RoadVitals

2008 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.
2
Latest Sep 9, 2011
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 2008 Harley-Davidson Sportster, most frequently naming the other / unspecified and steering categories. 3 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

  • Other / unspecified150.0%
  • Steering150.0%

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

Steering
Filed Sep 9, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN A NOISE EMITTED FROM THE FRONT FENDER. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE STEERING COLUMN HAD STRUCK THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS HARD TO STEER WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED TO REPORT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

NHTSA ID
10424484
Incident
Aug 6, 2011
Mileage
9,000 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed Jun 3, 2011

2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON XL1200C MOTORCYCLE REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED WHILE RIDING RESULTING IN EXTENSIVE REAR WHEEL DAMAGE AND A NEAR-ACCIDENT. RIDER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE HAD 8,500 MILES ON IT AND WAS 1-YEAR OUT OF DEALER WARRANTY. EXTENDED WARANTY ON THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD ONLY COVER LOCALIZED DAMAGE NOT THE EXTENSIVE DOWN-STREAM DAMAGE. HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY 'CUSTOMER CARE' WAS UN-RESPONSIVE TO THIS COMPLAINT, ADVISING THAT THE BEARINGS ARE A WEARABLE PART AND THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A RECALL ON THE BEARING OR SIMILAR FAILURE COMPLAINTS. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT A NEW STYLE BEARING WAS THE CALLED-FOR REPLACEMENT PART. *TR

NHTSA ID
10404341
Incident
Apr 3, 2011
Mileage
8,500 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

HD-M-1366

EQUIPMENT

HARLEY DAVIDSON: INFORMATION REGARDING THE EFFORTS OF RETRIEVING THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR KITS 0912, IN THE U.S. *PE

HD-M-1365

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

HARLEY DAVIDSON: INFORMATION REGARDING A KIT THAT IS AVAILABLE TO REPLACE AN INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED BRAKE PEDAL. MODEL 2014 SPORTSTER.

M-1218

STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR; WHEELS

SERVICE MANUAL SUPPLEMENT (PART NO. 99525-08) 2008 FXDSE2, SPORTSTER, SOFTAIL, AND TOURING MOTORCYCLES. *PE

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 Sportster by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2008Viewing200—
2007100—
2005720—
2003901—
2002601—
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.