What Harley-Davidson Flhr owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Harley-Davidson Flhr safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| 2013 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| 2011 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 21 |
| 2010 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Harley-Davidson Flhr complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
I have oil in my breather which is a result from engine sumping problems, I have had Harley Davidson to check recalls and there were none., the bike has 22853 miles on it. Also Harley Davidson checked maintenance records to see if my oil pump had been replaced, they said it had not. The sumping problems could cause a catastrophic failure and an accident
I purchased this vehicle 07/18/2025 I had no idea their was a recall on the saddle bag hardware. I was driving on highway hard saddle bag fell off the bike into the roadway and is damaged beyond repair, I looked a little deeper into the situation and found out about the recall , with that I reached out to Harley Davidson and asked if they would make good on the damage seeing I was not notified about the recall, there answer was the previous owner should have told me about the recall, I thought that when u register a vehicle with this kind of problem I should have been notified I feel the Harley is at fault.
The front brake on my bike got real hard when depressed and brake would engage. I bled the brakes but because of being ABS I could not do so. I called manufacter and they said no recall was issued. Called dealer and they said could be fixed for a price. There are 33,336 miles on bike. I understand that this a problem and a recall was issued prior to the year of my bike, it doesn't seem to have been resolved. It is winter and not using bike and waiting to see if there may be a recall
2019 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHR. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO CLUTCH ACTUATOR FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE FAILED DUE TO A PINHOLE IN THE ACTUATOR. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE 2019 HYDRAULIC CLUTCH ACTUATOR RECALL.
The contact owns a 2018 Harley-Davidson FLHR Road King. The contact stated that upon start of the motorcycle there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the motorcycle without warning. The contact had taken the motorcycle to a dealer where he was informed that the gears inside of the transmission were breaking apart and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer was able to order a new transmission and replaced the transmission under warranty; however, despite the repair, the failure returned and the contact returned the motorcycle back to the dealer. The contact had attempted to reach the manufacturer on numerous occasions but was unsuccessful after each attempt. The motor…
The other day the front brake lever became very hard to pull. It is normally easy to use. The brakes still work and release as usual, but it is very hard to pull the lever and I have no "feel" for braking due to the effort needed to pull the lever. My search for information points to the ABS. Thank you, Carmen.
ABS LOCK OUT OF FRONT BRAKES. LEVER SEIZED LEAVING RIDER WITHOUT FRONT BRAKES. CAME TO A STOP IN REST AREA WITH FUNCTIONAL BRAKES AND AFTER A SHORT BREAK HANDLE WAS SIZED AND FRONT BRAKE WAS NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL.
THIS SHOULD BE IN A RECALL I LOOSE THROTTLE ON THE FREEWAY ALMOST DIED 6 TIMES BC THE BIKE LOOSES THROTTLE THIS SHOULD BE FIXED AND BE UNDER WARRANTY AND RECALL SO MANY HARLEY-DAVIDSONS HAVE THIS ISSUE AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES IT LOOSES THROTTLE OFTEN AND CAN'T FIND THE CULPRIT AND HARLEY NEEDS TO ACTION
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.9.4): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). New Software Update. NOTE: The TECHLINK 3 (PART NUMBER: HD-48650-TL3) supports Controller Area Network (CAN) and J-1850 protocol vehicles. ⢠6-pin CAN vehicles are recommended to use Techlink 3 (TL-3) ⢠All 2021 (and later) vehicles must use TL-3 (connects to Red DLC on the vehicle) ⢠4-pin (J-1850) vehicles are recommended to
SERVICE BULLETIN M1733: COSMETIC CYLINDER STAINING (ALL MILWAUKEE-EIGHT MODELS). PURPOSE: Initial release. This bulletin informs dealers that cosmetic staining or etching on the inside of the cylinder bore does not have an impact on engine performance, oil consumption, or overall functionality. This bulletin provides example images of cylinders with cosmetic staining, and images of cases where cylinder replacement would be recommended.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.8.3): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version Version 26.8.3, Release Date: Week of July 24, 2026. NOTE: Software version (26.4.3) will need to be manually installed only if current software version of DT II is (26.0.2). After (26.4.3) is manually installed, automatic updates will bring DT II to the latest software version. Refer to bulletin M1713 for instructions. New
