Harley Recalls 185,000 Bikes Due to Faulty Saddlebags

Just in time to screw up the travel plans of riders heading to Sturgis, Harley-Davidson has issued a recall for more than 185,000 touring bikes that have a potential safety issue with the saddlebags.  According to the recall, the hardware holding the bags could come loose, allowing them to fall off the bike while in operation. 

According to the documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the specific problem is that a spring wire in the saddlebag-mounting receptacle may not maintain adequate tension. Harley started investigating the issue in January following an increase in warranty claims. Engineers finally diagnosed the problem in June, and a recall was decided.

 

Affected owners will be notified by Harley to have the saddlebag mounting receptacles replaced with updated parts. According to the NHTSA documents, the campaign to fix this problem will begin in July 27. Bikes built after May 26 already have the improved component.

Harley-Davidson will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected saddlebag mounting receptacles with updated receptacles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464. Harley-Davidson's number for this recall is 0166.

Affected Models

Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s)

H-D FLHP 2014-2015

H-D FLHR 2014-2015

H-D FLHRSE 2014

H-D FLHTCU 2014-2015

H-D FLHTCUL 2015

H-D FLHTK 2014-2015

H-D FLHTKL 2015

H-D FLHTKSE 2014-2015

H-D FLHTP 2014-2015

H-D FLHX 2014-2015

H-D FLHXS 2014-2015

H-D FLHXSE 2015

H-D FLTRUSE 2015

H-D FLTRX 2015

H-D FLTRXS 2015