Known Recalls

Model year record

1996 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Softail

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 3 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 96V204000

Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system

Component
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
Manufacturer
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.
Vehicles affected
176,515
Reported to NHTSA
1996-10-22
Owners notified
1996-10-25

Defect description

THE EFFECTS OF REFORMULATED GASOLINE ALONG WITH CERTAIN USAGE OF THE FUEL SUPPLY VALVE AFFECTS THE SUPPLY OF GASOLINE TO THE CARBURETOR. THIS CONDITION REQUIRES TWO FACTORS: (1) THE USE OF REFORMULATED FUELS CONTAINING MBTE AND (2) STARTING THE MOTORCYCLE WITH THE FUEL VALVE HANDLE IN THE OFF POSITION.

Safety risk

THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE FUEL FLOW TO BE UNPREDICTABLE THUS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN INCREASING THE RISK OF A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS THE REPLACE THE DIAPHRAGM IN THE FUEL VALVE.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Engine and engine cooling: engine1—
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system1—
Power train1—

The 1995 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 1997 model has 3 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.