IllustrationOIL SUMPING, OIL PUMP FAILURE. CYLINDER SEIZED. 2300 TOTAL MILES. *TR
2018 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Fxfbs
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Fxfbs years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 7 of 8 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
8 reportsMOISTURE IS COLLECTING UNDER THE SPEEDOMETER, FORCING ME NOT TO KNOW MY SPEED, RPM, ETC. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I AM ON MY SECOND FACTORY REPLACEMENT OF THE UNIT.
THE SPEEDOMETER FILLS WITH CONDENSATION RENDERING IT UNREADABLE. HARLEY DAVIDSON CORPORATE IS REPLACING DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETERS WITH ANOTHER DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER AND REFUSES TO REPLACE IT MORE THAN ONCE.
CONDENSATION FORMS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING, RENDERING THE SPEED INDICATOR UNREADABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN BECOME DISTRACTED TRYING TO READ THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THROUGH THE CONDENSATION. IT'S ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR SPEED WHEN …
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CONDENSATION FORMS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING, RENDERING THE SPEED INDICATOR UNREADABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN BECOME DISTRACTED TRYING TO READ THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THROUGH THE CONDENSATION. IT'S ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR SPEED WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE. THE CONDENSATION MAY ALSO CAUSE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO FAIL OVER TIME. HARLEY DAVIDSON IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT HAS ADVISED THAT THEY WILL ONLY FIX IT ONCE, AND WON'T GUARANTEE THAT THE REPLACEMENT CLUSTER WON'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH CONDENSATION.
AFTER TAKING MY '18 HD OUT FOR LUNCH, THE SPEEDOMETER FOGGED UP WHILE I WAS INSIDE THE BUILDING (ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES - ~75 DEGREES OUTSIDE). THE ENTIRE RIDE HOME THE SPEEDOMETER WAS FOGGED UP AND I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE SPEED OF MY MOTORCYCLE OR GEAR THAT THE BIKE WAS IN. SINCE THE UNIT ONLY HAS AN ANALOG TACH I AM OUT OF LUCK …
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AFTER TAKING MY '18 HD OUT FOR LUNCH, THE SPEEDOMETER FOGGED UP WHILE I WAS INSIDE THE BUILDING (ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES - ~75 DEGREES OUTSIDE). THE ENTIRE RIDE HOME THE SPEEDOMETER WAS FOGGED UP AND I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE SPEED OF MY MOTORCYCLE OR GEAR THAT THE BIKE WAS IN. SINCE THE UNIT ONLY HAS AN ANALOG TACH I AM OUT OF LUCK WHEN IT COMES TO DETERMINING MY SPEED TO KEEP SAFE / LAWFUL VEHICLE OPERATION ON THE ROAD. I PHONED HD TO ASK ABOUT POSSIBLE WARRANTY OPTIONS AND I WAS TOLD "THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR" AND THAT THEY WOULD / COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT - KNOWING THAT THEIR USERS ARE UNABLE TO SEE THEIR CURRENT SPEED WHILE DRIVING.
AFTER THE MOTORCYCLE WARMS UP (ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF RIDING), CONDENSATION BEGINS TO FORM INSIDE THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS. THIS CONDENSATION BLOCKS THE VIEW OF THE SPEED READING AND OTHER INDICATORS. AT NIGHT, VISIBILITY IS EVEN WORSE WHEN THIS OCCURS. HARLEY SAYS THAT THIS IS JUST THE WAY IT IS, BUT THAT CANNOT …
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AFTER THE MOTORCYCLE WARMS UP (ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF RIDING), CONDENSATION BEGINS TO FORM INSIDE THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS. THIS CONDENSATION BLOCKS THE VIEW OF THE SPEED READING AND OTHER INDICATORS. AT NIGHT, VISIBILITY IS EVEN WORSE WHEN THIS OCCURS. HARLEY SAYS THAT THIS IS JUST THE WAY IT IS, BUT THAT CANNOT BE THE CASE. THE GAUGE SHOULD BE COMPLETELY SEALED SO MOISTURE CANNOT GET IN. THIS IS A WIDELY REPORTED PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BECAUSE IT IS DANGEROUS. THE PICTURE I ATTACHED SHOWS THE CONDENSATION FORMING ON THE BOTTOM. IT GETS EVEN WORSE THAN THE PHOTO I PROVIDED.
'TAKATA RECALL' REAR BRAKE LOCKS UP IN HARD BREAKING SITUATIONS AND PULLS BACK WHEEL LEFT. ALSO SPEEDOMETER CONSTANTLY FILLS WITH CONDENSATION NO MATTER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE OR WEATHER IS LIKE OUTSIDE. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE AND A CONSTANT PROBLEM
CONDENSATION FORMS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING, RENDERING THE SPEED INDICATOR UNREADABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN BECOME DISTRACTED TRYING TO READ THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THROUGH THE CONDENSATION. IT'S ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR SPEED WHEN …
Read full complaint
CONDENSATION FORMS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING, RENDERING THE SPEED INDICATOR UNREADABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN BECOME DISTRACTED TRYING TO READ THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THROUGH THE CONDENSATION. IT'S ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR SPEED WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE. THE CONDENSATION MAY ALSO CAUSE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO FAIL OVER TIME. HARLEY DAVIDSON IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT HAS ADVISED THAT THEY WILL ONLY FIX IT ONCE, AND WON'T GUARANTEE THAT THE REPLACEMENT CLUSTER WON'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH CONDENSATION.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.