The announcement came on Friday by the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to the Associated Press, the recall will cover the model year of 2014 and will affect over 3,300 bikes in the US alone. The bikes were manufactured from Jan. 6 to June 19 of the current year.
The issue is on the bike's ignition switch which can be triggered by an engine vibration and cause it to switch from "on" to "accessory." When this happens, the bike would stall while riding, thereby increasing the risk of a bike crash. The company said that there have been no reports on crashes or injuries because of the problem.
In the affected models, there are certain optional performance electronic control module calibrations that could have allowed higher engine RPMS which result in engine vibrations. If the bikes have been modified to rev that is higher than 5,600 RPMS, it will cause an engine mount bracket to vibrate excessively and create a problem.
The recall is the company's second big recall which came at an awkward summer timing. It's that time of the year when Harley Davidson has its peak selling season.
In July, the company informed NHTSA that it needed to recall over 66,421 2014 models of its Touring and CVO Touring motorcycles. The issue deals with the bike's front wheels which would suddenly lock up, leading to crash.
Harley began sending notifications to affected owners in late July. Owners are advised to bring their bikes to dealers in order to get a replacement of the bike's bracket assembly and ignition switch knob. The service is said to be free.
In the documents that were posted on Friday by the US NHTSA, Harley said that the motorcycles are limited to the factory setting of 5,600 RPMS. However, the company offers performance calibrations which would allow the engine rev to exceed the limit. If the bikes would hit 5,800 RPMS, there will be too much vibration in the top engine mount bracket. This causes the ignition switch to malfunction.
Harley started to look into the problem after being notified by its service department. While testing, it was found out that an ignition switch slipped out of the "on" position. So far, the company had received four warranty claims and complaints on the issue which involved all models with the non-Harley exhaust systems.
A week ago, Harley Davidson cut its one year forecast for the shipping of its motorcycles. The company cited that retail sales in the US could become weaker.
