RoadVitals

2002 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest May 13, 2004
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
2
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2002 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Engine266.7%
  • Brakes133.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I OWN A 2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTC. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT THE CAM CHAIN TENSIONER WEARING OUT FROM NORMAL OPERATIONS. ONE SUCH COMPLAINT THAT WAS MADE RESULTED IN THE CAM CHAIN TENSIONER BREAKING OFF AND CAUSING THE OIL PUMP TO MALFUNCTION, AND DAMGAGING THE OIL PUMP AS WELL. I SPOKE WITH THE HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER, WHO SAYS THEY HAVE NOTICED THE WEARING OF THE TENSIONER, AND REPLACES THOSE AT THE OWNERS REQUEST, HOWEVER THIS IS NOT PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY HARLEY DAVIDSON TO RECALL. *AK

NHTSA ID 10072583 · filed May 13, 2004

VEHICLE HAS STALLED 4 TIMES AT DIFFERENT SPEED. DEALER CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. MR

NHTSA ID 8022655 · filed Nov 13, 2002

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I OWN A 2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCI MOTORCYCLE. THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAS FAILED TWICE SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN APRIL OF 2002. THE FAILURE OF THE SWITCH CAUSES THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO STAY ON. AS A RESULT, ANYONE FOLLOWING ME HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN I HAVE APPLIED THE BRAKES. AFTER THE SECOND FAILURE I REPLACED THE SWITCH AND OPENED THE DEFECTIVE SWITCH UP TO SEE WHAT HAD FAILED. WHAT I FOUND WAS THE MECHANICAL BOD OF THE EXTERNAL CONTACT AND THE INTERNAL SWITCH MOVING CONTACT WAS RESISTIVE. THE RESULTANT HEAT FROM THIS RESTIVE CONTACT HEATED AND WARPED THE INSULATOR DISK. THE DISK WARPED IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO ACTIVATE THE SWITCH. I FOUND OUT FROM THE LOCAL DEALER THAT THEY HAVE SOLD OVER 50 OF THESE SWITCHES SINCE JULY 1ST. THIS IS A VERY HIGH NUMBER EVEN TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE NUMBER OF RIDERS IN THE AREA FOR THE STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY. I KNOW OF TWO OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD SWITCH FAILURE IN THE PAST YEAR. EVERY FAILURE HAD THE BRAKE LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, ESPECIALLY ON A MOTORCYCLE. *JB

NHTSA ID 10038985 · filed Sep 16, 2003

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .