2002 Indian Chief: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2002 Indian Chief. The newest campaign is 03V191000. NHTSA received the report on 5 May 2003. The NHTSA record gives the component Visibility / Windshield. NHTSA has 4 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 03V191000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the brackets and bolts on the windshield. Owner notification began may 30, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact indian motorcycle at 1-888-899-2997.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 15 May 2019. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 7,142 units in total.

03V1910005 May 2003Visibility / Windshield
03V1730005 May 2003Fuel System, Gasoline
02V24600013 Sep 2002Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Caliper
02V1800008 Jul 2002Suspension / Rear

03V191000Received 5 May 2003. 3,625 units.
Visibility / Windshield
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain windshields that were sold as standard equipment on these motorcycles or sold as accessories for all other chief models may have defective brackets. The brackets that attach the windshield to the motorcycle are formed such that the mounting bolts are not flush with the bracket. This could place excessive stress on the bolts causing them to break.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Broken mounting bolts could lead to the windshield coming loose and even falling off the bike, potentially striking the rider or otherwise causing the rider to lose control of the motorcycle and crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the brackets and bolts on the windshield. Owner notification began may 30, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact indian motorcycle at 1-888-899-2997.
Report filed by INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number IMCSB-056. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 May 2003.
03V173000Received 5 May 2003. 1,979 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain motorcycles, due to the positioning of the gas tank vent tube, the vent tube can become clogged with debris, particularly in wet weather. Vent tube clogging can cause interruption of fuel flow to the carburetor, causing the motorcycle to stop. A clogged vent tube may also cause pressure to build up in the gas tank and push a small amount of gas out of the fuel filler cap seal.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fuel leakage in the present of an ignition source can result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the current vent tube with a longer tube repositioned to prevent clogging. Owner notification began may 13, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact indian motorcycle at 1-888-899-2997.
Report filed by INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 May 2003.
02V246000Received 13 Sep 2002. 948 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Caliper
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain motorcycles, the rear brake caliper could contact the rotor as a result of a misalignment of the caliper carrier.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The rear brake can overheat and fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the motorcycle to ensure that the rear brake caliper and rotor are correctly positioned. If they are not, the dealer will replace the swing arm and rear brake assembly. Owner notification began august 28, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact indian motorcycle at 1-408-846-7228.
Report filed by INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number IMCSB-048.
02V180000Received 8 Jul 2002. 590 units.
Suspension / Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain motorcycles, the rear axles are made of a material with a lower than desirable yield strength.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Under repeated heavy loads, the rear axle could deform causing excessive wear in the rear wheel bearings potentially leading to overheating and seizing of the bearings, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the rear axles on these motorcycles. Owner notification began august 16, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact indian at 1-408-846-7228.
Report filed by INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 16 Aug 2002.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

4 complaints, 4 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

2002 Indian Chief: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling		2
Service Brakes, Hydraulic		1
Electrical System		1

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 12 Sep 2003

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2002 Indian Chief, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2003, with 3 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2002 Indian Chief
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE01039	Preliminary evaluation	REAR SUSPENSION COLLAPSE	Suspension	21 Nov 2001	30 Apr 2002	02V124000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

19994
20004
20012
20024
20032
20121
20131
20142
20151
20161
20172
20183
20191
20222

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2002 Indian ChiefThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2002 Indian Chief: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/indian/chief/2002/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 15 May 2019
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: INDIAN MOTORCYCLE COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2002 Indian Chief?: 7,142 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Indian Chief have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 14 recall campaigns for the Indian Chief, model years 1999 to 2022. 4 of them name the 2002 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2002 Indian Chief name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 2 of 4 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2002 Indian Chief open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.