What breaks most · 1990 to 2003 model years
Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson problems by year
Owners have filed 101 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson across model years 1990 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2000 for engine and cooling complaints, 1999 for engine and cooling complaints and 1997 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1991 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 1999, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1991, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 1011990 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200020 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 91 fires · 10 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 2kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 6Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Suspension (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 14 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (9) | |
| 20 | 4 | 0 | Engine and cooling (16) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) |
What fails on the 2000 Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 80% |
16 | 3 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 5% |
1 | 1 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
1 | 1 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Harley davidson model fatboy motorcycle; while driving 40 mph heard a loud noise. Dealer replaced a broken rear cam bearing under warranty. *ak
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This possibility of failure can be verified by h-d. The same thing can happen with a cam bearing failure as could have happened with the cam bolt breaking. (engine quitting, possibly causing an accident, injury or even death.) there was a safety recall for the cam bolt, there should also be one for the cam bearing.
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Ignition switch failure at 55 mph caused complete power failure. The second failure caused low voltage to engine ingition and loss of power.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 1999, 1997 carry the most filings on the Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson. The 2000 alone has 20 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 16 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Harley-Davidson Harley Davidson complaints that include mileage is about 2,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.