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2004 Harley-Davidson XL883C Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
3
Latest May 29, 2025
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jun 22, 2008

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Harley-Davidson XL883C. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–3 of 3

Brakes
Filed May 29, 2025

To change the rear tire requires the following several steps including, removal of disc brake pads and compressing the brake caliper piston inward, removing the axle and drive belt also required . After completion of the Disassembly and then reassembly of components including brake pads.The rear brake master cylinder failed, to function, no hydraulic pressure was supplied to activate the brake caliper. I believe when compressing the caliper piston inward (which is a common and necessary practice) caused the master cylinder to fail. Researching this issue I found that this is a common failure to 2004 - 2006 Harley Sportster motorcycles.

NHTSA ID
11663578
Incident
May 28, 2025
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jun 23, 2009

2004 HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER 886 XLC CRANK POSITION SENSOR FAILS AND RENDERS THE MOTORCYCLE USELESS. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN IN TRAFFIC, THE RIDER COULD BE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10274778
Incident
Jun 21, 2009
Mileage
4,700 mi
Engine
Filed Jun 22, 2008

THE MOTORCYCLE SPUTTERS OFF IDLE LEAVING THE MOTORCYCLE UNABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO THE RIDER AS THE MOTORCYCLE WILL STOP FORWARD MOTION. REPLACEMENT OF THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR SOLVES THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10231973
Incident
Jun 22, 2008

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .