Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Harley-Davidson Flhr, most frequently naming the suspension and exterior lighting categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 9 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
Not enough dated records to plot a meaningful trend — 3 months of data.
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govEXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
I AM WRITING AS TO A SAFETY CONCERN DEALING WITH ALL OF HARLEY DAVIDSON'S TOURING BIKES. AFTER CONTACTING HD ABOUT MY CONCERNS I REALIZED I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO CARED. THEY HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE SWINGARMS ON THESE MOTORCYCLES THAT CAUSES DANGEROUS OSCILLATIONS THAT CAUSE THE BIKE TO LOSE CONTROL AT SPEEDS FROM 60MPH TO ABOUT 70 MPH. THE BIKES TEND TO FISH TAIL THAT CAUSES THE RIDERS TO LOSE CONTROL OR MAKE THEM VERY SCARED TO RIDE THEM. HD HAS NO ENTITY TO MAKE THEM AS A CORPORATION TO FIX OR ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. THEY KNOW THE PROBLEM EXIST BUT, CLAIM IT IS THE CONSUMERS PROBLEM AND NOT THEIRS. FOR THE MOST PART HD CORPORATE DENIES THE PROBLEM AT ALL. THE INTERNET IS INUNDATED BY RIDERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT, HD REFUSES TO ADMIT THIS. I BELIEVE IT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF MANY RIDERS GETTING KILLED AND OR HURT ESPECIALLY GOING INTO CURVES ON THESE MACHINES. HD EVEN SELLS A SWINGARM STABILIZER FOR ABOUT $400 BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THEIR MACHINES ARE FAULTY. I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM AT 70MPH AND IT TOOK ME ALMOST 10 SECONDS TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE BIKE. AFTER TAKING THE SWINGARM APART I FOUND THE DESIGN EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE BIKE AND A PASSENGER IN PARTICULAR. THEY HAVE NO SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES TO MAKE THEM RESPONSIBLE AS DO MAJOR AUTO MANUFACTURERS. THIS NOT ONLY AFFECTS THIS MOTORCYCLE BUT ALL OF HD'S TOURING BIKES OF ALL DATES OF MANUFACTURE. *JS
I AM WRITING TO REPORT A PROBLEM WITH THE SWINGARM ON HARLEY DAVIDSON TOURING BIKES. THIS AFFECTS NOT ONLY MY 2003 BUT, NEWER BIKES AS WELL. THE BIKES HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING WHAT IS TERMED AS THE DEATH WOBBLE AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH AND SOMETIMES LESS ESPECIALLY IN CURVES. THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN TO HD BUT, THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE ANTIQUATED DESIGN OF THEIR SWINGARMS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN CHANGED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. THE BIKES EXPERIENCE WEAVE OR WOBBLE DUE TO THE SWINGARM HAVING LATERAL MOVEMENT IN CURVES. THERE ARE PENDING LAWSUITS AND ENORMOUS NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS ON INTERNET FORUMS AND EVEN YOUTUBE. THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL EVEN POSTED A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE THAT IS A MUST WATCH VIDEO ON THE WOBBLE PROBLEM. THIS IS LOCATED AT HTTP://YOUTUBE/GMW6QXNEY. THE LAW FIRM WWW.2KELLER.COM IS HANDLING LAW SUITS CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM AS WE SPEAK. I HAVE WRITTEN HARLEY CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY SIMPLY DON'T CARE. HARLEY DAVIDSON EVEN SELLS A $400 SWINGARM STABILIZER BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE PROBLEM EXIST BUT, WONT PAY FOR THE FIX. THEY SHOULD BE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARDS AS AUTO MANUFACTURERS. PEOPLE ARE GETTING KILLED AND HURT DUE DIRECTLY TO THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR DESIGN. MY ROAD KING DID THIS ON AN OPEN HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH IN A VERY GRADUAL CURVE. IT TOOK ME ABOUT 5 SECONDS TO TRY AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE BIKE. I HAVE RIDDEN FOR 40 YEARS AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM EXCEPT ON A HARLEY. THIS IS WHY SOME POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE SWITCHING TO BMW'S. I HAD TO BUY A SWINGARM STABILIZER TO TRY AND CORRECT THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. SOMEONE NEEDS TO HOLD THIS CORPORATION ACCOUNTABLE BEFORE MORE PEOPLE GET HURT. UPDATED 01/10/17 *BF
THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER INSPECTED AND DETERMINED THAT THE BULBS DIDN'T FAIL BUT DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS DEFECT IN THE BULB SOCKET. THE DEALER DIDN'T HAVE THE NEWLY DESIGNED BULB SOCKET. THE DEALER BENT THE CONTACT POINT IN THE OLD SOCKETS TO MAKE A CONNECTION. *AK *CB *NLM
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE BULLETIN M1684: MARKET SPECIFIC BATTERY INTRODUCTION. PURPOSE: Initial Release. This bulletin informs dealers of the availability of new batteries for new Original Equipment (OE) vehicle production and in the Parts and Accessories (P&A) catalog. Availability of the new Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries will vary by market and will be transitioning over the next few months. NOTE: The ring terminal screws are not compatible between Leoch and East Penn batteries. The new batteries will include new ring terminal screws, which must be used. The ring terminal screws from the old battery need to be discarded.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE BULLETIN M1555 (REV E): BATTERY WARRANTY GUIDELINES. PURPOSE: Revision E. Added: Added procedures for the DCA-8000 E Battery Tester.* Updated: All sections. This bulletin informs the dealership network that Harley-Davidson has provided guidelines for battery warranty.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 24.8.8): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 24.8.8. Release Date: Week of August 5, 2024. New Features for Harley-Davidson vehicles: Advanced Module Replace for 2021 and later Revolution Max; 2023 and later CVO Touring; and 2024 Street Glide (FLHX), Road Glide (FLTRX). New Features for LiveWire vehicles: Updated calibrations for 2024 S2DM EV1/ EV6; 2024 S2MH EV1; and 2024 S2DM, S2MH. Changes: Added Hand Control Module (HCM) (Part No. 71500522A and 71500536A) for reflash support.
ENGINE; POWER TRAIN
GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1158: OIL FILTER PACKAGING AND CASE QUANTITY UPDATE. PURPOSE: To inform dealerships that Harley-Davidson has made updates to oil filters including new part numbers, packaging design, and bulk case quantity changes.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 24.6.4): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 24.6.4. Release Date: Week of May 1, 2024. New Features for LiveWire S2DM and S2MH, 2024 Revolution® Max, and 2024 Touring.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1146: 68193-95 BULB WEDGE, FENDER TIP LAMP. Purpose: To inform dealers of an issue with the bulb wire terminals not being to specification. The light bulbs were used in numerous front and rear fender tip light assemblies for domestic and international applications.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 2009 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 51.8 |
| 2008 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 54.0 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003Viewing | 3 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — |
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.