On December 11, 2023, Indian Motorcycle Company issued a safety recall for certain 2023 through 2024 Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Springfield bikes due to a potential stalling issue. On affected units, the crankshaft position sensor may not be properly routed, which could result in an unexpected engine stall. This could, in turn, increase the risk of a crash.
According to Indian's records, approximately 1,215 total motorcycles could potentially be involved, representing approximately three percent of the population.
Here is a full list of the models, production dates, and VIN ranges involved. Please be aware that the affected VINs are not sequential.
| Model | Production Date Range | VIN Range Start | VIN Range End |
| 2023-2024 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse | May 22, 2023 through October 25, 2023 | 56KTCDBB8P3419789 | 56KTCDBB4R3424426 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse Icon | May 24, 2023 through September 13, 2023 | 56KTCDBB0P3419916 | 56KTCDBB8P3423261 |
| 2023 Indian Chieftain Elite | May 22, 2023 through June 5, 2023 | 56KTCEBB5P3419819 | 56KTCEBB7P3420261 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Chieftain Limited | May 22, 2023 through October 24, 2023 | 56KTCABB4P3419822 | 56KTCABB4R3424389 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Chieftain | May 22, 2023 through October 12, 2023 | 56KTCBAA3P3419809 | 56KTCBAA8R3423986 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Roadmaster Limited | May 22, 2023 through October 2, 2023 | 56KTKABB7P3419784 | 56KTKABB6P3423616 |
| 2024 Indian Roadmaster Elite | June 6, 2023 through August 28, 2023 | 56KTKEBB9R3420333 | 56KTKEBB5R3422757 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Roadmaster Dark Horse | May 22, 2023 through October 4, 2023 | 56KTKDBB4P3419792 | 56KTKDBB3R3423741 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Roadmaster | May 23, 2023 through October 23, 2023 | 56KTRABB4P3419852 | 56KTRABB4R3424357 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Springfield | May 22, 2023 through October 24, 2023 | 56KTHAAAXP3419799 | 56KTHAAA8R3424390 |
| 2023-2024 Indian Springfield Dark Horse | May 22, 2023 through October 20, 2023 | 56KTJDBB7P3419787 | 56KTJDBB3R3424276 |
According to Indian Motorcycle's chronology of events, it noted four separate warranty claims in October 2023 that involved a sensor wire "emanating smoke" after coming into contact with the exhaust head pipe. After investigating the matter, Indian Motorcycle technicians found that an improperly routed crankshaft position sensor was the cause.
In total, eight separate warranty claims had been made, including one that reportedly resulted in an engine stall because the sensor wire had melted. As of the date that Indian Motorcycle issued the recall, the company says that it had not received any reports of crashes, injuries, or deaths related to this issue.
Indian Motorcycle notified its dealership network about the issue on December 14, 2023. As of October 26, 2023, all Indian Motorcycle production lines have had the crankshaft position sensor routing corrected, so those bikes should not have this issue. Indian Motorcycle will notify owners of affected bikes about this issue on December 28, 2023.
On December 11, 2023, Indian Motorcycle issued a Stop Sale notice to its dealership network regarding all affected bikes in their inventory, both new and used. The Stop Sale notice reads, "As of December 11, 2023, YOU MUST NOT SELL OR DELIVER any NEW OR USED Model Year 2023-2024 Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Springfield models affected by this Stop Sale until it is repaired according to the Safety Recall." The Stop Sale notice from Indian Motorcycle carries the identification number I-23-07.
Owners may contact Indian Motorcycle Customer Service at 1-877-204-3697 regarding recall number I-23-07.
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.
