Service Brakes. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

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Service Brakes complaints

5 reports

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3 miles · Nov 1, 2017

Service Brakes

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ON 10-19-2017 I WAS RIDING WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS ON OUR WAY TO A FELLOW BIKERS FUNERAL. WE WERE DOING ABOUT 45 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, AS WE APPROACHED OUR TURN I ATTEMPTED TO START BRAKING WITH MY BACK BRAKE. WHEN I TRYED TO PUSH THE BACK BRAKE PEDAL DOWN NOTHING HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!! THE PEDAL WAS FROZEN IN PLACE!!!!!!!!! I BROUGHT THE BIKE TO A FRIENDS AND HE AND I STARTED TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM. WHEN WE GOT TO THE ABS BRAKE MANIFOLD, WE FOUND THAT WHEN WE CRACKED THE INLET LINE THE BACK BRAKE PEDAL WOULD GO DOWN AND PUSH FLUID OUT. WE TIGHTENED THE INLET LINE BACK AND BROKE LOOSE THE OUTLET LINE AND THE BACK BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT MOVE AGAIN. ON 11-1-2017 I SPOKE TO THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THE BIKE FROM ( MIKE BRUNO'S HOUMA LOUISIANA) AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. THEIR RESONSE WAS ...DO YOU HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY? I TOLD THEM NO, SO THEY TOLD ME THE PART WILL COST $417.00. THANK GOD I DID NOT HAVE A PASSENGER WITH ME OR DID NOT HIT THE BIKE IN FRONT OF ME. THERE WAS ZERO WARNING BEFORE THIS FAILURE NO LIGHTS NO TIGHTING OF BRAKE PEDAL NOTHING!!!!!!!!!! I GUESS MY LIFE AND OTHERS IS ONLY WORTH $417.00 AND THAT IS ONLY IF I BUY THE NEW PART AND IT DON'T FAIL ALSO.

NHTSA ODI #11042028

17,500 miles · Dec 21, 2016

Service Brakes

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I TOOK MY BIKE OUT FOR A NICE RIDE AND NOTHING IN THE WAY OF A PROBLEM. THE NEXT DAY WENT TO RIDE THE BIKE AND MY FRONT BRAKE LEVER IS AS HARD AS A ROCK I WENT TO STOP AND HAD NO FRONT BRAKE. WENT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION . I CHECKED FOR TROUBLE CODES IN THE MEMORY AND IT SHOWED NONE. TRIED TO BLEED THE FRONT BRAKES CRACKED THE BLEEDER AND LEVER MOVED FINE AND FLUID CAME OUT AS NORMAL . TRIED TO USE BRAKE AND LEVER WAS HARD AGAIN. CALL THE LOCAL DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THE ABS MODULE WAS BAD AND IT WOULD COST A 1000.00 . I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT IF THE SYSTEM FAILED IT WOULD JUST REVERT BACK TO BRAKES WITH OUT ABS.AM I WRONG ABOUT THE WAY THEY SHOULD WORK INFORMED BY SERVICE WRITER THAT THEY COULD LOCK UP OR HAVE NO BRAKES AT ALL . I THINK THEY SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE MORE OF EFFORT TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM RATHER THAN JUST COME UP WITH THE FIGURE OF 1000 AND SAY THE MODULE IS BAD . MAKES ME THINK THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST PERSON THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. SAID HARLEY WOULD COVER BUT I INFORMED HIM IT RAN OUT 6 MONTHS AGO. BY THE WAY I BOUGHT THE BIKE NEW. THANK YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10936640

