The 2002 Harley-Davidson 1200 Custom Sportster has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 11,952 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE MIRROR STEM COULD FRACTURE ALLOWING THE MIRROR TO FALL.
THIS CONDITION CAN OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING AND PRESENT AN UNREASONABLE RISK OF CRASH, INJURY, OR DEATH.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MIRRORS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 17, 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 HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-342-4680.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Excessive and inferior design of the headlight bracket on 2002 xl1200 sportster cause the internal bulb to vibrate loose and go out while riding at night nearly causing a fatal crash as multiple vehicles pulled out directly in front of me before I realized that I was no longer visible to other…”
“Stock headlight was fitted with manufacturer's optional headlight trim ring. Shortly after purchase in june 2002. Excessive headlight movement/vibration was noticed on 6/10/2005. Upon closer inspection, I found the mounting bracket attached to the headlight bucket was cracked 9/10th's across. I…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Harley-Davidson 1200 Custom Sportster as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.