The 2008 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 538 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system, gasoline. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING07V5350002007-11-20538 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES BUILT AND SHIPPED TO CALIFORNIA, THE CATALYTIC MUFFLER PROTECTIVE HEAT SHIELD WAS NOT INSTALLED. THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW DIRECT CONTACT WITH THIS MUFFLER AND CAUSE INJURY.
Consequence
IF CONTACT OCCURS WHILE RIDING, IT COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE, LEADING TO INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE HEAT SHIELDS TO THE MUFFLERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 26, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HARLEY DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.
Complaints by component
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
8
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
2
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
1injuries
EQUIPMENT:MOTORCYCLE:HELMETS
1
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
1
Total complaints13
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“2008 harley davidson night rod special rear brake light switch is located 1/2" from the exhaust pipe. This switch gets hot and melts the switch allowing all the brake fluid to leak out and create a complete failure of the rear brake. This is a very dangerous situation. *tr”
“My 2008 harley davidson night rod vrod. Fuel gauge does not work. It hasn't worked since the day I bought the bike. There are more broken gauges than working ones on this model of bike. Harley throws random parts and never fixes the real problem. *tr”
“My gas gauge has never worked properly. It will go to empty and stay there with 1/2 tank of gas, until I cut the power of and back on it will reset to I/2 tanks for a short period of time. Have replaced sending until 3 time . Harley will not do anything to fix the problem. The problem has been on…”
“Brand: harley davidson. Model: xr1200 (new model not reported in your model list). Crash with injuries. Front brakes failure by lock-up on a new hd xr1200 owned by hd and lent to me for a demo-ride (or test). The main witness has stated in writing that he has checked and double-checked that the…”
“Fuel filter canister failure for 2008 harley davidson ultra classic. Bike has a build date of 09/07. This is a known problem on the early model o8's and harley is not doing anything to fix the problem. Yet they have updated the filter canister. There has been numerous failures. These have been…”
“The motorcycle just stopped running. Fuel tank was full but no fuel was getting to the engine. Left me stranded. Would not start and had to be towed to the dealer. This is what happened to me. Http://www.hdforums.com/m_3599675/tm.htm. *tr”
“Ait aprox 1,800 miles, my 2008 harley davidson flhtc experienced a failure of the fuel filter shell while I was riding the motorcycle. I was exiting interstate 65 south in brentwood, tn and upon attempting to accelerate from the exit, I was almost hit from behind by a car. The motorcycle gave no…”
“I received first degree burns to my thighs. This engine is known to be a problem with being hot as I found out after I purchased the motorcycle. I was stuck in traffic, due to an auto accident. While moving at a slow speed or stopped this engine gets hundreds hotter than normal operation. *tr”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE08043 Opened 2008-07-17 · closed 2008-08-08
MOTORCYCLE STALLING
THE SUBJECT FUEL FILTER HOUSING (P/N 62229-08) CRACKS, RESULTING IN SUDDEN ENGINE STALL DUE TO UNREGULATED FUEL PRESSURE.HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS MODIFIED THE HOUSING WITH A NEW PART NUMBER 62229-08A.SHORTLY AFTER OPENING THIS PE, ODI RECEIVED HARLEY'S DEFECT NOTIFICATION INDICATING THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE BEING…
InvestigationPE08043 Opened 2008-07-17 · closed 2008-08-08
MOTORCYCLE STALLING
THE SUBJECT FUEL FILTER HOUSING (P/N 62229-08) CRACKS, RESULTING IN SUDDEN ENGINE STALL DUE TO UNREGULATED FUEL PRESSURE.HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS MODIFIED THE HOUSING WITH A NEW PART NUMBER 62229-08A.SHORTLY AFTER OPENING THIS PE, ODI RECEIVED HARLEY'S DEFECT NOTIFICATION INDICATING THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE BEING…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2008 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.