RoadVitals

2020 Indian Challenger

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

NHTSA has issued a “do not drive” advisory affecting this model year.

Campaign 20V182000. Confirm whether your specific vehicle is covered using its VIN before acting on this.

Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov
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.
2
Latest Nov 1, 2022
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Feb 2, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2020 Indian Challenger, most frequently naming the brakes and steering categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 61 manufacturer communications are on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes150.0%
  • Steering150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
24V069000

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS

Feb 2, 2024
11,648 units potentially affected
The defect: Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Challenger, Challenger Dark Horse, Challenger Limited, 2022 Challenger Dark Horse Icon, Challenger Elite, FTR 1200, FTR 1200 Rally, FTR 1200 S, FTR 1200 R Carbon, Pursuit Dark Horse, Challenger JD Limited Edition, Pursuit Limited Icon, Pursuit Dark Horse Premium, Pursuit Limited, Pursuit Limited Premium, 2019-2020 FTR 1200 S, FTR 1200, and 2020 FTR 1200 Rally motorcycles. The brake lights may illuminate unexpectedly and without brake application from the rider. As such, these motorcycles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk: Unintended illumination of the brake lights may create confusion for the drivers following the motorcycle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the ABS module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 1, 2024. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-24-03.
Indian Motorcycle CompanyManufacturer number I-24-03View on NHTSA.gov
20V182000NHTSA advisory: do not drive

ENGINE

Mar 25, 2020
616 units potentially affected
The defect: Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2020 Challenger motorcycles. The engine output shaft bearing may not have been sufficiently lubricated during assembly, possibly resulting in bearing failure at very low mileage.
The risk: Engine output shaft bearing failure could cause a sudden loss of power, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Indian will notify owners, and dealers will lubricate the output shaft bearings on motorcycles with less than 50 miles on the odometer, free of charge. Motorcycles with greater than 50 miles will not require a repair, and can either be inspected by a dealer, or the owner can self-report the odometer reading directly to Indian. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-20-02. Note: Owners with an odometer reading of less than 50 miles are advised to not operate their motorcycle until it is repaired.
Indian Motorcycle CompanyManufacturer number I-20-02View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Steering
Filed Nov 1, 2022

The Motorcycle has a terrible wobble at various speeds and can be felt in the handle bars when lightly holding on. But if you let go to adjust something the bars shake back and forth at a rapid speed and is very scary. I have had Polaris engineers and the local Indian Dealership try to fix the issue with various suggestions with no effect to make it better. My polling from the nation of owners shows between 5 and 10 percent have this issue. Its not an isolated case. There are many that have not had any issue. The problem starts at zero miles on bike with zero modifications. I have several videos.

NHTSA ID
11491828
Incident
Nov 1, 2022
Brakes
Filed Aug 10, 2020

I PICKED UP MY BRAND NEW 2020 INDIAN MOTORCYCLE ON JULY 2, 2020 AND BROUGHT IT HOME. LATER THAT NIGHT I TOOK A RIDE AND I WAS ON THE BELT PARKWAY W/B WHEN I FELT SOMETHING FALL NEAR MY LEFT FOOT. THEN SOMETHING ELSE FELL NEAR MY LEFT FOOT. I GOT OFF AT EXIT 14 TO INSPECT THE MOTORCYCLE AND DISCOVERED THAT I HAD NO REAR BRAKES, AND I COULD SMELL BURNING OIL. I NOTIFIED THE DEALER VIA EMAIL, AND THE NEXT DAY THEY PICKED UP THE MOTORCYCLE TO EXAMINE IT. THEY FOUND THAT THE REAR BRAKES HAD FALLEN OFF THE MOTORCYCLE AND THE CABLES WAS SHREDDED. THE DEALER SWITCH OUT THE DEFECTIVE MOTORCYCLE FOR A NEW ONE OFF THE FLOOR.

NHTSA ID
11348510
Incident
Jul 2, 2020
Mileage
50 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

IND-10.2.2025

WHEELS

This Ask Polaris article provides information regarding troubleshooting steps for concerns related to front wheel shake or wobble during deceleration on model year 2020-2025 Indian Challenger / Pursuit motorcycles.

IND-07.28.2025

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Indian Motorcycle Help Center article provides details regarding removal and replacement of the battery on Model Year 2020 + Indian Challenger motorcycles.

I-22-09-01 (R02)

ENGINE

Indian Motorcycles is releasing a guide to aid in misfire diagnosis on heavyweight air and liquid cooled motorcycles. This Team Tip provides additional details on the systems and components that may contribute to misfire or runabillity concern, along with how to repair them.

IND-03.27.2025

STEERING; SUSPENSION

This Ask Polaris article provides information for dealer technicians information regarding troubleshooting and resolving concerns related to 2020-2025 Indian Challenger and Pursuit motorcycles experiencing a front wheel shake or wobble during deceleration.

I-24-08_R04

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Indian Motorcycle has determined that model year 2020-2024 Challenger, 2022-2024 Pursuit and 2024 Chief motorcycles may encounter a scenario in which the Vehicle Control Module (VCM) or Wireless Control Module (WCM) may not fully power off, resulting in unnecessary current draw from the battery. To address this concern, Indian Motorcycle has released this Service Bulletin with instructions to update the VCM and/or WCM software. Revision 4 Added notice that bulletin part I-24-08-CA should not be performed on Japan models.

IND-2.28.2025-4

POWER TRAIN

This Indian Motorcycle help center article provides information regarding belt inspection and tension adjustment on model year 2020+ Indian Challenger motorcycles.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Indian Challenger by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025000—
2024010—
2023010—
2022110—
2021010—
2020Viewing220—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.