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NHTSA Vehicle Research

Indian Chieftain Research

Free safety data straight from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Recalls, consumer complaints, and crash test ratings — everything you need before you buy.

6 Recalls
3 Complaints
N/A Safety Rating
FREE Gov Data
2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019

🛡️ NCAP Crash Test Safety Ratings

No NCAP safety rating data available from NHTSA for this vehicle. Ratings are typically available for passenger cars and light trucks.

⚠️ NHTSA Recalls (6)

The following safety recalls have been issued by NHTSA for the Indian Chieftain. If you own this vehicle, check your VIN at our VIN lookup tool or NHTSA.gov to see if your vehicle is affected.

2024 Model Year (2 recalls)

Campaign #23V829000 07/12/2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR

Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2023 Chieftain Elite, 2023-2024 Chieftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Dark Horse Icon, Chieftain Limited, Chieftain, Roadmaster Limited, Roadmaster Dark Horse, Roadmaster, Springfield, Springfield Dark Horse, and 2024 Roadmaster Elite motorcycles. The crankshaft position sensor may have been routed improperly, which can result in an engine stall.

Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and reroute, or replace the crankshaft position sensor as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2023. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-23-07.

Campaign #24V550000 23/07/2024
SUSPENSION:REAR

Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2024 Chieftain, Challenger, Pursuit, Roadmaster, and Springfield motorcycles. Please refer to the recall report for a complete list of model names. The rear suspension pushrod may buckle under load.

Risk: A rear suspension pushrod that buckles may pinch the main chassis harness, damage the coolant reservoir, damage the rear tire, or cause the motorcycle to bottom out under load. Any of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the rear suspension pushrod, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 22, 2024. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-24-07.

2023 Model Year (1 recall)

Campaign #23V829000 07/12/2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR

Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2023 Chieftain Elite, 2023-2024 Chieftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Dark Horse Icon, Chieftain Limited, Chieftain, Roadmaster Limited, Roadmaster Dark Horse, Roadmaster, Springfield, Springfield Dark Horse, and 2024 Roadmaster Elite motorcycles. The crankshaft position sensor may have been routed improperly, which can result in an engine stall.

Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and reroute, or replace the crankshaft position sensor as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2023. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-23-07.

2019 Model Year (3 recalls)

Campaign #19V776000 29/10/2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

Risk: If the transmission is not in neutral when the motorcycle is started, the motorcycle may move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

Campaign #19V882000 11/12/2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2019 Chieftain, Vintage, Roadmaster, Dark Horse, Springfield, and FTR1200 motorcycles. A 10A circuit breaker may be defective, tripping unexpectedly and causing a sudden loss of power and an engine stall.

Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Indian will notify owners and provide a new 10A circuit breaker and installation instructions. Owners may choose to have the part installed at a dealership, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2020. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-19-05.

Campaign #19V638000 29/08/2019
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2019 Chieftain motorcycles. The tail lights may be too bright, exceeding the maximum light output allowed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk: Due to increased brightness, other drivers may have difficulties discerning the brake light from the tail light, and thus may be unaware that the motorcycle is braking, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Indian will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine control module software to correct the rear tail light's intensity, free of charge. The recall began September 18, 2019. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-19-04.

💬 Consumer Complaints (3)

Real complaints filed with NHTSA by Indian Chieftain owners. These reports help identify common issues and potential safety concerns.

Most Reported Components

ComponentComplaints
POWER TRAIN 1
ENGINE 1
STRUCTURE 1
2019 model • POWER TRAIN • 05/22/2021

Reference 19V-776 recall campaign 2014-2019 Indian Motorcycle (111 c.I.) gear position switch. This switch was replaced under this recall in June 2020 at 250 miles. The same issue now is happening one year later at 15k miles. This fix from Indian was not effective.

2019 model • ENGINE • 09/13/2020

MULTIPLE TIME AFTER HAVING RECALL FOR 10A CIRCUIT BREAKER DONE BIKE HAS DIED ON THE FREEWAY AT SPEED AS IF OUT OF GAS ONCE I PULL OVER AND TURN IT OFF AND BACK ON BIKE ACTS FINE AS THOUGH NOTHING HAPPENED I HAVE TAKEN IT TO NORTH COUNT INDIAN WHER I BOUGHT IT AND SINCE THEY COULDN'T GET IT TO…

2019 model • STRUCTURE • 08/28/2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 INDIAN CHIEFTAIN. WHILE RIDING 40 MPH, THE KICKSTAND FAILED TO RETRACT WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE WAS STARTED AND PLACED INTO GEAR. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF THE FAILURE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A SLIGHT LEFT TURN, THE KICKSTAND DUG INTO THE ROADWAY. AS A RESULT, THE MOTORCYCLE FLIPPED AROUND 180 DEGREES, STRUCK TWO MAILBOXES, DROVE…

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