The motorcycle manufacturer is recalling around 308,000 of its models to fix a problem with a switch that may result in the failure of the brake lights. The Associated press is reporting the rear brakes could even fail themselves. Harley Davidson filed some documents last week with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the problem.

Brake light switches could be exposed to excessive heat from the vehicles exhaust system, which in turn can lead to the brake lights to fail. The issue can also lead to fluid leaks that will result in complete failure of the rear brakes. It is affecting the Touring, CVO Touring and Trike models from the 2009 through to the 2012 model years.

The affected models were manufactured between June 6th 2008 through to September 16th 2011. Harley Davidson has said it will alert owners about the recall, and its dealers will install a new brake light switch free of charge.

There are around 251,000 affected motorcycles in the US alone, with the rest in other countries. Surprisingly the problem was first noticed by Harley in June 2010 when a Trike model suffered failure of its rear brakes. It began looking into the problem a month later when a crash was reported and was caused by brake failure.

This is the only reported crash that Harley is aware of so far, and the company expects the issue to cost it around $10 or $12 million. Back in February the company had to issue a smaller recall for its Softail model.

The recall concerns a security system which may have a faulty body control module, according to a report on Motorcylcle.com. During manufacture the module may not have been sealed properly, and could allow water to get inside. This may then cause the engine to suddenly stall.

This issue was first spotted back in August of last year when a dealer reported a faulty BCM. The part was then inspected by Harley-Davidson who then found evidence of water intrusion. After pressure testing another eight units, two more were found to have the same problem.

The recall affects 6,964 2011 Softail models made between June 7 2010, to October 8 2010. An extra 805 accessory kits which were shipped to Harley-Davidson dealers between July 28 to September 29 2010 are also part of the recall.

If you think you have a Softail affected by the recall, you can contact Harley-Davidson on 1-414-343-4056.

Jeremy Korzeniewski of autoblog.com is reporting in an article that the company will be taking no more new orders for sidecars starting from now. All current orders will be honored and Harley-Davidson has said they will continue to provide current owners stock replacement parts, and warranty support.

Other manufactures like Royal Enfield and Ural still offer motorcycles with sidecars for those still wanting a purpose built one. In a statement Harley-Davidson said demand had declined for sidecars since they launched the Harley-Davidson Tri-Glide range of trikes which led to the decision to end sidecar production, but remained a proud part of the company’s history.

Are you sad to see Harley-Davidson ending sidecar production?

It looks like many Wall Street traders are putting money on a leverage buyout of the famous American motorcycle manufacturer.

Unfortunately neither Harley-Davidson nor KKR are willing to comment on these findings, however neither have declined the rumours. Check out AutoBlog for a full rundown.

Is Harley-Davidson on its way back up? Give us your comments.