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.7.3): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 26.7.3. Release Date:⢠Week of June 11, 2026. NOTE Software version (26.4.3) will need to be manually installed only if current software version of DT II is (26.0.2). After (26.4.3) is manually installed, automatic updates will bring DT II to the latest software version. Refer to bulletin M1713 for instructions.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1727: BIG TWIN INNER PRIMARY SEAL CHANGES. PURPOSE: Initial release. This bulletin informs dealers of changes to the Inner Primary Seal (Part No. 12052). The seal part number was changed from (Part No. 12052A, black in color) to (Part No. 12052B, brown in color). A new Inner Primary Seal (Part No. 12052C) has been released and the color has been changed back to black.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.6.2): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 26.6.2. Release Date: Week of April 22, 2026. NOTE: Software version (26.4.3) will need to be manually installed only if current software version of DT II is (26.0.2). After (26.4.3) is manually installed, automatic updates will bring DT II to the latest software version. Refer to bulletin M1713 for instructions. New Feature
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.5.2): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 26.5.2 Release Date: Week of March 30, 2026. NOTE Software version (26.4.3) will need to be manually installed only if current software version of DT II is (26.0.2). After (26.4.3) is manually installed, automatic updates will bring DT II to the latest software version. Refer to bulletin M1713 for instructions. New Features.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1679: AFTERMARKET EXHAUST HEADER DEBRIS. PURPOSE: Initial release. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has identified instances of premature engine failure due to abrasive particle wear, specifically from debris inside new aftermarket exhaust headers. Recent evaluations have identified that certain newly manufactured exhaust headers may contain residual hard particles that, if not removed prior to installation, can migrate through the engine system and cause accelerated component wear or severe mechanical damage.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1713 (REV C): DTII UPDATE PROCEDURE FOR SOFTWARE VERSION (26.4.3). PURPOSE: Revision C. This bulletin informs dealers that an issue was discovered in the Digital Technician II (DT II) software version (26.0.2), released on November 18, 2025. The issue prevents automatic software updates to be installed on your DT II computer. A manual installation of the latest DT II software version (26.4.3) will need to be performed if current DT II software version is (26.0.2), to allow future automatic updates. If a manual update to (26.1.5) or (26.3.2) has previously been completed, DT I
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.4.3): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 26.4.3 Release Date: Week of February 25, 2026. NOTE: Software version (26.4.3) will need to be manually installed only if current software version of DT II is (26.0.2). Refer to bulletin M1713 for instructions. New Features: Support for 2026 LiveWire Vehicles, LiveWire S2 Vehicle Status: Display notification when vehicle
SERVICE BULLETIN PAB1177: HARLEY-DAVIDSON AUDIO POWERED BY ROCKFORD FOSGATE P&A WIRING SCHEMATICS. PURPOSE: Initial Release. This bulletin informs dealers and technicians that there are Parts and Accessories (P&A) Wiring Schematics for Harley-Davidson Audio Powered by Rockford Fosgate components. Schematics are available for both Non Center-Cooled and Center-Cooled models.
SERVICE BULLETIN M1713 (REV B): DTII UPDATE PROCEDURE FOR SOFTWARE VERSION (26.3.2). PURPOSE: Revision B. This bulletin informs dealers that an issue was discovered in the Digital Technician II (DT II) software version (26.0.2), released on November 18, 2025. The issue prevents automatic software updates to be installed on your DT II computer. A manual installation of the latest DT II software version (26.3.2) will need to be performed if current DT II software version is (26.0.2), to allow future automatic updates. If a manual update to (26.1.5) or (26.2.1) has previously been completed, DT I
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens these when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Many end in a recall.
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 (VRT
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2010–2022, owners most often name: power train, service brakes, unknown or other. 33 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.