RoadVitals

2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster

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.
6
Latest Dec 5, 2005
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.
1
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
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster, most frequently naming the visibility, engine and fuel system categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it.

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

  • Visibility342.9%
  • Engine228.6%
  • Fuel system114.3%
  • Transmission114.3%

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

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.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE02083ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

REAR VIEW MIRROR STEM FAILURES

Opened Nov 12, 2002
Closed Feb 26, 2003

PROMPTED BY THE REFERENCED OWNER COMPLAINT, ODI OPENED THIS PE AFTER DETERMINING THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALERS HAD FREQUENTLY REPLACED THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT (OE) MIRRORS ON 2002 SPORTSTER 1200 CUSTOM MODEL MOTORCYCLES BECAUSE OF STEM FRACTURES ON THE MIRROR ASSEMBLY.THE STEMBEING THE TUBULAR STRUCTURE WHICH CONNECTS THE ACTUAL MIRROR HEAD ASSEMBLY TO THE MOTORCYCLE.THE SINGLE CRASH ALLEGATION HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED.OF THE TWO INJURIES, ONE OCCURRED WHEN THE SEPARATED MIRROR STRUCK THE OPERATOR.THE OTHER OCCURRED DURING THE UNCONFIRMED CRASH. SUBSEQUENTLY, HARLEY DAVIDSON NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS RECALLING THE SUBJECT MOTORCYCLES TO ADDRESS THE STEM FAILURES.

VISIBILITYLed to recall 03V058000

Recent owner complaints

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

Engine
Filed Dec 5, 2005

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR UPPER VALVE COVER LEAKED. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE FRONT AND REAR UPPER VALVE COVERS. SINCE THE VALVES WERE REPLACED THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RETURNED. *AK UPDATED 1/4/2006 - THE REAR ROCKER BOX COVER LEAKED. THE FRONT AND REAR BOX COVER WERE REPLACED. THE GASKETS WERE REPLACED WITH UPDATED ONES. *NM

NHTSA ID
10144509
Incident
Nov 1, 2005
Mileage
3,682 mi
Transmission
Filed Dec 1, 2003

AFTER MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN RIDDEN FOR 30-45 MINUTES SHIFT LEVER BECOMES ALMOST UNUSABLE IF MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN LEFT TO IDLE OF IS TURNED OFF, AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF MOVING UP AND DOWN IT CAN BE USED. VERY DANGEROUS IF I CAN NOT SHIFT INTO APPROPRIATE GEAR. *AK

NHTSA ID
10048968
Incident
Nov 18, 2003
Mileage
6,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Sep 6, 2002

LEFT HAND MIRROR WILL FLY OFF WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID
8018091
Incident
Jun 1, 2002
Visibility
Filed Aug 16, 2002
1 injury reported

CUSTOM 1200, AT 65 MPH, LEFT MIRROR SNAPPED OFF AND HIT CONSUMER IN THE FACE. CONSUMER SUFFERED FACIAL INJURIES.*AK JLG

NHTSA ID
8016478
Incident
Aug 2, 2002
Visibility
Filed Aug 16, 2002

CUSTOM 1200, MIRRORS ON VEHICLE ARE VERY HIGH STEMMED, VIBRATION WILL NOT ALLOW RIDER TO SEE TRAFFIC BEHIND HIM WHEN CHANGING LANES. DEALER STATED THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO.*AK *SLC

NHTSA ID
8016476
Incident
Jul 25, 2002
EngineFuel system
Filed Apr 10, 2002

WHILE DRIVING, INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKS AND MOTORCYCLE COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN. *AK CONSUMER ADDS THAT BIKE WOULD STALL INTERMITTENTLY AND IS ALSO MAKING A POPPING NOISE AND BACKFIRING. *TT

NHTSA ID
8007255

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Harley-Davidson Sportster by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2008200—
2007100—
2005720—
2003901—
2002Viewing601—
2001601—
2000901—
1999610—
1998600—
1997100—
1996610—
1993200—
1992100—
1988200—
1985100—
1972020—
1971010—

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.