Defect in Brake System Causes Harley-Davidson Recall For 308,000 Motorcycles

Harley-Davidson issues one of the largest recalls in their 108 year history with 308,000 bikes recalled across the U.S.

Last week, Harley Davidson filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that there could be a design defect in the Touring, CVO Touring and Trike motorcycles from the 2009 through 2012 model years. This defect exposes the brake light switches to heat rapidly from the exhaust system, causing the lights to fail. When this happens, it can cause fluid leaks and possibly the loss of rear brakes, which can result in an accident.

It all began in June 2010 when the company received a report of a Trike model motorcycle losing its rear brakes, due to this defect. An investigation then began and in July 2010 the investigators made a trip to Louisiana to inspect another motorcycle crash, which injured one person. It was not concluded if this crash was caused by the same problem, however it is stated by Maripat Blankenheim, the company spokesperson, that no more crashes have been reported to the company since then.

The recall is costing the company a whopping 10 to 12 million dollars and will be charged as an expense in the fourth quarter, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company doesn't seem to be phased by it. They are jumping quickly to try and solve the issue, shipping rear brake light switch kits to its dealers which will be installed for customers free of charge.

This free installation will not help those who have purchased bikes from individuals or dealers not part of Harley's network. In fact, they would not have even received letters from the company notifying them of the defect.

Only authorized dealers will have kits to repair the recall-related problems.