2006 Harley-Davidson XL1200L 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 2006 Harley-Davidson XL1200L, 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
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Exterior lighting133.3%
- Transmission133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON XL1200 LOW. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE ACCELERATED ABOUT 90 MPH WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING HIS ENGINE TO FAIL. THE DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 25,000. UPDATED 5/9/11 *CN UPDATED 12/29/11 *CN
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE AT 556 MILES. *TS WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS PERFORMING MAINTENANCE ON THE MOTORCYCLE, HE DISCOVERED THE TRANSMISSION'S DRAIN PLUG HAD A MAGNET WHICH HAD METAL SHAVINGS STUCK TO IT. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC TOOK IT FOR A RIDE. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS EXCESSIVELY NOISY AND IN HIS OPINION THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED TO VOICE HIS AND CONCERNS AND AFTER 2 HOURS OF DIAGNOSTICS, THEY DETERMINED THE METAL SHAVINGS AND THE NOISE WAS NORMAL. THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WOULD NOT CANCEL. AFTER A FEW MORE DAYS OF RIDING THE BIKE, THE TURN SIGNAL CAME ON BY ITSELF. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE AT 556 MILES. *TS WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS PERFORMING MAINTENANCE ON THE MOTORCYCLE, HE DISCOVERED THE TRANSMISSION'S DRAIN PLUG HAD A MAGNET WHICH HAD METAL SHAVINGS STUCK TO IT. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC TOOK IT FOR A RIDE. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS EXCESSIVELY NOISY AND IN HIS OPINION THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED TO VOICE HIS AND CONCERNS AND AFTER 2 HOURS OF DIAGNOSTICS, THEY DETERMINED THE METAL SHAVINGS AND THE NOISE WAS NORMAL. THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WOULD NOT CANCEL. AFTER A FEW MORE DAYS OF RIDING THE BIKE, THE TURN SIGNAL CAME ON BY ITSELF. *JB
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 .