NHTSA Complaint #10241178 — 2006 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXDWGI

06 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXDWGI (STILL UNDER WARR). INNER PRIMARY BEARING FAILS DUE TO THE IMPERFECT ALIGNMENT OF THE 06 PRIMARY CASE. H-D IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WILL NOT INSTALL THE NEW IMPROVED '07 PRIMARY CASE (PERM. FIX) UNTIL THE BEARING FAILS TWICE. WHEN THE BEARING FAILS, A LOUD GRINDING NOISE EMANATES FROM THE PRIMARY COVER AREA, AND ULTIMATELY THE BEARING WILL SEIZE OR BLOW WHICH, IN A CATASTROPHIC CASE, COULD RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH. H-D KNOWS THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM, BUT WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM PERMANENTLY UNTIL THERE ARE TWO BREAKDOWNS. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND UNSAFE. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. I KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE I OWN AN06 FXDWGI AND SO DOES MY BOYFRIEND. WE HAVE THE SAME MILEAGE (WITHIN 55 MILES). WE RECENTLY RODE FROM NJ TO WI. HIS BIKE STARTING MAKING A LOUD NOISE IN THE PRIMARY CASE. THE MECHANIC KNEW THE EXACT PROBLEM. THEY ASKED "HOW MANY TIMES HAS IT HAPPENED"? WE ANSWERED "THIS IS THE FIRST TIME". DEALER INDICATED THAT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENS HD WILL REPLACE THE BEARING ONLY. WE WERE TOTALLY UNAWARE THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE WITH THESE BIKES AT THAT TIME. THIS DEALER TOLD ME "IT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN TO YOURS - - IT'S HIT AND MISS". THE NEXT DAY - -APPROX. 50 MILES LATER (APPROX. 12,500 MI) MY BIKE HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM (2 OUT OF 2). SINCE WE WERE NOW IN A DIFFERENT CITY WE WENT TO A DIFFERENT HD SHOP FOR REPAIR. WE TOLD THIS DEALER WE LOST A FULL DAY OF VACA THE DAY BEFORE DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM, AND BECAUSE WE WERE SO UPSET, THIS DEALERSHIP WAS WILLING TO INSTALL THE "07 FIX" (ENTIRELY NEW PRIMARY CASE); HOWEVER, THEY NEEDED 2 OR 3 DAYS TO ORDER THE PARTS AND COMPLETE THE WORK. WE HAD TO RETURN TO NJ THE NEXT DAY, SO I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME. THEY SUGGESTED I LIMP HOME WITH THIS FIX AND THEN REQUEST THAT MY LOCAL HD MECHANIC GIVE US THE "07 FIX". HOME NOW & HD IS UNWILLING TO FIX THE BIKE UNTIL THE BEARING GOES AGAIN. THIS IS COMPLETELY LUDICROUS. THIS "PATCH" IS UNSAFE AND UNSATISFACTORY. *TR UPDATED 10/23/08. *JB