POOR CRANKSHAFT DESIGN AND EXCESSIVE TOLERANCES ON ALL HD MOTORS FROM 99 TO PRESENT ON TWIN CAM ENGINES. *TR
- NHTSA ID
- 10245200
- Incident
- Oct 1, 2003
- Mileage
- 5,000 mi
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2004 Harley-Davidson Fxdl, most frequently naming the engine category. 6 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 — 1 month 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.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
POOR CRANKSHAFT DESIGN AND EXCESSIVE TOLERANCES ON ALL HD MOTORS FROM 99 TO PRESENT ON TWIN CAM ENGINES. *TR
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 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.
POWER TRAIN
TECH ARTICLE TA0023: TA0023: Crankshaft Rod Bearing. Purpose: Technicians have been falsely identifying connecting rod bearings as failed due to a perception of resistance as the rods are rotated. The clearance of the Twin Cam and Milwaukee-Eight® crank pin bearings are maintained to a very tight range. This optimizes performance and maintains low mechanical noise in operation. The connecting rod bore can also distort slightly in operation due to stress relaxation. As a result, bearing clearance decreases due to the contact zone broadening and the load being distributed over more rollers. The combination of a bore being slightly out of round and reduced bearing clearance can result in varying degrees of resistance through the range of motion. Axial clearance is also tightly controlled for proper alignment. For these reasons, zones of resistance can be found when the connecting rods are rotated by hand through their range of motion. Resistance during rod motion, by itself, is not an indication of a performance or durability concern.
ENGINE; EQUIPMENT
THIS DOCUMENT WILL OUTLINE INSPECTION AND MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES FOR GEROTOR STYLE OIL PUMPS. IT PROVIDES INSPECTION PROCEDURES ONLY WITHOUT SPECIFICATIONS.
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
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.