Reliability & cost of ownership
Indian Chief Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Indian Chief? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Indian Chief problems by model year
17 recall entries and 61 owner complaints on file across 7 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Chief | 2 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 Chief | 2 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 Chief | 1 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Chief | 2 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Chief | 4 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Chief | 2 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Chief | 4 | 40 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Indian Chief, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- suspension14 complaints
- electrical system10 complaints
- service brakes9 complaints
- engine and engine cooling9 complaints
- hydraulic8 complaints
- exterior lighting5 complaints
- steering5 complaints
- structure5 complaints