2004 Harley-Davidson XL883 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 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
- Brakes375.0%
- Other / unspecified125.0%
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
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
MY WIFE WAS RIDING HER MOTORCYCLE TO WORK AND HAD JUST LEFT OUR RESIDENCE. SHE WAS APPROACHING A CURVE IN THE ROAD AND WENT TO APPLY HER BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BEFORE ENTERING IT. THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL FAILED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE. SHE WAS ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT, SLOW DOWN, AND SAFELY RETURN TO OUR RESIDENCE. UPON INSPECTING THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM, WE COULD FIND NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS (NO LEAKS, FLUID FULL AND PROPER TYPE, PADS GOOD, AND CALIPER FUNCTIONING). INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THE REAR BRAKE PADS MAY BE TOO WORN (ALTHOUGH THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 0.25" OF MATERIAL LEFT ON BOTH PADS) AND REPLACED THE PADS. AFTER THIS WAS DONE, WE COULD SEE THE CALIPER MOVE, THE PADS CONTACT THE ROTOR, BUT THERE WAS INSIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO STOP THE REAR WHEEL. WE BEGAN RESEARCHING ONLINE AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED REAR MASTER CYLINDER FAILURE AFTER HAVING THE REAR TIRE OR BRAKE CALIPERS REMOVED FOR SERVICE (WE HAD REPLACED TIRES ON THE MOTORCYCLE APPROXIMATELY A YEAR BEFORE). ALL SIGNS POINTED TO THE SECONDARY SEAL INSIDE THE MASTER CYLINDER RUPTURING AND FAILING. WE CONTACTED OUR LOCAL HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER TO INQUIRE ABOUT A POSSIBLE RECALL AND WAS TOLD THERE WASN'T ANY REPORTED ISSUE. WE PURCHASED A REAR MASTER CYLINDER REBUILD KIT AND REPAIRED THE CYLINDER. OUR FINDING WAS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED AND EXPECTED: THE SECONDARY INTERNAL SEAL WAS RUPTURED. WE BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT H-D IS AWARE OF AND SHOULD BE MADE TO RECTIFY. IF MY WIFE HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN OR EMERGENT STOP, THE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED HER SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR DEATH. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER BEFORE SOMEONE DOES SUFFER A PREVENTABLE ACCIDENT OR DEATH.
MY WIFE WAS RIDING HER MOTORCYCLE TO WORK AND HAD JUST LEFT OUR RESIDENCE. SHE WAS APPROACHING A CURVE IN THE ROAD AND WENT TO APPLY HER BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BEFORE ENTERING IT. THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL FAILED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE. SHE WAS ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT, SLOW DOWN, AND SAFELY RETURN TO OUR RESIDENCE. UPON INSPECTING THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM, WE COULD FIND NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS (NO LEAKS, FLUID FULL AND PROPER TYPE, PADS GOOD, AND CALIPER FUNCTIONING). INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THE REAR BRAKE PADS MAY BE TOO WORN (ALTHOUGH THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 0.25" OF MATERIAL LEFT ON BOTH PADS) AND REPLACED THE PADS. AFTER THIS WAS DONE, WE COULD SEE THE CALIPER MOVE, THE PADS CONTACT THE ROTOR, BUT THERE WAS INSIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO STOP THE REAR WHEEL. WE BEGAN RESEARCHING ONLINE AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED REAR MASTER CYLINDER FAILURE AFTER HAVING THE REAR TIRE OR BRAKE CALIPERS REMOVED FOR SERVICE (WE HAD REPLACED TIRES ON THE MOTORCYCLE APPROXIMATELY A YEAR BEFORE). ALL SIGNS POINTED TO THE SECONDARY SEAL INSIDE THE MASTER CYLINDER RUPTURING AND FAILING. WE CONTACTED OUR LOCAL HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER TO INQUIRE ABOUT A POSSIBLE RECALL AND WAS TOLD THERE WASN'T ANY REPORTED ISSUE. WE PURCHASED A REAR MASTER CYLINDER REBUILD KIT AND REPAIRED THE CYLINDER. OUR FINDING WAS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED AND EXPECTED: THE SECONDARY INTERNAL SEAL WAS RUPTURED. WE BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT H-D IS AWARE OF AND SHOULD BE MADE TO RECTIFY. IF MY WIFE HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN OR EMERGENT STOP, THE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED HER SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR DEATH. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER BEFORE SOMEONE DOES SUFFER A PREVENTABLE ACCIDENT OR DEATH. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
MY WIFE WAS RIDING HER MOTORCYCLE TO WORK AND HAD JUST LEFT OUR RESIDENCE. SHE WAS APPROACHING A CURVE IN THE ROAD AND WENT TO APPLY HER BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BEFORE ENTERING IT. THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL FAILED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE. SHE WAS ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT, SLOW DOWN, AND SAFELY RETURN TO OUR RESIDENCE. UPON INSPECTING THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM, WE COULD FIND NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS (NO LEAKS, FLUID FULL AND PROPER TYPE, PADS GOOD, AND CALIPER FUNCTIONING). INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THE REAR BRAKE PADS MAY BE TOO WORN (ALTHOUGH THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 0.25" OF MATERIAL LEFT ON BOTH PADS) AND REPLACED THE PADS. AFTER THIS WAS DONE, WE COULD SEE THE CALIPER MOVE, THE PADS CONTACT THE ROTOR, BUT THERE WAS INSIGNIFICANT PRESSURE TO STOP THE REAR WHEEL. WE BEGAN RESEARCHING ONLINE AND DISCOVERED NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED REAR MASTER CYLINDER FAILURE AFTER HAVING THE REAR TIRE OR BRAKE CALIPERS REMOVED FOR SERVICE (WE HAD REPLACED TIRES ON THE MOTORCYCLE APPROXIMATELY A YEAR BEFORE). ALL SIGNS POINTED TO THE SECONDARY SEAL INSIDE THE MASTER CYLINDER RUPTURING AND FAILING. WE CONTACTED OUR LOCAL HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER TO INQUIRE ABOUT A POSSIBLE RECALL AND WAS TOLD THERE WASN'T ANY REPORTED ISSUE. WE PURCHASED A REAR MASTER CYLINDER REBUILD KIT AND REPAIRED THE CYLINDER. OUR FINDING WAS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED AND EXPECTED: THE SECONDARY INTERNAL SEAL WAS RUPTURED. WE BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT H-D IS AWARE OF AND SHOULD BE MADE TO RECTIFY. IF MY WIFE HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN OR EMERGENT STOP, THE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED HER SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR DEATH. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER BEFORE SOMEONE DOES SUFFER A PREVENTABLE ACCIDENT OR DEATH.
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 .