RoadVitals

2001 Harley-Davidson Softail

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.
2
Latest Nov 6, 2004
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.
0
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.
0
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

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2001 Harley-Davidson Softail, most frequently naming the engine category. 5 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.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine2100.0%

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

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

Engine
Filed Nov 6, 2004

I FILED A COMPLAINT ON 9/14/2004, ODI 10091015. THIS IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO THAT COMPLAINT. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TURNED UP INFORMATION ABOUT AN OIL DELIVERY PROBLEM INHERENT IN THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON TWIN CAM 88 AND TWIN CAM 88B ENGINES. AN ARTICLE IN THE MARCH 2003 EDITION OF EASY RIDERS MAGAZINE OUTLINES HOW TO REPAIR A FACTORY-DEFECTIVE OIL PUMP RELIEF VALVE. THE OIL PUMP RELIEF VALVE STICKS AND DEPRIVES CRITICAL ENGINE COMPONENTS OF LUBRICATION. IF THE RELIEF VALVE STICKS LONG ENOUGH, THE ENGINE WILL DETONATE, CAUSING THE RIDER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE. ACCORDING TO THE MAGAZINE ARTICLE, THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN KNOWN ABOUT SINCE JUST AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF THESE ENGINE MODELS, APPROXIMATELY IN 1999. FORTUNATELY, THE ENGINE ON MY MOTORCYCLE FAILED AT LOW SPEED, AND I DID NOT CRASH. HOWEVER, A HIGH-SPEED ENGINE FAILURE ON A MOTORCYCLE WOULD CERTAINLY BE DANGEROUS TO THE RIDER. *JB

NHTSA ID
10098381
Incident
Sep 1, 2004
Mileage
43,001 mi
Engine
Filed Sep 14, 2004

WORN OUT ENGINE AT 3.5 YEARS OLD AND 43,000 MILES

NHTSA ID
10091015
Incident
Sep 1, 2004
Mileage
43,001 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

M-1233

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

HARLEY DAVIDSON: A CHANGE TO THE FINAL TORQUE OF THE FORK CAP (PART NUMBER 45419-80) AND FOR TUBE PLUG (PART NUMBER 45838-77). THE NEW TORQUE FOR BOTH PARTS IS 60-70 FT LBS (81.3-94.9NM). *PE

54

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL

INFORMATION ON CHANGING THE IDLE SPEED SETTING ON 2001 SOFTAIL EFI VEHICLES. *TT

54

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

SUBJECT REGARDING 2001 SOFTAIL OWNERS MANUAL CORRECTIONS. *TT

54

INFORMATION ON MISSING LABOR CODES. *TT

54

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ON SOME VEHICLES, THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT CAM TO CAM TIMING COULD BE INCORRECT AFTER REPLACEMENT CAMSHAFTS ARE ASSEMBLED IN THE SUPPORT PLATE. SEE THIS INFORMATION REGARDING TC-88 CAMSHAFT REPLACEMENT. *TT

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 Softail by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2013100—
2012310—
2011310—
2010100—
2009000—
2008100—
2007210—
2006000—
2005430—
2004410—
2003700—
2002400—
2001Viewing200—
2000700—
1999010—
1998310—
1997110—
1996310—
1995310—

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.