Harley-Davidson Sportster recalled for headlight failures

While it's not as critical as tires or brakes, headlights are a pretty important component of any motorized vehicle. Harley-Davidson would agree, as the motorcycle manufacturer has recalled 31,346 Sportster motorcycles covering the 2019 to 2021 model years because the headlights could fail. The recall also affects 796 headlight assemblies possibly sold as replacement parts for use on the 2005-2019 Sportster, 2005-2017 Softail, 2005-2017 Dyna and 2005-2011 V-Rod.

According to documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the headlight assembly has a shield over the headlight bulb. That bulb shield can cause the bulb itself to get hot in the wrong areas and potentially develop a hole and burn out the filaments inside, making the light useless. The solution will be to replace the shield in these headlight assemblies to ensure the issue doesn't come up.

Harley-Davidson will fix the headlight housings free of charge. Owners of affected bikes and parts will be notified by Harley-Davidson, but you can also contact them yourself at 1-800-258-2464 to sort out details on the repair. If calling, note the recall number is 0177.