8,790 miles · Sep 14, 2016

Service Brakes

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I RECENTLY WAS RIDING WHEN THE FRONT BRAKE HANDLE ON THE BIKE STARTED TO VIBRATE. I WAS CLOSE TO HOME SO I WENT THERE. SINCE IT WAS TIME TO DO SOME MAINTENANCE ON THE BIKE I ORDERED PARTS AND OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS CHANGED FLUIDS AND DID OTHER ITEMS INCLUDING REPLACING THE FRONT RIGHT HANDGRIP. AFTER REPAIRS WERE COMPLETE I STARTED THE BIKE AND DID A TEST RIDE A FEW 100 METERS DOWN MY STREET AND WHEN I WENT TO USE THE BRAKES THE FRONT BRAKE HANDLE WAS FROZEN. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE REAR BRAKE WAS FEELING VERY STIFF. I REMOVED THE FRONT BRAKE FLUID COVER AND INSPECTION THE MASTER CYLINDER, CLEANS THE COVER AND REPLACED WITH THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRING. I THOUGHT MAYBE THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH FLUID REACHING THE FRONT CALIPER AND INSPECTED THE BLEEDERS WHICH I OPENED SLIGHTLY WITH NO FLUID BEING ABLE TO REACH THE CALIPERS. AT THIS TIME I DECIDED THAT THIS WAS BEYOND MY ABILITY TO SAFELY REPAIR AND SINCE THE BIKE NEEDED TIRES I TRAILERED THE BIKE TO THE DEALER. WHEN I REACHED THE DEALER I STARTED THE BIKE AND ATTEMPTED TO BACK THE BIKE DOWN AND AT THAT TIME THE REAR BRAKE FAILED COMPLETELY. I INFORMED THE DEALER OF THIS AND THE FRONT BRAKE BEING FROZEN. THE DEALER THEN TOLD ME THAT BOTH MASTER CYLINDERS NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. NO MENTION OF ANY NOTICE FROM HARLEY WAS MENTIONED. THE DEALER HAD NUMEROUS ISSUES GETTING THE PARTS FOR THE MASTER CYLINDERS AND THE BIKE SAT FOR OVER A MONTH. THEY FINALLY RECEIVED THE PARTS AND TOLD ME THE BIKE WOULD BE READY ON THE AFTERNOON OF THAT DAY. WHEN I WENT TO GET THE BIKE THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE ABS HAD FAILED AND THEY WAS A NEW PART FROM HARLEY DAVIDSON THAT WAS REPLACING THE OLD ABS CONTROLLER AND THAT IS WAS ON BACK-ORDER. I THEN CALLED HARLEY DAVIDSON DIRECTLY AND AS SOON AS THE HEARD THE MAKE AND MODEL OF THE BIKE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON SAID "YES SIR THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE ABS CONTROLLER

NHTSA ODI #10906432

14,000 miles · May 2, 2016

Service Brakes

FRONT BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY. BRAKE LEVER BECAME ROCK HARD & WOULD NOT ACTIVATE THE FRONT BRAKES AT ALL. THIS OCCURRED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO USE VEHICLE AFTER IT HAD BENEFITTING A FEW DAYS. VERY SHOCKED WHEN I WENT TO USE THE FRONT BRAKES & THEY WOULD NOT WORK, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI #10862470

55,005 miles · Apr 23, 2014

Service Brakes

DRIVING MY HARLEY AT ABOUT 20-30 MPH PULLING UP TO RED LIGHT. GO TO HIT FRONT BRAKE. NOTHING. FRONT BRAKE IS COMPLETELY DISABLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. IT APPEARS THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON HAS FAULTY ABS MODULES AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST NOR PROBABLY THE LAST OF THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY COMPLAINT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10584542

Official recalls

18V076000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid

Jan 29, 2018

Harley-Davidson Motor Company (Harley-Davidson) is recalling all 2008-2011 Touring, CVO Touring and VSRC motorcycles equipped with anti-lock brakes (ABS), including Road King (FLHR), Road King Police (EFI) (FLHP), Road King Police (EFI) (FLHPE), Electra Glide Standard Police (EFI) (FLHTP), Electra Glide Classic (EFI) (FLHTC), Electra Glide Ultra Classic (EFI) (FLHTCU) and Street Glide (EFI) (FLHX), 2008 VROD (VRSCAWA), CVO Road King 4 (FLHRSE4), Night Rod (VRSCDA), CVO Ultra Classic 3 (FLHTCUSE3), Night Rod Special (VRSCDXA), 2008-2010 Road King Classic (EFI) (FLHRC), 2008-2009 Road Glide (EFI) (FLTR) and Electra Glide Standard (EFI) (FLHT), 2009-2010 V-Rod (VRSCAW), 2009 CVO Ultra Classic (FLHTCUSE4) and CVO Road Glide 3 (FLTRSE3), 2009-2011 Night Rod Special (VRSCDX) and V-Rod Muscle (VRSCF), 2010 CVO Ultra Classic 5 (FLHTCUSE5) and CVO Street Glide (FLHXSE), 2010-2011 Electra Glide Ultra Limited (FLHTK) and Road Glide Custom (FLTRX), 2011 Road Glide Ultra 103 (FLTRU103), Street Glide 103 (FLHX103), Road King Classic 103 (FLHRC103), CVO Ultra Classic 6 (FLHTCUSE6), CVO Road Glide Ultra (FLTRUSE), Road Glide Custom 103 (FLTRX103), and CVO Street Glide 2 (FLHXSE2) motorcycles. Deposits may form on components within the brake system if the DOT 4 brake fluid is not replaced for a prolonged period of time beyond the 2-year maintenance schedule specified in the Owners Manual.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: These deposits may cause a valve within the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit to stick, reducing braking ability and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Harley-Davidson will notify owners, and dealers will flush the entire brake system with new Platinum Label DOT 4 brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on February 14, 2018. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464. Harley-Davidson's number for this recall is 0171.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Consequence: These deposits may cause a valve within the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit to stick, reducing braking ability and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Harley-Davidson will notify owners, and dealers will flush the entire brake system with new Platinum Label DOT 4 brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on February 14, 2018. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464. Harley-Davidson's number for this recall is 0171.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid

