After a long day of riding when shutting off motor heard a noise in the primary chain area removed cover to find that the engine compensator nut was extremely loose about to fall off I have never touched this area and have performed the routine maintenance on the bike ie oil changes and inspection as I've read several model year bikes have had the same problem if the nut would have come out completely this surely would have cause an accident even death if I was going at highway speeds.
The worst 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Fuel system2
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Fuel system2
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Recalls 1
Exterior lighting: tail lights
- What is wrong
- On certain dyna, xl, and touring motorcycles, the tail light bulb can fall out of the socket.
- Risk
- The tail light and the brake light become inoperative, which could lead to a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bulbs. Owner notification began on june 3, 2004. Owners should contact harley-davidson at 1‑414‑342‑4680.
Recall number 04V218000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg 5
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
This is a modification to complaint 10107892 which had the wrong phone number. My 2003 harley fxdwg was ridden to orange county harley davidson and sat in the sun for 1 hour. The temp was 64-70. I had half a tank of gas, which was chevron 91 oct. Getting back onto the 405 freeway at 70 MPH the bike felt as if it lacked power. After 30 sec the bike started sputtering as if it was not getting enough gas or was vapor locking causing me to lose speed and power. This sputtering continued for 3-4 miles, after which I completely backed off the throttle and just barely opened it, which after approximately. 30 sec the bike regained full power (got the gas it needed) and I had no more trouble. This is the third time this has happened. The first time, april 04 the bike completely stopped running 5-6 times on the freeway but started again on the side of the road. The second time july 2004 the bike sputtered and back fired. The cause always seems to be the same, the bike sits in the sun 1-2 hours and then accelerating onto the freeway at a high speed the bike does not get enough gas and loses power. Westminister harley davidson in ca has talked with the factory and tried twice to fix this problem. I consider this loss of power at freeway speeds a safety issue which could lead to a crash or death.
My 2003 harley fxdwg was ridden to orange county harley and sat in the sun for 1 hour. The temp was 64-70 and I had half a tank of gas, which was chevron 91 oct. Getting back onto the 405 freeway at 70 MPH the bike felt as if it lacked power. After 30 sec the bike started sputtering as if it wasn't getting enough gas or was vapor locking causing me to lose speed and power. This sputtering continued for 3-4 miles. I finally completely backed of the throttle and just barely opened it, where as after about 30 sec the bike regained full power (got gas it needed) and I had no more trouble. This is the third time this has happened. The first time, april 04 the bike completely stopped running 5-6 times on the freeway but started again on the side of the freeway. The second time july 2004 the bike sputtered and back fired. The cause always seems to be the same, it sits in the sun 1-2 hours and then accelerating onto the freeway at a high speed the bike does not get enough gas and loses power. Westminister harley davidson in ca has talked with the factory and tried twice already to fix it. I consider this loss of power at freeway speeds a safety issue which could lead to a crash or death.
Compare the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg
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Questions about the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg
Is the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg, close to a typical Fxdwg model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg?
Fuel and propulsion system, with 2 complaints. Next is engine (1).
How many recalls does the 2003 Harley-Davidson Fxdwg have?
1 recall, covering exterior lighting.
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