RoadVitals

1999 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.
4
Latest Jul 21, 2008
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 1999 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

  • Engine250.0%
  • Powertrain (other)250.0%

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

CAM BEARINGS FAILED IN A 1999 ROADKING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 5YR/50,000MILES BUT ONLY IF THE ENGINE FAILED COMPLETELY. I HAVE 27,000 MILES CURRENTLY WITH A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. THIS PROBLEM IS A MILEAGE OCCURRENCE NOT A TIME FACTOR SITUATION. THE MOTOR COMPANY HAS REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT STATING IT WAS PAST THE YEARS OF SERVICE. HOW MANY ENGINES HAVE TO FAIL OR WRECKS HAVE TO OCCUR BEFORE THERE IS A TOTAL RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THE COMPANY IS TREATING IT SOLELY ON A MONEY FACTOR. *NM

NHTSA ID 10170716 · filed Oct 13, 2006

THE REAR CAM BEARING IS A MANUFACTURING/DESIGN DEFECT WHICH HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS AWARE. THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR JUST THE CAM BEARING TO 50,000 MILES. UNFORTUNATELY THEY WON'T REPAIR IT UNTIL IT FAILS, AND THEY WILL ONLY REPLACE THE BEARING UNDER WARRANTY. THIS BECOMES AN ISSUE SINCE THE WHEN THE BEARING FAILS METAL MAY GET INTO THE CRANKCASE AND CAUSE ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS TO OTHER COMPONENTS DOWN THE ROAD. ADDITIONALLY IT TOOK 3.5 HOURS TO GET A TRUCK TO TAKE THE BIKE TO THE CLOSEST HARLEY DEALERSHIP (15 MILES), MITCHELLS H-D, MODESTO, CA, (209)522-1061. ALSO WE HAD TO FIND A RIDE HOME (45 MILES) AND I'LL NEED A RIDE (55 MILES) BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO PICK IT UP. I TOOK THE BIKE IN TO THE LOCAL H-D DEALERSHIP SEVERAL 2 MONTHS AGO AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TILL IT WENT BAD. I'VE READ OF INSTANCES IN MAJOR MOTORCYCLE PUBLICATIONS OF MOTOR FEEZE-UP, TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE, AND LOCKED REAR TIRES WHEN THE CAM BEARING FAILS. HARLEY-DAVIDSON SHOULD REPLACE CAM BEARING PRIOR TO FAILURE ON THOSE SPECIFIC ENGINES THAT WERE BUILT WITH A BALL BEARING RATHER THAN THE REPLACEMENT ROLLER BEARING.

NHTSA ID 752317 · filed Sep 18, 2001

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.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

NAME: GERARD BU 973 802 2644 HD REFERENCE # 880109 I HAVE A HD ROAD KING 1999. IT WAS A KNOW DEFECT ON THE CAM BEARINGS OF THIS YEAR AND THERE WAS EVEN A RECALL BUT I NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION BY MAIL OR ANYTHING. AFTER 6K MILES THE CAM BROKE WHICH COULD LEAD TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND EXPENSES. HD SAID THAT THEY (JOHN AT HD MILWAUKEE) HAD A GRACE PERIOD OF ONLY 5 YEARS SO IT IS TOO LATE. AND THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING FOR IT. IT SEEMS NOT BE VERY HONEST THAT THEY WOULD NOT HONOR IT SINCE THEY NEW THERE WAS A DEFECT REGARDLESS OF THE ISSUE SINCE IT WAS A MANUFACTURING FLAW. *TR

NHTSA ID 10235145 · filed Jul 21, 2008

SPEEDOMETER FAILURE CAUSES AUTOMATIC TURN SIGNALS NOT TO DISENGAGE AFTER TURNS HAVE BEEN MADE. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, DEALER OFFERED CONSUMER A GOODWILL REPLACEMENT AT A REDUCED PRICE. *AK *TT

NHTSA ID 897393 · filed Oct 5, 2001

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 .