RoadVitals

2023 Harley-Davidson RA1250S 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.
8
Latest Jun 8, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
4
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 2023 Harley-Davidson RA1250S, 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

  • Fuel system538.5%
  • Electrical430.8%
  • Engine323.1%
  • Powertrain (other)17.7%

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

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

5
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Bike has been at the dealer for almost 3 weeks now chasing electrical issues. HD corporate techs can’t even understand what’s wrong. The are running another diagnostic test on it today that will cost me another 3.5hr of labor on top of the other diagnostics they’ve already done. Luckily I wasn’t on a trip and stranded for weeks.

NHTSA ID 11740392 · filed May 27, 2026

Harley-Davidson knowingly did not coat the inside of the aluminum fuel tanks on 2023 and older model Pan Americas, leading to rust and particle breakdown from ethanol exposure. Those particles have led to fuel pump failure and replacement, but replacing the fuel pump is only a temporary fix as the tank will continue to rust and cause the same failure and replacement loop for the life-cycle of the bike. This issue has been reported by hundreds of Pan America owners in the lower 48, where ethanol is used as a fuel additive. Harley should recall all 2023 and older model gas tanks, and provide a solution (coating or replacing the tank) that does not lead to thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs for the fuel pump, as the pump is not the issue.

NHTSA ID 11688304 · filed Sep 19, 2025

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

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

4
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Multiple electrical issues -TFT screen going out while riding, voltage fluctuating dramatically while riding and bike wants to stop running once at idle engine shuts off and won’t restart. Once it’s cooled down or been on trickle charger for couple hours it might restart. Diagnosis was stator failure with complete electrical system repair at my expense. This is a known issue by Harley. Second issue bike not shutting off when turned off. Right hand control module failed dealer said this is also a known issue and they have replaced several. No recall or assistance to repair by Harley Motor Company.

NHTSA ID 11742809 · filed Jun 8, 2026

Bike has been at the dealer for almost 3 weeks now chasing electrical issues. HD corporate techs can’t even understand what’s wrong. The are running another diagnostic test on it today that will cost me another 3.5hr of labor on top of the other diagnostics they’ve already done. Luckily I wasn’t on a trip and stranded for weeks.

NHTSA ID 11740392 · filed May 27, 2026

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

Engine

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

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I purchased a 2023 Harley Davidson Pan America only to find out that the motorcycle has a known issue with the charging system. The motorcycle model years 2021 through 2023 have a faulty charging systems which was fixed for 2024 and beyond models by a redesign of the entire charging system. The faulty older system causes the motorcycle to stall randomly and eventually deplete the battery on the vehicle. The issues is as follows: 1. When the motorcycle has become warm it no longer generates enough voltage at idle to keep the Variable Valve Timing system on the motorcycle functioning properly. 2. Once the Variable Valve Timing system starts to malfunction by turning off and on repeatedly the motorcycle will eventually stall leaving you stuck in the middle of traffic. It is a very well documented issue with these motorcycle and be assured it is dangerous. Harley Davidson is unfortunately profiting on the issue by charging customers upwards of $4000 to $5500 dollars to fix it by upgrading their motorcycles to the latest version of the "fixed" system for the later models. This should absolutely be a recall as it is very dangerous to have your motorcycle randomly stall because of a faulty design of a charging system. Harley Davidson has vast knowledge about this issue but only wants to fleece customers for the profit to fix. Example of the issue: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11714825 · filed Feb 1, 2026

The charging system failed which caused the engine to stall multiple times.

NHTSA ID 11705576 · filed Dec 17, 2025

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

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I purchased a 2023 Harley Davidson Pan America only to find out that the motorcycle has a known issue with the charging system. The motorcycle model years 2021 through 2023 have a faulty charging systems which was fixed for 2024 and beyond models by a redesign of the entire charging system. The faulty older system causes the motorcycle to stall randomly and eventually deplete the battery on the vehicle. The issues is as follows: 1. When the motorcycle has become warm it no longer generates enough voltage at idle to keep the Variable Valve Timing system on the motorcycle functioning properly. 2. Once the Variable Valve Timing system starts to malfunction by turning off and on repeatedly the motorcycle will eventually stall leaving you stuck in the middle of traffic. It is a very well documented issue with these motorcycle and be assured it is dangerous. Harley Davidson is unfortunately profiting on the issue by charging customers upwards of $4000 to $5500 dollars to fix it by upgrading their motorcycles to the latest version of the "fixed" system for the later models. This should absolutely be a recall as it is very dangerous to have your motorcycle randomly stall because of a faulty design of a charging system. Harley Davidson has vast knowledge about this issue but only wants to fleece customers for the profit to fix. Example of the issue: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11714825 · filed Feb 1, 2026

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 .