NHTSA recalls & complaints · 1995–2003
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign and 5 owner complaints for the Harley-Davidson FLHS, covering model years 1995 to 2003. The 1996 model year drew the most complaints (2), and Electrical System is the component owners name most often.
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.
See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.
The 1996 model year has the most complaints: 2 of 5, or 40.0%. Next come 1997 (1) and 1998 (1). The fewest are for 2003, with 1 complaint.
| Model year | Complaints | Reporting a crash | Reporting a fire | Reporting an injury | Reporting a death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All model years | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.
Electrical System is the component named most often, in 3 complaints (60.0% of all 5), followed by Power Train (1) and Service Brakes, Hydraulic (1).
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 3 | 60.0% |
| Power Train | 1 | 20.0% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 20.0% |
One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.
These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.
Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.
Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name FLHS, newest first. The only campaign, 98V158000, covers model years 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
| 1995: 1 campaign | 1996: 1 campaign | 1997: 1 campaign | 1998: 1 campaign |
NHTSA campaign 98V158000
Reported
Model years 1995–1998
Vehicle description: FL touring motorcycles. A loss of electrical power through the ignition switch can occur due to excessive current and other factors.
Filed by Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it; older campaigns, which NHTSA stores in capital letters, are shown in sentence case. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.
This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site. |
| Component | The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software. |
| Summary | What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered. |
| Consequence | The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed. |
| Remedy | What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free. |
Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.
NHTSA lists 1 vehicle recall campaign for the Harley-Davidson FLHS, covering model years 1995 to 2003. The campaign, 98V158000, was reported on July 14, 1998 and is filed under “Electrical system”.
The 1996 model year, with 2 of the 5 complaints in NHTSA’s file (40.0%). The next are 1997 (1) and 1998 (1). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.
Electrical System is the component named most often: 3 complaints, or 60.0% of all 5. Power Train (1) and Service Brakes, Hydraulic (1) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.
Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Harley-Davidson dealer.
Of the 5 complaints, 0 report a crash, 0 a fire, 0 at least one injury and 0 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.
The Harley-Davidson models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Harley-Davidson VIN decoder with every Harley-Davidson model page, WMI code and VIN note.
All Harley-Davidson models and WMI codesLook up recalls by year
Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.