RoadVitals

2003 Harley-Davidson XL883 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
1
Latest Sep 2, 2006
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2003 Harley-Davidson XL883, 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

  • Electrical1100.0%

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

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHILE RIDING (IN MOTION) THE MOTORCYCLES ENGINE COMPLETELY STOPS RUNNING, WITH NO SPARK TO THE ENGINE, CAUSING NO ACCELERATION SPEED CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE (YOUR BASICALLY COASTING WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING). THIS CAN BECOME A VERY DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST, ESPECIALLY WHEN OTHER VEHICLES ARE AROUND YOU. I HAVE HEARD OF MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY I HAD THE DEALER INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BIKE. NOW THAT THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED MY LOCAL HARLEY DEALER STATED THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM AND THE CAUSE IS A BAD IGNITION MODULE, BUT REFUSES TO REPLACE IT AT NO CHARGE (PART & LABOR OVER $400) BECAUSE THERE MANUFACTURERS "EMISSIONS COMPONENTS" WARRANTY IS 18,000 MILES OR 3 YEARS. MY BIKE NOW HAS 36,000 MILES ON IT AND IS 3 YEARS OLD. I HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THE PART NECESSARY TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM IS CURRENTLY ON NATIONAL BACKORDER THROUGH HARLEY DUE TO AN OVERWHELMING DEMAND FOR REPLACEMENTS (HARLEY PART # 32466-98A). THEY BIKE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN CALIFORNIA IN AUGUST OF 2003. I WAS INFORMED BY THE EPA THAT, IN CALIFORNIA, ANY NEW VEHICLE PURCHASED IN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1995, THAT HAS AN EMISSIONS RELATED COMPONENT FAIL, MUST BE REPAIRED BY THE DEALER AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER FOR 8 YEARS OR 80,000 MILES WHEN THE REPAIR COST IS MORE THAN 2% OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM IS AT ABOUT THE 5% MARK. *NM

NHTSA ID 10167262 · filed Sep 2, 2006

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

Data on this page last refreshed .