Consequence: These deposits may cause a valve within the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit to stick, reducing braking ability and increasing the risk of a crash.

08V357000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:filler Pipe And Cap

Jul 30, 2008

HARLEY DAVIDSON IS RECALLING 47,579 MY 2008 FLHP, FLHPE, FLHR, FLHRC, FLHRSE4, FLHT, FLHTC, FLHTCU, FLHTCUSE3, FLHTP, FLHX, AND FLTR MOTORCYCLES. THESE MOTORCYCLES MAY EXPERIENCE A CRACKING OF THE FUEL FILTER SHELL LEADING TO LOSS OF FUEL PRESSURE. THIS LOSS OF FUEL PRESSURE CAN CAUSE DIMINISHED PERFORMANCE AND, IN SOME CASES, MAY CAUSE AN ENGINE STALL OR A NO-START CONDITION.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WHICH COULD CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH TO THE RIDER.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER SHELL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HARLEY DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

PE16009 · Sudden Brake Failure - Motorcycle

Opened Jul 6, 2016 · Closed Apr 23, 2018

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation in July 2016 based on forty-three (43) Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ).During the course of this investigation ODI received a total of 145 VOQs related to the alleged defect on the subject motorcycles.Owners allege they experience a sudden and complete loss of brakes on one or both wheels.To better understand the cause of the braking issue on the subject motorcycles, ODI requested NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) conduct inspections and testing of affected vehicle braking systems.Through its work, VRTC determined that deposits were forming on the valves in the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) of the Antilock Braking System (ABS). These deposits could prevent the proper function of the HCU and render the brakes ineffective.To understand why deposits were forming in the HCU, Harley Davidson completed an analysis of the Dow 460 brake fluid used as original equipment on the subject motorcycles and determined that it had stability issues if left in the brake system for an extended period of time.Harley Davidson found that if a brake fluid flush was not conducted as outlined in the owner?s manual for the motorcycles, and was left in the system for a period of time beyond their recommendation; deposits could form in the HCU.Through further testing, Harley Davidson identified an alternate, commercially available, brake fluid that did not have the same stability issues as the original fluid and could stop the proliferation of any current brake system deposits.ODI sent Information Request (IR) letters to Harley Davidson and Dow Chemical (the supplier of the brake fluid on the subject motorcycles) to collect information about the subject bikes and the alleged defect.Harley Davidson responded in full on Sept 30, 2016 and Dow responded with a confidential submission on October 25, 2017.ODI analyzed the information contained in both IR responses and concluded that motorcycles manufactured during Model Years (MY) 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 were failing at a rate greater than their peers.Based on this analysis and the brake fluid study conducted by Harley Davidson, a group of motorcycles was identified that were potentially affected by the instability of the original brake fluid.2008 marked the introduction of ABS on Harley Davidson motorcycles and a change in the Dow 460 brake fluid used in the 2012 MY vehicles provided the bases for the scope of the affected population.With recall action 18V-076 taken by Harley Davidson this investigation is closed as further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: https://www.nhtsa.gov/ using the complaint identification numbers attached to this resume.

PE08043 · Motorcycle Stalling

Opened Jul 17, 2008 · Closed Aug 8, 2008

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery

THE SUBJECT FUEL FILTER HOUSING (P/N 62229-08) CRACKS, RESULTING IN SUDDEN ENGINE STALL DUE TO UNREGULATED FUEL PRESSURE.HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS MODIFIED THE HOUSING WITH A NEW PART NUMBER 62229-08A.SHORTLY AFTER OPENING THIS PE, ODI RECEIVED HARLEY'S DEFECT NOTIFICATION INDICATING THAT THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE BEING RECALLED TO INSTALL THE NEW FUEL FILTER HOUSING.WITH THAT RECALL, RECEIVED PRIOR TO RELEASE OF OUR INFORMATION REQUEST, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CONCLUDED.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery

Fuel System, Gasoline