NHTSA Complaint #10231871 — 2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXD

THE "TOP PLATE ASSEMBLY" PART # 75076-08 ON MY 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING CLASSIC FAILED. THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING IN THIS ASSEMBLY CRACKED AND THE MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY AND ABRUPTLY LOST POWER IN TRAFFIC. THIS VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 2,100 MILES AND 9 MONTHS OF USE SINCE NEW. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INSTANCES OF THIS DOCUMENTED ON THE "HD FORUMS" WEBSITE. THIS DEFECTIVE PART HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BREAK AT ANY TIME WITH THE RESULTING FAILURE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER AT A CRITICAL TIME (MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, CLEARING AN INTERSECTION, ETC.) WITH A HIGH PROBABILITY FOR A FATAL INCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT LIMITED TO THIS ONE MODEL OF HARLEY DAVIDSON, OTHER "TOURING" SIZED MOTORCYCLES WITH THE SAME CONFIGURATION CAN, AND HAVE SUFFERED THIS CRITICAL FAILURE. THE PART WAS REPLACED, RICHMOND HARLEY DAVIDSON OR HARLEY DAVIDSON, INC. HAS POSSESSION OF THE DEFECTIVE PART AS IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR