The Used Car Index

2019 Indian Chieftain problems

NHTSA lists 3 complaints for the 2019 Indian Chieftain, 1 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 1 complaints mention an injury, with 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-07.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as INDIAN CHIEFTAIN.

At a glance

Complaints
3
With crash
1
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
1
Injuries
1
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
52,745
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
30

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE133.3%
POWER TRAIN133.3%
STRUCTURE133.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREMOTORCYCLE1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
electrical electronic133.3%0.97
loss of control133.3%0.61
mechanical failure133.3%0.97
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
high133.3%1.00
low133.3%0.87
moderate133.3%0.84

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 3 tagged complaints of 3 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

3 recalls.

19V882000

Date: 2019-12-11. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: 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.

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

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V776000

Date: 2019-10-29. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.

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.

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V638000

Date: 2019-08-29. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

Defect: 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."

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

30 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT15
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM14
POWER TRAIN6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY2
STRUCTURE2
SERVICE BRAKES1

11016271

Date: 2025-03-12. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Indian Motorcycle help center article provides information regarding removal and installation of the battery on 2014+ Chieftain motorcycles.

11016279

Date: 2025-03-12. Type: Other. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

This Indian Motorcycle help center article contains information regarding the inspection and adjustment of the clutch lever on 2014+ Chieftain motorcycles.

11016261

Date: 2025-03-05. Type: Other. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

This Indian Motorycle help center article provides information regarding inspection and tension adjustment of the drive belt on 2014+ Chieftain motorcycles.

11015422

Date: 2025-02-13. Type: Other. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

This Indian Motorcycle help center article provides information regarding brake inspection and maintenance regarding 2014+ Indian Chieftain motorcycles.

10209965

Date: 2022-03-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Indian Motorcycle identified that on Indian Scout Models there is a potential for damage to occur to electrical hardware or the vehicle harness if the battery ground cable and ground joint is not connected properly. Damage can occur during procedures that require the battery cable to be disconnected

10208642

Date: 2022-02-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT.

Best practices for gauges, speedometers, and tachometers providing information regarding how to clean and maintain. The version has been translated into French.

10189624

Date: 2021-03-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Indian Motorcycle has determined that some 2014-2020 FullA?A A Size (111 c.i. / 116 c.i.) and 2020 Challenger models sold in Japan show compliance concerns due to operating range frequency of key fob, Vehicle Control Module (VCM) or Wireless Control Module (WCM), and Tire Pressure Monitor System (TP

10189626

Date: 2021-03-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: STOP SALE on affected motorcycle(s) identified in your inventory until further notice.

10189623

Date: 2021-03-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Indian Motorcycle has determined that some 2014-2020 FullA?A A Size (111 c.i. / 116 c.i.) and 2020 Challenger models sold in Japan show compliance concerns due to operating range frequency of key fob, Vehicle Control Module (VCM) or Wireless Control Module (WCM), and Tire Pressure Monitor System (TP

10185170

Date: 2020-12-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY.

This Team Tip has been released by Indian Motorcycle to provide information regarding odometer maintenance and address concerns about correct odometer value.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
CHIEFTAIN3

Same model, other years

All model years | All Indian models

Other Indian models, 2019

Sources

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