The 2014 Indian Chieftain has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 106,304 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2014 Chief, 2015 Chief Classic, 2014-2018 Chieftain, 2015-2020 Chief Vintage, 2016-2018 Chieftain Darkhorse, 2016-2020 Springfield, 2017-2018 Chieftain Limited, and 2018-2019 Chieftain Classic motorcycles. The electrical connection for the Vehicle Control…
Consequence
The loss of lighting can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the electrical connection and VCM, as necessary. Dealers will update the VCM software, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 27, 2022. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's…
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Chief, Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Springfield motorcycles. The gear position switch contacts may oxidize, causing the gear position display to inaccurately show that the motorcycle is in neutral when it is actually in gear.
Consequence
If the transmission is not in neutral when the motorcycle is started, the motorcycle may move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the switch free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2020. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-19-03.
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2014 Chief and Chieftain motorcycles. Due to a problem within the Vehicle Control Module (VCM), all of the front lights, including the headlight, may go out while riding.
Consequence
The loss of lighting can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy
Indian will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the Vehicle Control Module (VCM) connector and update the VCM software. If the VCM connector is damaged, a new connector and VCM will be installed, free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2020. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. …
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING16V4460002016-06-1718,383 affected
Defect
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Chief Classic, Dark Horse, Chieftain, Roadmaster, Vintage, Springfield, and Chieftain Dark Horse motorcycles manufactured April 15, 2013, to June 16, 2015. In the event of an engine misfire, unburned fuel may pass through parts of the…
Consequence
Elevated exhaust temperatures may result in an increased risk of fire.
Remedy
Indian will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. The recall began July 2016. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-16-02.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
Total complaints8
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While operating the motorcycle, it will randomly go into limp mode no matter what speed you’re at the motorcycle will rapidly decelerate extremely quickly and without warning. No brake light to illuminate when this happens. I have contacted indian motorcycles as well as dealerships with…”
“While operating the motorcycle, it will randomly go into limp mode no matter what speed you’re at the motorcycle will rapidly decelerate extremely quickly and without warning. No brake light to illuminate when this happens. I have contacted indian motorcycles as well as dealerships with…”
“While operating the motorcycle, it will randomly go into limp mode no matter what speed you’re at the motorcycle will rapidly decelerate extremely quickly and without warning. No brake light to illuminate when this happens. I have contacted indian motorcycles as well as dealerships with…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2014 indian chieftain. The contact stated that the daytime running lamps and headlights started to fail intermittently. Eventually, the lights completely failed to operate. The contact drove to indian motorcycle boise (2374 e cinema dr, #106, meridian, id 83642, [REDACTED])…”
“Gear indicator does not always show correct gear that you are in. When bike is in neutral indicator in showing 2 nd gear. Indicator was showing neutral so I hit the started switch, it was in first gear, didn't have may hands on the handle bars, bike started and took off, about threw me off.…”
“Headlight and driving lights stopped working while riding, this is not a burned-out bulb. The vcm wiring circuit is burned on pin #11. I read of at three other indian's with this issue, read on: http://www.chiefmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=8205.30”
“Clutch cables appears to failing at what may be considered a high rate. Loss of clutch could lead to rider being unable to operate the motorcycle safely. My particular motorcycle in unaffected by this but I'm seeing reports on various web sites that is it is occurring at a high frequency.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2014 indian chieftain motorcycle. While driving 30 mph, the gear lever failed to shift past first gear until the speed decreased to 5 mph. The contact mentioned that the failure only occurred in cold temperatures. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2014 Indian Chieftain as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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