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NHTSA campaign 18V055000 · manufacturer recall I-18-01

2015–2017 Indian Roadmaster: electrical system recall

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.

high 7,392 vehicles affected 78% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
Problem 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. 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. Fix 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.

Reported to NHTSA Jan 16, 2018 by Indian Motorcycle Company, owners notified Jan 30, 2018.

What that means, in plain English

Source: WhichTrim's reading of the filing above — not NHTSA's wording

A permanently illuminated brake light masks actual braking signals to following drivers, materially increasing rear-end crash risk by degrading a primary safety communication system.

Written for us by a language model from the manufacturer's filed text, which is quoted in full above. Where the two differ, the filing is the record and this is only our summary of it.

The fix, from the dealer bulletin

Source: NHTSA remedy instructions and dealer notice
Stop-sale Yes: the bulletin says the vehicle may not be sold or delivered until repaired
Remedy Instructions filed: the dealer bulletin exists

Labour, as the warranty table lists it

  • 0.4 h · op I-18-01-A

The operation code and time the manufacturer pays the dealer; a customer-pay estimate elsewhere is a different number.

Special tools

  • - US and Canada Dealers: The special tool outlined in this bulletin (PF-52576) will be direct-shipped to
  • dealers at no-cost starting the week of January 22, 2018. If additional tools are needed they can be
  • ordered through the Bosch Service Solutions website - International Dealers: The special tools outlined in this bulletin

The advisory, as filed: “VERSION: R01 (January 18, 2018) IMPORTANT STOP SALE SAFETY NOTICE!.”

Read from NHTSA’s copy of the manufacturer’s dealer documents (manufacturer campaign I-18-01). The procedure itself is in the bulletin; a franchised dealer has the current copy on the manufacturer’s portal, and that copy governs. Working a lot or a fleet? Recall Watch carries this line on every VIN it checks: remedy status, hours, stop-sale.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 18V055000

Vehicles built Feb 4, 2014 to Jul 27, 2017 — a VIN outside that window is not part of this campaign even if the year, make and model match.

Model yearOn WhichTrim
2015 Indian Roadmaster—
2016 Indian Roadmaster—
2017 Indian Roadmaster—

None of the vehicles this campaign names has a page on WhichTrim: the catalogue covers the cars, trucks and SUVs the EPA certifies from 2016 on, and these vehicles fall outside it — older model years, or motorhomes, trailers, buses, motorcycles and chassis cabs the EPA does not rate. The campaign record above is complete as filed, and whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by its VIN. Other campaigns on vehicles without a page here →

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired 78%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. Type the VIN and the WhichTrim recall report checks this campaign’s build window and engine against it.

Campaign 18V055000 · the manufacturer calls it I-18-01

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

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A recall covers a build range. Only your VIN settles it.

Check it with the WhichTrim recall report now, or have us check it every night and email you when something new is filed.

Photo: Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Is I-18-01 the same recall as 18V055000?

Yes. I-18-01 is the number Indian Motorcycle Company uses for this campaign in its own paperwork and in the letter it sends owners. 18V055000 is the number NHTSA files it under. One recall, two references — dealers and service departments generally quote the manufacturer's.

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. This campaign covers vehicles built Feb 4, 2014 to Jul 27, 2017. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.