CSR

Indian · NHTSA safety record

2017 Indian Roadmaster

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 9 safety complaints about the 2017 Indian Roadmaster with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the electrical system and the gasoline fuel system.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 complaints, 67% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers February 2017 to June 2023 · How this is counted

What is on file

9 complaints on file

9

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 67%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 22%
ENGINE 1 · 11%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 11%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 11%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 9.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 2.

4 3 2 1
17 18 19 20 22 23

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2023.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2017 Indian Roadmaster. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

19V776000 · October 29, 2019

The defect
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.
The risk
If the transmission is not in neutral when the motorcycle is started, the motorcycle may move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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 · up to 52,745 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK

18V055000 · January 16, 2018

The defect
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Roadmaster motorcycles. Water may enter the trunk wiring harness, potentially causing the brake light to remain illuminated even when the brakes are not applied.
The risk
If the brake light remains illuminated when the brakes are not applied, a vehicle behind the motorcycle may not know when the motorcycle is actually slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Indian will notify owners, and dealers will replace the trunk wiring harness with an updated harness that contains sealing plugs in the connectors, free of charge. The recall began on January 30, 2018. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-18-01.

Indian Motorcycle Company · up to 7,392 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

16V877000 · December 6, 2016

The defect
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain model year 2014-2017 Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Vintage, Chieftan, Chieftan Dark Horse, Springfield and Roadmaster motorcycles manufactured April 15, 2013, to July 15, 2016. In the affected motorcycles, the fuel rail may contact other components and result in a fuel leak.
The risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Indian will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket that will limit movement of the fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began on December 12, 2016. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-16-03.

Indian Motorcycle Company · up to 23,761 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My motorcycle went in a couple of years ago for a check because it would show neutral but be in gear and vice versa. The dealer cleaned the contacts and pins. It was fine for a bit and now at 55K miles it’s back to doing the same thing. It will show neutral and I’m on the highway doing 65 mph. The. Third gear and I’m stopped with the clutch out. The dealer is now saying we have to pay for this to be checked during routine servicing? 1.8 hours at $165.00 and hour? That’s bs. They know the problem are the pins and springs but they, the dealer, won’t change them. Because parts, to me, are $130 then $$300 in labor. They’re making a huge profit of their mistake. I’ve included a photo of the

NHTSA complaint 11525199, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The clutch switch has failed open. If the engine stalls while in traffic, the rider is required to shift the transmission into neutral before the engine will restart. This could be a dangerous situation depending on what terrane the bike and rider are on. The normal operation for restart of the engine in a stall situation is to simply pull the clutch lever in and hit the start button. The starter should engage regardless of where the gear selector is as long as the clutch lever is pulled in. When researching this problem on YouTube and the Indian Motorcycle Forum, it is wide spread.

NHTSA complaint 11524391. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I just had my recall replaced 3 TIMES because it was reading neutral in 6th gear and dropping me out of cruise AND NEVER start while in neutral ever

NHTSA complaint 11480933. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 INDIAN ROADMASTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V776000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 11360520. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

10,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 POLARIS INDIAN ROAD MASTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM. THE TOUCHSCREEN WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, WHICH AFFECTED THE GPS SYSTEM, RADIO, VEHICLE STATUS, AND TIRE PRESSURE READINGS. INDIAN MOTORCYCLE OF LIBERTYVILLE (416 N MILWAUKEE AVE, LIBERTYVILLE, IL 60048, (847) 984-2542) SUBMITTED A GOODWILL WARRANTY CLAIM TO THE MANUFACTURER SINCE THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE REQUEST WAS DENIED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

NHTSA complaint 11256150. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

13,000 miles

LORS DE FORTE PLUIE , LE MOTEUR TOURNE SUR UN SEUL CYLINDRE ET CALE PARFOIS.

NHTSA complaint 11219719. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Every Indian on this site — 2 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst