Harley-Davidson Motor Co.: Fuel System, Gasoline › Fuel Injection System
Harley-Davidson Motor Co. reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 22, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 176,515. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THE EFFECTS OF REFORMULATED GASOLINE ALONG WITH CERTAIN USAGE OF THE FUEL SUPPLY VALVE AFFECTS THE SUPPLY OF GASOLINE TO THE CARBURETOR. THIS CONDITION REQUIRES TWO FACTORS: (1) THE USE OF REFORMULATED FUELS CONTAINING MBTE AND (2) STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE WITH THE FUEL VALVE HANDLE IN THE OFF POSITION.
The risk
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE FUEL FLOW TO BE UNPREDICTABLE THUS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN INCREASING THE RISK OF A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy
DEALERS THE REPLACE THE DIAPHRAGM IN THE FUEL VALVE.
13 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Harley-Davidson FL | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Harley-Davidson FX | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Harley-Davidson Softail | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Harley-Davidson XL | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 Harley-Davidson FL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 Harley-Davidson FX | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 Harley-Davidson Softail | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 Harley-Davidson XL | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 Harley-Davidson FL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 Harley-Davidson FX | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 Harley-Davidson Softail | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995 Harley-Davidson XL | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 Harley-Davidson FL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 96V204000.
Full record for the 1997 Harley-Davidson FL → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →