What breaks most · 1999 to 2022 model years
Indian Chief problems by year
Owners have filed 70 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Indian Chief across model years 1999 to 2022. Three years stand out: 2000 for suspension complaints, 2001 for suspension complaints and 1999 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2015, 2003 and 2002.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2001, 1999
- Fewest complaints: 2015, 2003, 2002
- Complaints on file
- 701999 to 2022, all trims
- Worst year
- 200040 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 41 fires · 4 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 4kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 21Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 4 | Suspension (5) | |
| 40 | 3 | 4 | Suspension (11) | |
| 10 | 0 | 2 | Suspension (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 4 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Brakes (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2000 Indian Chief
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 28% |
11 | 1 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
6 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 13% |
5 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 13% |
5 | 1 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
4 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
4 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
4 | 1 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 5% |
2 | 0 | — |
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.
-
Consumer first contacted dealer in may of 2002, concerning recall o2v124000. Manufacturer has not sent parts to dealer. Consumer has called indian co. Numerous times, will not return his calls. *ak
-
At 75 and 80 mph motorcycle will begin to wobble. Here was no control, and consumer had to slow it down to stop shaking. Please provide any further information.*ak
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Shocks tear out of frame when going over a bump, rear swing arm pivot shaft wants to pull it further than the shock will allow it. *ak *slc
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 Indian Chief years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2001, 1999 carry the most filings on the Indian Chief. The 2000 alone has 40 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Indian Chief problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Indian Chief problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Indian Chief complaints that include mileage is about 4,000 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.