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2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Soft Tail

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

21 reports with mileage · 2 unknown

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 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 4 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.

0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Seats complaints

2 reports
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400 miles · Jun 22, 2009
Seats

IMPROPER SEAT FITMENT (SIZING) CAUSED SEAT TO BECOME UNATTACHED DURING NORMAL RIDING. AFTER HITTING A BUMP ON THE HIGHWAY, THE FRONT PORTION OF MY SEAT BECAME UNHOOKED CAUSING A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. HAD I NOT BEEN GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE, THE SEAT COULD HAVE SLID OFF THE BIKE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10274679

120 miles · Jun 22, 2009
Seats

WHILE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE, THE SEAT GOT DETACHED FROM THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE SEAT IS ATTACHED AT TWO POINTS. THERE IS A TAB AT THE REAR OF THE SEAT WHICH ATTACHES TO THE FENDER. THE OTHER ATTACHMENT POINT IS UNDER THE SEAT, WHERE A FRAME MOUNTED TAB SLIDES INTO A HOLE IN THE SEAT. THE ATTACHMENT POINT UNDER THE SEAT IS…

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WHILE RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE, THE SEAT GOT DETACHED FROM THE MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE SEAT IS ATTACHED AT TWO POINTS. THERE IS A TAB AT THE REAR OF THE SEAT WHICH ATTACHES TO THE FENDER. THE OTHER ATTACHMENT POINT IS UNDER THE SEAT, WHERE A FRAME MOUNTED TAB SLIDES INTO A HOLE IN THE SEAT. THE ATTACHMENT POINT UNDER THE SEAT IS WHERE THE SEAT DETACHED. THE SEAT PAN FOR THIS MODEL BIKE (FLTRSE3) IS QUITE FLEXIBLE. WHEN A RIDER SITS ON THE SEAT, IT ALLOWS THE SEAT TO FLEX. THE FLEXION OF THE SEAT CAUSES THE SEAT TO PULL AWAY FROM THE FRAME MOUNTED SEAT TANG. I HIT A SHARP BUMP AT ABOUT 60 MPH AND THE SEAT FLEXED ENOUGH TO ALLOW IT TO DETACH FROM THE UNDER SEAT MOUNT POINT. THIS FAILURE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO OCCUR AT ANY TIME WHILE RIDING SEATED ON THE MOTORCYCLE. IT OCCURRED TWICE IN ONE DAY (PERHAPS TWO TO THREE HOURS RIDING). I AM ABLE TO REATTACH THE SEAT. I CONTACTED THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE SEAT THE DAY THIS OCCURRED. THERE IS NO RESOLUTION AT THIS POINT. I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN HARLEY WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BUT I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE ON ALL FLTRSE3 MODELS AND THAT THE SEATS SHOULD BE RECALLED. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE A RIDER TO LOSE CONTROL IF THE MOTORCYCLE SEAT DETACHES WHILE RIDING. THIS DEFECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THE MOTORCYCLE IN QUESTION IS A 2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLTRSE3. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE TO SELECT IN THE COMPLAINT TYPE SECTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10274616

Official recalls

0

No 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.