Incorrect rear wheel size listed2026 indian chief vintage recalled for incorrect vin labelsGenerally speaking, there are two different kinds of recalls. The kind most people think of are the ones where a part is faulty and presents a clear and present danger to riders or other road users. The other kind is more regulatory in nature, like the turn signals being too close together or the mirrors are missing a sticker. This is one of the latter.Indian Motorcycle is recalling the Chief Vintage - including the 125th Anniversary Edition variant - because of an error on its vehicle identification number label. Specifically, the labels on affected units list the rear wheel size as being 16"x5.0" when they are in fact 16"x3.5". Sure, most people can probably tell whether a wheel is 5 inches or 3.5 inches wide just by looking at it, but VIN labels are legally required to be accurate.2026 indian chief vintage recalled for incorrect vin labelsHow did such a mistake happen? It's likely because the Vintage is unique to Indian's Chief line in having a 3.5-inch wide rear wheel. The other Chiefs, including the Chief Bobber, Super Chief, Sport Chief, and Sport Chief RT, all have 5.0-inch wide rear wheels. Whoever was responsible for preparing the Chief Vintage VIN labels failed to check if the specification was different.AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to recall documentation released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Indian discovered the error on May 18 during an internal audit on documentation. The very next day, Indian updated the wheel size information and introduced the corrected labels into production, but any bikes produced before May 20 may have the incorrect information. Indian estimates a total of 392 motorcycles in the U.S. have incorrect labels; motorcycles bound for other markets have different VIN labels to meet local requirements, but it's unclear if they also list the wrong wheel sizes.2026 indian chief vintage recalled for incorrect vin labelsThe good news is the remedy is pretty simple, and can be done without going to an Indian dealership. Indian will ship new rim callout decals to owners with instructions on how to install them on VIN decals.Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.