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2016 Indian Chief Dark HorseProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 4 owner complaints about the 2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 1 safety recall, and for recall 16V-877 the manufacturer reports only 79% of affected cars repaired.

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CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)
Safety recalls1Lowest repair rate 79%Owner complaints42 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage8kElectrical system, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through July 14, 2025. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse has problems

4 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system21
Exterior lighting10
Power train11
Service brakes10
Vehicle speed control10

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

1 recall

2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

79%repaired · 2018 Q1

Fuel system, gasoline

Recall 16V-877 · Dec 6, 2016 · 23,761 vehicles · 18,645 repaired

Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Indian.

Best & worst years

2016 vs. every other Chief Dark Horse year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Chief Dark Horse median. How we score

'14'15'16'17'18'19'22
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
In owners' words

What Chief Dark Horse owners report

Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

This vehicle has an issue with the gear position switch, which causes the wrong gear to display on the info screen intermittently. Sometimes at highway speed, with cruise control engaged, the bike will think it's in neutral, which cancels the cruise abruptly. The bike has been in for service for…
Complaint 11673515 · Jul 14, 2025
M/C WAS PARKED, KICKSTAND DOWN, ENGINE OFF, TRANSMISSION IN FIRST GEAR. BEFORE STARTING, ELECTRICAL ON/OFF BUTTON, LOCATED ON GAS TANK, WAS ENGAGED. GEAR IDENTIFICATION LIGHT SHOWED FIRST GEAR, CLUTCH LEVER RETRACTED, TRANSMISSION FOOT PEG WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, LIGHT SHOWED NEUTRAL. ENGINE…
Complaint 11096400 · May 16, 2018 · 7,900 miles

Own a 2016 Chief Dark Horse?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.