RoadVitals

2003 Harley-Davidson XL883HUG 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.
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Latest Aug 8, 2004
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 XL883HUG, 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%
  • Engine133.3%
  • Suspension133.3%

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.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON 883 SPORTSTER. USED WITH 1600 MILES. PURCHASED AT SACRAMENTO HARLEY DAVIDSON ON 2-7-03. RIDING ON 2-11-03 WHEN ACCELERATOR STUCK. LOST CONTROL, RODE GUARD RAIL, TRIED TO SLOW BIKE, FELL FROM BIKE, BIKE CONTINUED SEVERAL YARDS OVER WIRE FENCE AND UP A HILL. LATER APPEARS THAT SIEVES HOLDING THROTTLE CABLES INTO HOUSING PERIODICALLY SLIP OUT AND PINCH CABLES, NOT ALLOWING THROTTLE HANDLE TO RETURN TO NEUTRAL POSITION. BECAUSE OF SURROUNDING CIRCUMSTANCES, STATE FARM PURSUED HARLEY DAVIDSON FOR RESTITUTION OF DAMAGES AT WHICH TIME HARLEY DAVIDSON SETTLED FOR A PARTIAL AMOUNT. I AM STILL SEEKING COUNCIL. NO ONE IS WILLING TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER, NOR WILL ANYONE HANDLE MY CASE FOR FEAR OF "GETTING A REPUTATION". ARE THEY ALL AFRAID OF HARLEY DAVIDSONS REPUTATION? I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS BIKE IS FAULTY. I WAS ORDERED TO KEEP THE BIKE IN ITS AFTER COLLISION STATE TILL THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED OR UNTILL THE 2 YEAR STATUTE HAS PASSED. I AM AT A LOSS OF WHAT TO DO NEXT. THE BIKE WAS UNDER WARRANTY AT THE TIME, BUT BECAUSE OF THE REQUEST, I WAS UNABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. SACRAMENTO HARLEY DAVIDSON IS UNWILLING TO PROVIDE PROOF OF PRE-PURCHASE SAFETY INSPECTION OR ANY OTHER RECORDS THAT PERTAIN TO THE BIKE. I CANNOT EVEN GET IT FIXED AND NO ONE WILL LOOK AT IT WITHOUT A HEFTY FEE. I WAS SEVERLY INJURED IN THE CRASH. I FRACTURED MY L-4 VERTEBRAE AND RUPTURED A DISC. I ALSO BROKE MY LEFT COLLAR BONE AND HAD MASSIVE ROAD RASH ON MY BACK, ARMS AND LEGS. I WAS IN A MAJOR TRAUMA CENTER HOSPITAL IN OUR AREA FOR 6 DAYS. I WAS FORTUNATE TO RETURN TO MY JOB AFTER 7 MONTHS WITHOUT LIMITATIONS PER SEY. I AM AN EMT-PARAMEDIC AND I FEEL THAT EVENTUALLY THINGS WILL CATCH UP WITH ME, AS MY JOB IS VERY PHYSICALLY DEMANDING. I STILL HAVE A MODERATE AMOUNT OF INTERMITTENT PAIN THAT I WILL HAVE THE REST OF MY LIFE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I LOOK FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY HEARING FROM YOU SOON. *AK

NHTSA ID 10086425 · filed Aug 8, 2004

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHILE IN MOTION, THE CUSTOMER STATES THE MOTORCYCLE KEPT DYING. IT WOULD RESTART AND THEN DIE AGAIN WITH NO SPARKS. *JG

NHTSA ID 568191 · filed Nov 8, 2002

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Suspension

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL DRIFT TO THE RIGHT EVEN WHEN THE CONSUMER CAN HAVE HANDLE BARS POINTING STRAIGHT. CONTACTED DEALER,AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK

NHTSA ID 8016012 · filed Aug 12, 2002

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 .