The defect
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.
The 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.
The remedy
DEALERS THE REPLACE THE DIAPHRAGM IN THE FUEL VALVE.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Harley-Davidson FL | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| Harley-Davidson FX | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| Harley-Davidson Softail | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| Harley-Davidson XL | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
Components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harley-Davidson FL | 1994 | 1 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson FL | 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson FL | 1996 | 3 | 2 |
| Harley-Davidson FL | 1997 | 0 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson FX | 1995 | 0 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson FX | 1996 | 1 | 2 |
| Harley-Davidson FX | 1997 | 2 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson Softail | 1995 | 3 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson Softail | 1996 | 3 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson Softail | 1997 | 1 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson XL | 1995 | 0 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson XL | 1996 | 0 | 1 |
| Harley-Davidson XL | 1997 | 0 | 1 |
Other fuel system, gasoline recalls in 1996
21 of the 297 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1996 concerned the fuel system, gasoline; HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO. filed 87 campaigns in all.
| 96V228000 18 Nov 1996 | CHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 96V234000 14 Nov 1996 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 96V212000 30 Oct 1996 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 96V203000 17 Oct 1996 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 96V162003 1 Oct 1996 | U.S. BUS CORPORATION |
| 96V162000 1 Oct 1996 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 96V162002 12 Sept 1996 | THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC. |
| 96V168000 12 Sept 1996 | CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1996