The 2009 Indian Motorcycle Chief has 3 recalls, the most serious being a rear wheel rim that can crack and cause a sudden loss of tire pressure, leaving the rider with little warning before losing control.
The side stand presents a separate handling hazard: if it contacts the ground while the motorcycle is moving, it may not retract on its own, which can destabilize the bike mid-ride and lead to a crash. On the electrical side, slowly switching between high and low beam headlights can briefly turn both lamps on at the same time, which causes the body control module to interpret this as an overload and cut power to the headlight circuit entirely, leaving the rider with no headlight illumination.
At a glance
What can fail
The rear wheel rim can crack, causing the tire to lose air pressure suddenly. This may make you lose control of the motorcycle.
What the fix does
The dealer will replace the rear wheel rim.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
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At a glance
What can fail
The side stand may fail to retract if it touches the ground while riding, which can destabilize the motorcycle and cause a crash.
What the fix does
The side stand will be replaced with an updated version that retracts properly.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
When the headlight switch moves slowly between high and low beam, both headlamps turn on briefly. The Body Control Module may incorrectly detect an overload and shut off the headlights completely, reducing visibility in darkness or rain.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace the Body Control Module with an updated version that prevents the false overload detection.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
