IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 25 MPH THE LEFT REAR VIEW MIRROR SNAPPED OFF. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THE 2002 MODEL INSTEAD.*AK *NM
2001 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Sportster
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 Sportster 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: 2 of 6 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.
- Visibility. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Child Seat. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Visibility complaints
2 reportsI PURCHASED THE MOTORCYCLE NEW AND IT HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A MAJOR PROBLEM FROM THE MIRRORS FALLING OFF WILL MOVING, HEAD LIGHT AIMED AT THE SKY NOT TOO THE ROAD, PART OF THE FORWARD GEAR SHIFT CONTROL FALLING OFF OVER AND OVER, LEAKING OIL FROM THE HEAD AND THE LOWER END AND FROM THE AIR CLEANER. I KEEP TAKING THE BIKE BACK TO …
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I PURCHASED THE MOTORCYCLE NEW AND IT HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A MAJOR PROBLEM FROM THE MIRRORS FALLING OFF WILL MOVING, HEAD LIGHT AIMED AT THE SKY NOT TOO THE ROAD, PART OF THE FORWARD GEAR SHIFT CONTROL FALLING OFF OVER AND OVER, LEAKING OIL FROM THE HEAD AND THE LOWER END AND FROM THE AIR CLEANER. I KEEP TAKING THE BIKE BACK TO THE DEALER AND HAVE BEEN TOLD ITS NOT LEAKING BUT THERE IS OIL ALL OVER THE BIKE(THEY ACT LIKE I MAY BE DUMPING IT ON TIL THEY PUT A DYE IN IT THEN ITS WILL THIS PART IS BAD AND THIS PART IS BAD), ON THE MIRRIOR I HAD TO FIX IT AND THEN THEY LOOKED AT IT AND SAID THE BOLTS NEEDED TO REPLACED AND THEY WHERE NOT, THE SHIFTER I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO WAY IT COULD KEEP FALLING OFF EVEN AFTER I SHOWED THEM IT WAS BY JUST PULLING IT OFF BY HAND, ON THE WHOLE THE BIKE HASD NOT RIDEABLE FOR A TOTAL OF 10 WEEKS DUE TO NOT BEING SET UP RIGHT, BAD PARTS, AND JUST A GENERAL NON CARING OF THE DEALER TO FIX ANY OF THE PROBLEMS SHOWED TO THEM LIKE TAKING IT OVER FOR A LEAK THEM KEEPING THE BIKE FOR A WEEK OR LONGER THEN TELLING ME ITS NOT LEAKING I GO AND PICK THE BIKE UP AND RIDE 30-40 MILES AND THERE IS OIL ALL OVER IT AND I TAKE IT RIGHT BACK AND ITS LIKE WILL ITS NOT LEAKING WHEN WE HAVE IT AND THEN PARTS ARE ORDERED AND MONTHS LATER THEY GET AROUND TO CALLING TO HAVE THE BIKE BROUGHT IN.*AK
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
1PE02083 · Rear View Mirror Stem Failures
Opened Nov 12, 2002 · Closed Feb 26, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Visibility
PROMPTED BY THE REFERENCED OWNER COMPLAINT, ODI OPENED THIS PE AFTER DETERMINING THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALERS HAD FREQUENTLY REPLACED THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT (OE) MIRRORS ON 2002 SPORTSTER 1200 CUSTOM MODEL MOTORCYCLES BECAUSE OF STEM FRACTURES ON THE MIRROR ASSEMBLY.THE STEMBEING THE TUBULAR STRUCTURE WHICH CONNECTS THE ACTUAL MIRROR HEAD ASSEMBLY TO THE MOTORCYCLE.THE SINGLE CRASH ALLEGATION HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED.OF THE TWO INJURIES, ONE OCCURRED WHEN THE SEPARATED MIRROR STRUCK THE OPERATOR.THE OTHER OCCURRED DURING THE UNCONFIRMED CRASH. SUBSEQUENTLY, HARLEY DAVIDSON NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT WAS RECALLING THE SUBJECT MOTORCYCLES TO ADDRESS THE STEM FAILURES.