The 1998 Harley-Davidson Softail has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 2,012 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MOTORCYCLES. THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY MAY HAVE AN INADEQUATE WELD.
THIS CONDITION CAN ALLOW THE LEVER HUB TO SEPARATE FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER LEVER WHICH WOULD AFFECT REAR BRAKE PERFORMANCE.
DEALERS WILL PERFORM THE RECALL SERVICE ON THESE VEHICLES.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“When turning handle bars from side to side handles will hit fuel tank on either side of cycle. Fuel tank gets dented. Dealer stated it was a known defect, and there was nothing he could do to remedy the problem.*ak”
“While driving the motorcycle speed 20-25 mph, front tires started to shake, front end started to jerk, the road curved left, motorcycle kept pulling to the right, hit a curb, frontal impact and lost control, dealer contacted ,and claimed officer, island cycle did repairs, and ny harley davidson…”
“The design of the brake pedal is too short and interferes with applying the brakes while foot is resting on the floorboard. Foot becomes trapped between the floorboard and the brake pedal. This is the heritage softail motorcycle. Owner has notified the manufacturer about the problem. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Harley-Davidson Softail as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.