Harley-Davidson Softail Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 14 consumer complaints across the 2 model years of the Harley-Davidson Softail (2000–2003) that have at least 5 complaints. 2003 has the most, with 7. Across all years, the part named most often is fuel system (5 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Softail model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 7 | 625 | 0 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 2000 | 7 | — | 0 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Fuel system5 33%
- Tires2 13%
- Body and structure2 13%
- Equipment2 13%
- Engine cooling2 13%
- Engine1 6.7%
- Brakes1 6.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2003: “My brother had a low speed (under 20 MPH) crash on a 2003 harley heritage Softail. Upon hitting the ground, the bike burst into flames. This is very unusual as the speed was low, the impact was not severe (my brother ended up with a severely sprained ankle), but the bike was totaled. I believe there is cause for concern. The bike is a fuel injected twin cam 88 engine.”
NHTSA complaint #10045300, filed 2003-11, 250 miles2000: “I purchased form performance machineinc a contour belt drive primary for my 2000 harley davidson soft tail duce. After having a harley davidson dealer install it I put 400 miles on the motorcycle when at about 20 MPH the rear wheel locked up. Caused by the clutch hub retaining clip coming off letting the clutch hub jamming into the outer cover. I sent it back to performance machine while it was still under warranty for a refund. They tell me there was nothing wrong and are returning it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10151740, filed 2006-03Other Harley-Davidson models
263 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhx
174 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtk
147 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtcui
100 complaintsHarley-Davidson XG750
85 complaintsHarley-Davidson Harley Davidson
84 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtc
82 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtcutg
76 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology