2004 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Harley-Davidson V-Rod, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Other / unspecified250.0%
- Driver assistance125.0%
- Fuel system125.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 HARLEY DAVIDSON VRSCA. HE FELT THAT THIS WAS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE MOTORCYCLE. THIS PARTICULAR MOTORCYCLE CAME WITH A SOLID WHEEL. WHENEVER GOING AT A HIGH SPEED THERE WAS A MAJOR POSSIBILITY OF LOSING CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE BECAUSE OF THE WIND. THIS COULD RESULT IN A FATALITY. CONTACT SPOKE WITH DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, AND THEY KNEW THAT TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM ONE HAS TO GO TO A REGULAR SPOKE WHEEL. BUT THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO DO THIS. HE EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT HE WILL DO WHATEVER HE COULD TO DO ABOUT THIS SITUATION BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS MOTORCYCLE AND HE WANTED TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. ORIGINALLY, DEALERSHIP TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS A CHARCTERISTIC OF THIS TYPE OF MOTORCYCLE, BUT HE FELT THIS WAS DANGEROUS. *AK
DT: CONTACT STATES THAT THE HARLEY DAVIDSON V-ROD IS UNSTABLE BECAUSE OF THE WIND CURRENTS AND NORMAL DRIVING SPEED. THE CONTACT HAS TALKED TO HARLEY DAVIDSON, AND THEY SUGGESTED TO HIM TO GO AND BUY SPOKED WHEELS. *AK *SC THE SOLID WHEELS CREATED TOO MUCH SURFACE AREA FOR THE LIGHT FRONT END AND THEREFORE GREATLY AFFECTED BY CROSSWINDS AND VEHICULAR TURBULENCE. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: CONTACT STATES THAT THE HARLEY DAVIDSON V-ROD IS UNSTABLE BECAUSE OF THE WIND CURRENTS AND NORMAL DRIVING SPEED. THE CONTACT HAS TALKED TO HARLEY DAVIDSON, AND THEY SUGGESTED TO HIM TO GO AND BUY SPOKED WHEELS. *AK *SC THE SOLID WHEELS CREATED TOO MUCH SURFACE AREA FOR THE LIGHT FRONT END AND THEREFORE GREATLY AFFECTED BY CROSSWINDS AND VEHICULAR TURBULENCE. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T READ PROPERLY ANYWHERE BELOW FULL. I LEARNED FROM FELLOW OWNERS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON TO ALL VRSCA MODELS. FACTORY REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL LEVEL ITEMS DOES NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. POORLY ENGINEERED PART THAT NEEDS A REDESIGN. *TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .