RoadVitals

2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Apr 10, 2002

What this page shows

Our database holds 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–6 of 6

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

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .