Service Brakes. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
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NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

3 reports

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6,444 miles · Sep 25, 2018

Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ULTRA-GLIDE FLHTCU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE FRONT BRAKES SEIZED. THE CONTACT WAS ONLY ABLE TO ENGAGE THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM. WITH THE HELP OF A FRIEND, THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME. SIX BENDS HARLEY-DAVIDSON (9501 THUNDER RD, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA, (239) 275-4647) WAS…

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NHTSA ODI #11131584

42,000 miles · Mar 17, 2017

Service Brakes

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BIKE PARKED IN GARAGE FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS BECAUSE OF COLD WEATHER. FIRED IT UP TO LET IT WARM UP FOR A FEW MIN'S. CLIMBED ON TO BACK IT OUT AND THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER WOULD NOT BUDGE OR STOP THE BIKE WHEN I NEEDED TO STOP. FORTUNATELY BEFORE I LOST CONTROL, I WAS ABLE TO LEAN TO THE RIGHT WHILE USING REAR BRAKE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY HIT THE KILL SWITCH AND POP IT IN 1ST GEAR TO STOP IT. CHECKED CALIPERS. THEY WERE FINE. STARTED BREAKING LINES AND FOUND THAT ON THE INLET TO ABS UNIT THERE WAS FLUID AND BRAKE MOVEMENT. RETIGHTENED AND THEN BROKE THE ABS OUTPUT LINE AND NO FLUID ESCAPED AND NO MOVEMENT OF FRONT LEVER. AND I MEAN ZERO MOVEMENT. IT WILL NOT BUDGE. STARTED RESEARCHING AND FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE FOR MY BIKE AND EARLIER VERSIONS. REAR BRAKE OPERATION IS FINE AND NOT AFFECTED.

NHTSA ODI #10966542

10 miles · Jan 7, 2016

Service Brakes

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I OWN AND OPERATE A HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCU ULTRA CLASSIC. WHILE RIDING ON THE HIGHWAY I TRIED TO USE MY FRONT BRAKES TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND THE BRAKE LEVER WAS HARD AS A ROCK AND WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT FUNCTION TO STOP THE BIKE, HAD TO RELY ON MY REAR BRAKES WHICH PUT ME IN AN SLIDE BECAUSE OF THE HARD BREAKING TO COMPENSATE FOR THE FRONT BRAKES MALFUNCTION. I MANAGED TO RETURN HOME USING MY REAR BRAKES ONLY. THE MALFUNCTION OF THE FRONT ABS BRAKES OCCURRED WITHOUT NOTICE AND IT IS A HAZARDOUS CONDITION. WHEN I CONTACTED THE LOCAL HD DEALERSHIP I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY SUCH MALFUNCTION ON MY 2011 FLHTCU. THEY ALSO ADVISED THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS. WHEN I SPOKE WITH OTHER HARLEY OWNERS, I LEARNED THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH HD BIKES BEGINNING IN 1999 WHEN ABS BRAKES WERE FIRST INTRODUCED BUT THE MANUFACTURER, HARLEY DAVIDSON, DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BRAKE MALFUNCTION WHICH COSTS OVER $1,000.00 TO REPAIR. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. A FRONT BRAKE FAILURE CAN HAVE DIRE CONSEQUENCES AND CAN RESULT IN A CASUALTY BECAUSE FAILURE TO STOP ON A TWO WHEEL VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AND CAN BE DEADLY.

NHTSA ODI #10818724

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.

11V506000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Oct 19, 2011

HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 TOURING, CVO TOURING AND TRIKE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 6, 2008, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 16, 2011. SEE THE ABOVE LIST FOR THE MODELS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MAY BE EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE EXCESSIVE HEAT MAY CAUSE THE SWITCH TO NOT ACTIVATE THE BRAKE LAMP OR ACTIVATE THE BRAKE LAMP WHEN NO BRAKE IS APPLIED AND/OR CAUSE A BRAKE FLUID LEAK AT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH, AFFECTING REAR BRAKE PERFORMANCE. EITHER CONDITION MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: HARLEY-DAVIDSON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL A INSTALL A REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH KIT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER 31, 2011. 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.