2012 Harley-Davidson XL883N 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 2012 Harley-Davidson XL883N, 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
- Electrical150.0%
- Fuel system150.0%
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAD BEEN GETTING A LOW VOLTAGE ENGINE CODE FOR SOME TIME. THE BIKE LOST ALL POWER ON I-275 AND HAD TO BE TOWED. THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THAT THE VOLTAGE REGULATORS ARE BAD AND THAT A RECALL IS LOOMING. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE RAN GREAT NO DRIVE ABILITY ISSUES. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON FUEL LEVEL SENSOR TO THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY. WHICH IS A HARLEY-DAVIDSON PART TO GO WITH THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON TACHOMETER. WHEN I REMOVED THE FUEL PUMP I FOUND THAT THE GROUND WIRE FROM THE FUEL PUMP CONNECTOR WAS MELTED FROM AN OVERLOADED ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INSIDE THE GAS TANK. KNOWING THAT THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE A FIRE OR AN EXPLOSION IN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS. I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON DEALERSHIP I JUST BOUGHT THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON ACCESSORIES FROM AND I INQUIRED ABOUT TSB OR RECALLS REGARDING THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECTLY.AFTER SPENDING MY PERSONAL TIME ADVISING THE REP ABOUT THE SITUATION, HE WAS NOT CONCERNED AT ALL REGARDING THIS ISSUE. NOW BEING THAT I WAS AN ASE MASTER SERVICE TECHNICIAN FOR YEARS, I KNOW THIS ISN'T RIGHT AND THAT THE REP WAS IN THE WRONG. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE PUMP AND I ORDERED A WHOLE NEW PUMP ASSEMBLY TO FIX THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE THAT THIS BE INVESTIGATED, BEFORE I HEAR ABOUT IT ON THE NEWS, BECAUSE A BIKE CAUGHT FIRE OR SOMEONE DIED IN A A FIRE CAUSED FROM A FAULTY ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
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 .