RoadVitals

2001 Harley-Davidson Road King

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
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Latest Oct 15, 2014
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2001 Harley-Davidson Road King, most frequently naming the other / unspecified, engine and brakes categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Other / unspecified327.3%
  • Engine218.2%
  • Brakes218.2%
  • Suspension19.1%
  • Fuel system19.1%
  • Driver assistance19.1%
  • Electrical19.1%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

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.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

ElectricalFuel system
Filed Oct 15, 2014

BIKE CUTS OUT AND DIES WHILE DRIVING CAUSING POTENTIAL SERIOUS INJURY TO RIDER OR EVEN DEATH: THIS HAS BEEN AND IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH HARLEYS FROM 199 TO 2001 CRUISER MODELS AND NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED BY HARLEY DAVIDSON AS A RECALL ON ALL BIKE WITH THAT SYSTEM. SEE DISCUSSION BELOW: MINE CUT OUT AND I WAS ALMOST THROWN FROM THE BIKE INTO TRAFFIC AS IT SHUT DOWN AND LOCKED UP THE TIRES CLASSIC, THANKS FOR THE VERY THOUGHTFUL ANALYSIS. I STARTED THIS THREAD TO TRY TO OUT IF THERE IS A LARGE POPULATION OF 1999-2001 MM EFI OWNERS THAT ARE NOT HAVING PROBLEMS, THAT MIGHT GIVE ME SOME CONFIDENCE THAT IT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE TO TRY TO GET MINE REPAIRED AND REGAIN CONFIDENCE THAT IT WOULD STAY FIXED. THE MM EFI SYSTEM PROVED TO ME FOR 7 YEARS THAT IT CAN DO THE JOB JUST FINE BUT NOW SOMETHING IS BROKEN WITH IT. I DIDN'T/DON'T EXPECT ANY ELECTRO/MECHANICAL SYSTEM TO FUNCTION TROUBLE FREE FOREVER WITHOUT NEEDING MAINTENANCE. ALSO FRUSTRATING IS WHY THE MM EFI SYSTEM IS SO DIFFICULT TO TROUBLESHOOT AND FIX? THE 1999-2001 MM EFI PROBLEMS ARE LEGENDARY AND NOT THE FAULT OF BIKE OWNERS BUT THE MOCO. I REALLY THINK THE MOCO SHOULD RECALL THESE BIKES AND CONVERT THEM TO DELPHI EFI SYSTEMS. MINE STALLED IN CROWDED FAST TRAFFIC AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO HAVE A BAD ACCIDENT. HARLEY ARE YOU LISTENING-THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. IF THIS WAS HAPPENING WITH A BIG 3 AUTOMOBILE THERE WOULD BE A DOT RECALL. LAST EDITED BY EZRIDER; 06-08-2008 AT 03:37 PM. EZRIDER IS OFFLINE REPLY WITH QUOTE *TR

NHTSA ID
10644788
Incident
Jul 7, 2014
Mileage
30,000 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed May 7, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 (NA) HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING CLASSIC. WHILE BACKING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE GARAGE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A CRACK THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES LONG IN THE RIM OF THE REAR TIRE. THE CONTACT DID NOT NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE IN DRIVING THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO NOTICING THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 70,000.

NHTSA ID
10226921
Incident
May 5, 2008
Mileage
70,000 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed Jul 7, 2006

THE SHIFTER CONTROL ARM AND SHAFT HAS COME OFF MY HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING TWICE WITH ONLY 12,000 MILES. APPARENTLY HARLEY HAS USED A BOLT THAT DOES NOT GO COMPLETELY THRU TO HOLD IT IN PLACE. I HAD TO ASK FOR A LONGER BOLT WHEN I HAD TO PURCHASE THE NEW SHAFT AND SHIFTER ARM. I KNOW ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WHILE RIDING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WAS STRANDED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID
10161862
Incident
Jun 6, 2006
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 19, 2004

WOBBEL, UNSTEADY, WONDERING, FRON END, BIKE IS UNSTABLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AK

NHTSA ID
10091270
Incident
Jun 24, 2004
Mileage
4,500 mi
Brakes
Filed Jan 13, 2003

WHEN VEHICLE GOES ON ALONG SUSTAINED RUN, 200-300 MILES AND COME OFF FREEWAY IT WILL STALL EVERY TIME COMING TO A STOP. VEHICLE WAS CHECKED BY TWO DEALES. FUEL FILTER WAS CHANGED, INJECTION PORTS CLEANED, BUT PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED. *AK

NHTSA ID
10003646
BrakesEngine
Filed Sep 17, 2002

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED ON FLAT SURFACE AND WITH NO WARNING OIL IS LEAKING ONTO BRAKES, CAUSING THE BRAKES TO SLIP, AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR CONSUMER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED

NHTSA ID
8018818
Incident
Sep 11, 2002
Suspension
Filed Feb 6, 2002

VIBRATION WOULD BE FELT WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED, INFORMED CONSUMER THAT REAR BRAKE CALIPERS WERE RUBBING. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
8003653
Incident
Jan 5, 2002
EngineOther / unspecified
Filed Jan 28, 2002

IGNITION LOCK BROKE, LEFT SADDLEBAG WOULD NOT LOCK DUE TO THE LOCK BEING JAMMED AND THE LID WOULD NOT SEAL, THE RIGHT SADDLEBAG STRIKE PLATE CAME OFF, THE REAR ROCKER COVER WAS PITTED, DEALER REPLACED, WHILE DRIVING THE DIGITAL OIL DIPSTICK BLEW OUT, DEALER REPLACED. *SLC

NHTSA ID
564146
Incident
Nov 1, 2000

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

58

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM

WIRING HARNESSES IN ACCESSORY LED FUEL GAUGES PART NO. 75237-03 WERE MANUFACTUREED IMPROPERLY. MODEL YEAR UNKNOWN. *MJ

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.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Harley-Davidson Road King by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2004101037.8
2003100
2002600
2001Viewing800
1999400
1998300
1997100

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.