RoadVitals

1998 Harley-Davidson Road King 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 Sep 7, 2002
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
3
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 1998 Harley-Davidson Road King, 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

  • Brakes133.3%
  • Electrical133.3%
  • Suspension133.3%

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

Brakes

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

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

BRAKE LIGHTS STICK ON OR FLICKER WHEN GOING DOWN HIGHWAY. ALSO, MASTER CYLINDER WAS WEAK . CONSUMER ORDERED KIT. CONTACTED DEALER ,AND DEALER STATED NOTHING THEY COULD DO.*AK

NHTSA ID 893277 · filed Aug 2, 2001

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.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHILE DRIVING MOTORCYCLE KEEPS BLOWING A 15 AMP FUSE, IT CAUSES LOSS OF RUNNING LIGHTS/ TAIL LIGHT/ HEADLIGHTS, AND PASSING LIGHTS. DEALER NOTIFIED AND WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE CAUSE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID 8002802 · filed Jan 24, 2002

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

Suspension

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

THE REAR CAM BEARING ON MY 1999 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROADKING HAS FAILED. THE MANUFACTURE IS ENTIRELY AWARE OF THE DESIGN DEFECT. I FAIL TO SEE THE LOGIC ON HOW MY VEHICLE MUST DAMAGE OTHER ENGINE COMPONENTS BEFORE HARLEY DAVIDSON BACKS UP THEIR OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED ON 8-1-02 THAT I'M NOW HEARING A NOISE NEAR REAR CAM BEARING AREA. I ASKED TO HAVE MY HARLEY REPAIRED "HARLEY DAVIDSON FAILED TO DO SO". I FEEL H-D SHOULD REPLACE THE CAM BEARING PRIOR TO FAILURE. I TRIED TO CONTACT H-D MOTOR COMPANY AND GOT NOWHERE. I GUESS WHEN DEMAND IN A PRODUCT IS HIGH, THE DEALER DOESN'T HAVE TO BACK IT UP . DID I MENTION "ILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER HARLEY DAVIDSON. PLEASE HELP! THANK YOU.*AK

NHTSA ID 766833 · filed Sep 7, 2002

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 .