2018 Indian CHIEFTAIN LIMITED: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
2 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
20,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2018 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
Most common problems
Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 50.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | 1 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 |
Electrical System: 1; Exterior Lighting: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 1 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
2021: 1; 2022: 1
Pattern summary
Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11412857 · 2021-04-19 (April 19, 2021)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 INDIAN CHIEFTAIN LIMITED MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE RIDING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY SHUT-OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON TWO OCCASIONS HE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTARTED THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V882000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. ## VIN PASSED ## INDIAN MO…
Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11412857 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11482868 · 2022-09-04 (September 4, 2022)
Loss of front lighting (headlight,Auxiliary lights). High Beam Indicator in dash blinking. Happened numerous times on trip. Would have been extremely dangerous in the dark. Being a motorcycle it makes it hard for other drivers to see me. The motorcycle is available for inspection and I will contact dealer on next day of business . Error codes open circuit high beam and open circuit low beam.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11482868 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
17V682000 · Exterior Lighting:Headlights
Reported: 2017-10-27 (October 27, 2017)
Indian Motorcycles Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Chief, Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Chieftain Classic, Cheiftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Elite, Chieftain Limited, Springfield, and Springfield Dark Horse motorcycles. These motorcycles may be equipped with a European-market, not US-market, halogen headlight assembly. 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: The light output from the incorrect headlight can affect the motorcycle's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Indian will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the motorcycle and replace any incorrect headlight assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2017. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-17-03.
NHTSA campaign record ↗18V228000 · Electrical System
Reported: 2018-04-10 (April 10, 2018)
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2018 Indian Chief, Chief Classic, Chief Dark Horse, Chief Vintage, Chieftain, Chieftain Classic, Chieftain Dark Horse, Chieftain Elite, Chieftain Limited, Springfield, Springfield Dark Horse, Roadmaster, Roadmaster Elite, Roadmaster Icon, and Roadmaster Classic motorcycles. Corrosion may develop within the right combination switch, potentially resulting in the motorcycle starting without the user's intent if the key fob is near the motorcycle and the required safety interlock conditions are met.
Consequence: If the motorcycle starts unintentionally and is parked in an enclosed space, exposure to carbon monoxide may increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Indian will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right hand combination switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-18-04.
NHTSA campaign record ↗22V635000 · Exterior Lighting:Lighting Control Module:Software | Exterior Lighting:Headlights
Reported: 2022-08-19 (August 19, 2022)
Indian Motorcycle Company (Indian) is recalling certain 2014 Chief, 2015 Chief Classic, 2014-2018 Chieftain, 2015-2020 Chief Vintage, 2016-2018 Chieftain Darkhorse, 2016-2020 Springfield, 2017-2018 Chieftain Limited, and 2018-2019 Chieftain Classic motorcycles. The electrical connection for the Vehicle Control Module (VCM) may fail, causing a loss of the front lights, including the headlight.
Consequence: The loss of lighting can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the electrical connection and VCM, as necessary. Dealers will update the VCM software, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 27, 2022. Owners may contact Indian customer service at 1-877-204-3697. Indian's number for this recall is I-19-02. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 19V-339.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 2017 | 2018 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 11412857 · 20,000 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 INDIAN CHIEFTAIN LIMITED MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE RIDING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY SHUT-OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON TWO OCCASIONS HE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTARTED THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V882000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. ## VIN PASSED ## INDIAN MO… | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. |
| Exterior Lighting | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 11482868Loss of front lighting (headlight,Auxiliary lights). High Beam Indicator in dash blinking. Happened numerous times on trip. Would have been extremely dangerous in the dark. Being a motorcycle it makes it hard for other drivers to see me. The motorcycle is available for inspection and I will contact dealer on next day of business . Error codes open circuit high beam and open circuit low beam. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | Too few reports for a range | 20,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 11412857 · 20,000 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 INDIAN CHIEFTAIN LIMITED MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE RIDING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE SUDDENLY SHUT-OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON TWO OCCASIONS HE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND RESTARTED THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V882000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. ## VIN PASSED ## INDIAN MO… |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2018: 0 complaints · 2023: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Electrical System | Exterior Lighting |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | — | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.