The 2005 Harley-Davidson Softail has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 12,329 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL SHUT-OFF VALVES. THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE 'ON' POSITION AND THE 'RESERVE' POSITION OF THE VALVE MAY HAVE BEEN REVERSED.
Consequence
IF THE BIKE WERE OPERATING WITH THE VALVE IN THE 'ON' POSITION, THE BIKE COULD RUN OUT OF FUEL, THE EXPECTED FUEL RESERVE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. THIS COULD LEAD TO THE DRIVER RUNNING OUT OF GAS WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL VALVE AND REPLACE IT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN FEBRUARY 7, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-342-4080.
ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, A CONDITION OCCURS THAT COULD ALLOW PRESSURE TO BUILD UP IN THE FUEL TANK. ON FUEL INJECTED VEHICLES, THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE FUEL TO SPRAY OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN THE FUEL CAP IS REMOVED. ON CARBURETED VEHICLES, EXCESSIVE FUEL COULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE CARBURETOR, WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY…
Consequence
THESE SITUATIONS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR CREATE A FIRE HAZARD FOR PERSONS OR PROPERTY ON OR NEAR THE MOTORCYCLE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL TEST EACH CANISTER FOR BLOCKAGE, THEN REPLACE AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN NOVEMBER 4, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
POWER TRAIN
1
Total complaints4
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 harley davidson soft tail motorcycle. The contact was driving 60 mph when the rear wheel along with the drive chain unbolted and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the rear wheel, drive chain, and bolts connected to the drive chain were…”
“Repeat discrepancy, failure occurred at night while in forward motion on state highway 17 (north carolina) ref: report # 10132164. *nm”
“2005 harley davidson softail heritage in a rainstorm a driver did not see me and almost hit me as he turned into my lane. After I got home I discovered my headlights were inoperative. This motorcycle has less than 11,000 miles on it and the deficiency within the electrical system/wiring harnesses…”
“From what I'm learning the hard way, some 2005 harley davidson motorcycles burn oil at a rate of 1 quart per thousand miles - mine is one of them. According to dealer and harley-davidson motor company, this is acceptable. Owners manual states nothing about this, nor was this information made known…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2005 Harley-Davidson Softail as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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