RoadVitals

1999 Harley-Davidson Xl

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 Jan 9, 2000
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 1999 Harley-Davidson Xl, most frequently naming the visibility category. 1 manufacturer communication is 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

  • Visibility2100.0%

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

Visibility
Filed Jan 9, 2000

BOTH MIRRORS HAVE FATIGUE FRACTURED AND FALLEN OFF. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE MIRRORS WITH ONES IDENTICAL TO THE FAILED MIRRORS. THE RIGHT SIDE MIRROR FELL OFF AT 5000 MILES AND THE LEFT ONE AT 6000 MILES. MY FEAR IS THAT THIS ENGINE VIBRATION CAUSED FATIGUE WILL AGAIN FRACTURE THE REPLACEMENT MIRROR STEMS WHICH ARE IDENTICAL TO THE PREVIOUSLY FAILED ONES.

NHTSA ID
717098
Incident
Aug 1, 1999
Visibility
Filed Jan 3, 2000

THE MIRROR STEM IS THE PROBLEM HERE. BECAUSE OF THE VIBRATION CAUSED BY THE ENGINE, THE HANDLE BARS VIRBRATE A LOT. THIS VIBRATION CAUSED MY MIRROR STEM TO SHEAR OFF. I BELONG TO A MOTORCYCLE CLUB WITH OVER 800 MEMBERS. WE ALL RIDE HARLEY SPORTSTERS AND THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MORE PEOPLE THAN I CAN COUNT. I HOPE YOU CAN GET HARLEY DAVIDSON TO RECALL THIS DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *AK

NHTSA ID
716796
Incident
Jul 17, 1999

Manufacturer communications

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

M1098

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

INFORMATION REGARDING THE XL GEARCASE GASKETS. *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 Xl by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2005310—
1999Viewing200—
1998200—
1997010—
1996010—
1995010—
1990020—
1989010—

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.