IllustrationIMPROPER 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
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Other model years Selected year
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
210–25K
025–50K
050–75K
075–100K
0100–150K
0150K+
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
What owners actually said
23 reportsWHILE 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
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON SOFT TAIL. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE PASSENGER SIDE TURN SIGNAL AND WAS ALMOST STRUCK BY ANOTHER DRIVER. THE OTHER DRIVER INFORMED HIM THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SIGNAL DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE SIGNAL AND NOTICED THAT THE INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMI…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON SOFT TAIL. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE PASSENGER SIDE TURN SIGNAL AND WAS ALMOST STRUCK BY ANOTHER DRIVER. THE OTHER DRIVER INFORMED HIM THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SIGNAL DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE SIGNAL AND NOTICED THAT THE INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE AND THE SIGNAL LIGHT WAS BLOWN. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE FAILURES. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE DEFECT IS UNSAFE BECAUSE WHEN THE LIGHT BULB IS BLOWN AND THE SIGNAL INDICATOR STILL ILLUMINATES, THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE THAT THE SIGNAL IS NOT ILLUMINATING IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO CURRENT RECALLS; THEREFORE, NO COMPENSATION WOULD BE PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,900 AND CURRENT MILEAGE IS 3,000. UPDATED 03-06-09 *BF UPDATED 03/09/09. *JB
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.