Recently, Harley-Davidson, Inc. announced a recall of approximately 300,000 vehicles, world-wide, including trikes, touring motorcycles and CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) motorcycles. Over 250,000 of the vehicles being recalled were manufactured here, in the United States, between 6 June 2008 and 16 September 2011, with a model year between 2009 and 2012.
The cause for the major recall is due to a defective rear brake switch. Heat given off by the vehicle’s exhaust system can damage the rear brake switch. If the brake switch is exposed to enough heat, the brake lights could cease to function.
Even worse still, with enough damage to the switch from the heat given off by the exhaust, the rear brakes could become inoperable due to a brake fluid leak. Although the front brake system will still work, loss of the rear brakes would cause a serious loss of stability and control. A trike has already been reported as having been in an accident as a result of this defect.
Registered owners can find out if their vehicle is defective by using the model number to access the necessary information on Harley-Davidson’s website. The motorcycle manufacturer is expected to send out emails to Harley-Davidson subscribers, as well. Authorized Harley-Davidson dealers will correct the problem for free by replacing the defective switch with a more suitable one.