Indian
Indian has 39 model lines on NHTSA's register (model years 1999–2026), with 48 recall campaigns and 138 consumer complaints.
Campaigns were most numerous in 2002 (8). The component complaints name most often is suspension (126.8 per 1,000 component mentions). The Chief line has the most complaints, 66 over 14 model years.
A further 1 equipment, tire or child-seat campaign name Indian and are listed on monthly pages. Comparisons here are between Indian model lines; complaint counts across makes depend on fleet size and reporting rates and are not compared.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Model lines
Ordered by total complaints. "Per model year" divides complaints by the number of model years on the register, a comparison within Indian only.
| Model line | Model years | Campaigns | Complaints | Per model year | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief | 14 | 14 | 66 | 4.7 | Suspension |
| Scout | 13 | 17 | 29 | 2.2 | Exterior Lighting |
| Chief Vintage | 11 | 11 | 12 | 1.1 | Structure |
| Spirit | 5 | 9 | 12 | 2.4 | Structure |
| Roadmaster | 10 | 12 | 7 | 0.7 | Unknown or Other |
| Chieftain | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0.6 | Power Train |
| Springfield | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0.2 | Tires |
| Chief Dark Horse | 7 | 7 | 2 | 0.3 | Electrical System |
| Roadmaster Elite | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0.3 | Fuel/Propulsion System |
| Chief Roadmaster | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | Structure |
| Chief Standard | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | Exterior Lighting |
| Chief Classic | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Vintage | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Dark Horse | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chieftain Dark Horse | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chieftain Limited | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| FTR1200 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Springfield Dark Horse | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chieftan Dark Horse | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Scout Centennial | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Challenger | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Classic | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| FTR 1200 S | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chieftain Classic | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Scout Sixty | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chieftain Elite | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| FTR 1200 Rally | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Scout Bobber | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Blackhawk | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Blackhawk Dark | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Bomber | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chief Bobber | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chief Bobber Dark Horse | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Chief Deluxe | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Roadmaster Dark Horse | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Roadmaster Limited | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| FTR 1200 R Carbon | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Super Chief | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Super Chief Limited | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
Campaigns by year
Complaints by year
Components most reported
Per 1,000 component mentions across all Indian complaints.
Questions and answers
How many recalls has Indian had?
48 NHTSA recall campaigns name Indian vehicles (model years 1999–2026). Units potentially affected across those campaigns total about 258,439, a figure that includes other makes where a campaign is shared (Takata air bag inflators, for example). Campaigns naming several model lines count once.
Which Indian model line has the most complaints?
Chief: 66 complaints over 14 model years (4.7 per model year). Larger-selling lines draw more complaints; the per-model-year column controls for the number of years, not for sales.
What components are reported most for Indian?
suspension (126.8 per 1,000 mentions), exterior lighting (117.1 per 1,000 mentions), electrical system (107.3 per 1,000 mentions). Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation flat files, public domain, dated 24 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints).
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation flat files, public domain, dated 24 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019. Make names are as NHTSA records them. Comparisons are within this make; see the methodology for why makes are not ranked against each other.