not knowing how fast you are going is the most dangerous. Making certain lights nonserviceable is a poor idea. It sure is an expensive motorcycle that I am afraid to ride now because I can't see everything I need to see in order to operate it safely.

Power Train
Filed Sep 5, 2023GA

NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V776000 Your website says that the issue is repaired with my vehicle, which it has not been. Yes I have taken it to not only one, but two different dealers to have the issue resolved multiple times. The issue still continues and Indian Motorcycles, in my belief, refuses to fix the problem at hand under the recall. To the point where they have said it is no longer the gear positioning switch. And it has now started costing me money while they toss parts at it with hopes it’ll repair the issue. I can’t afford to pay $1,000 plus each time I take it somewhere to have this recall repaired. This is a serious safety issue. Not only the possibility of the motorcycle being started while parked, but it also disengaged cruise control while being used. These motorcycles rapidly lose forward momentum when the throttle isn’t applied creating a risk of being rear ended and or run over on the interstate while the operator is trying to investigate the loss of throttle.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jan 3, 2017FL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 INDIAN ROADMASTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V877000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

Electrical SystemCrash
Filed Oct 26, 20163,300 milesIL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 INDIAN ROADMASTER. WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE VEHICLE TIPPED OVER. AT THE TIME OF THE ISSUE, THE CUT OFF SWITCH DID NOT FUNCTION AND THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS PROPELLED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A CALIBRATION ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,300.

4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2017
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20240200Routine
20230100Routine
20222000Routine
20211000Routine
20190200Routine
20182200Routine
20179300Routine
2016 — this page4500Routine
20153500Routine
20140300Routine
20110300Routine
20100300Routine

Compare every Roadmaster 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: Oct 29, 2019. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.