On October 2, 2023, Harley-Davidson Motor Company issued a safety recall for certain 2023 Harley-Davidson X350 RA bikes due to the possibility that a fuel sensor on the bottom of the fuel tank may leak. The official recall documentation states that “a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.”
According to Harley-Davidson's records, approximately 1,139 bikes in the US may be affected. This represents about one percent of the population. This situation is slightly different than most other recalls, because all affected bikes are part of the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy in the US and are therefore also owned by Harley-Davidson. This fleet is used in Harley’s existing rider education training programs.
The issue relates to a faulty gasket around the fuel sensor in question. The recall kit, which will be provided to all Harley dealers that will service the affected bikes, will include an entirely new gasket to fit around the fuel sensor. A major warning sign that a leak has already formed is noticeable staining or an accumulation of debris on the outside bottom portion of the fuel tank.
This recall only affects certain 2023 Harley-Davidson X350 RA bikes that were shipped on or before August 30, 2023. Bikes that were shipped after this date use a new gasket on the fuel sensor and are therefore not affected by this recall. The affected bike population was produced between June 22, 2022 and October 10, 2022.
Due to the unusual nature of this recall, Harley-Davidson has issued both the dealer notification letters and the owner notification letters to the Harley-Davidson dealer network. Dealer notification letters went out between October 10 and 13, 2023, and owner notification letters are scheduled to go out between October 16 and 20, 2023.
An official Harley-Davidson Service Bulletin, a revised service bulletin, and a memo about this recall have been issued by Harley-Davidson to both its US and its China dealers. According to the text of these documents, the fuel sensor issue affects certain 2023 X350 RA (Riding Academy), X 350, and X 500 motorcycles. Please note that at the time of writing, only the X350 RA is in the American market. The X 350 and X 500 portion of these service bulletins applies strictly to the MoCo’s Chinese dealer network.
Harley-Davidson number for this recall is 0183, and owners may contact the Harley-Davidson customer service line at 1-800-258-2464. Additionally, owners may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov. The official NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 23V-666.
