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Harley-Davidson 1200 Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 21 owner complaints across 9 model years of the Harley-Davidson 1200 (1975–2002). The most-complained-about year is 1999.

4
safety recalls, all years
21
owner complaints, all years
1979
year with most recalls
1999
year with most complaints

Pick your Harley-Davidson 1200 model year

Model yearRecallsComplaints
2002 Harley-Davidson 120006
2000 Harley-Davidson 120014
1999 Harley-Davidson 120018
1997 Harley-Davidson 120002
1996 Harley-Davidson 120001
1979 Harley-Davidson 120020
1977 Harley-Davidson 120010
1976 Harley-Davidson 120010
1975 Harley-Davidson 120010

What Harley-Davidson 1200 owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA. The 1999 model year has the most, with 8.

All Harley-Davidson 1200 recalls (4)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Harley-Davidson 1200, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

  1. Steering wheel/handle bar (steering)

    NHTSA 99V290000 Reported 9,890 vehicles potentially affected HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY

    Vehicle description: motorcycles. The handle bars on these motorcycles can break.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace these handle bars.

    Model years: 1999, 2000

  2. Master cylinder (service brakes)

    NHTSA 79V169000 Reported 21,970 vehicles potentially affected HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.

    The rear brake master cylinder plastic piston employs a non-specified material which may allow excessive water absorption. As a result, the plastic piston might stick in the master cylinder piston bore and cause brake drag.

    Remedy: Dealer will replace rear brake master cylinder pistons without charge to owner.

    Model years: 1979

  3. Master cylinder (service brakes)

    NHTSA 79V100000 Reported 370 vehicles potentially affected HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.

    Certain vehicles may have been equipped with front brake master cylinders which have fissures in the cylinder bodies. This would allow brake fluid leakage through the fissured section.

    Remedy: Dealer will replace defective front brake master cylinders without charge to owners.

    Model years: 1979

  4. Service brakes, hydraulic

    NHTSA 77V032000 Reported 79,056 vehicles potentially affected HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO.

    On the involved vehicles, one or both of the front brake caliper bolts may break. This could allow the broken portion of the bolt to drift into the adjacent rotating wheel spokes. Should both caliper bolts break, the inner caliper half may become detached from the motorcycle.

    Remedy: Dealer will replace bolts with improved type bolts, where necessary.

    Model years: 1975, 1976, 1977

Other Harley-Davidson models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.