WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED ON FLAT SURFACE AND WITH NO WARNING OIL IS LEAKING ONTO BRAKES, CAUSING THE BRAKES TO SLIP, AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR CONSUMER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED
2001 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Road King
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Road King years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 3 of 8 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Equipment. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
2 reportsTHE TOP BOLT FROM THE PRIMARY CHAIN TENSION ADJUSTER FELL OUT, LODGING BETWEEN THE DOUBLE SPROCKET OF THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY, THE LOWER BOLT WAS BENT, THE INNER PRIMARY CASE WAS LIGHTLY DAMAGED, THE CHAIN WAS DAMAGED BEYOND SAFE USE, AND THE TENSIONER MOUNT WAS BENT, THERE WAS A LOUD KNOCKING DUE TO THE CHAIN RUNNING OVER THE BOLT …
Read full complaint
THE TOP BOLT FROM THE PRIMARY CHAIN TENSION ADJUSTER FELL OUT, LODGING BETWEEN THE DOUBLE SPROCKET OF THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY, THE LOWER BOLT WAS BENT, THE INNER PRIMARY CASE WAS LIGHTLY DAMAGED, THE CHAIN WAS DAMAGED BEYOND SAFE USE, AND THE TENSIONER MOUNT WAS BENT, THERE WAS A LOUD KNOCKING DUE TO THE CHAIN RUNNING OVER THE BOLT IN THE SPROCKET, THIS FAILURE CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL, USE OIL, RUN ROUGH, AND EXPERIENCE A SPARK KNOCK. *SLC
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Illustration