Consumer Safety Complaints

Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported Deaths

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.

The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.

How to interpret what you read

A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:

One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.

If you've experienced a defect

File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.

Read more from our blog

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 4,224 complaints for HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Incident date: Jun 7, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCUTG. WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL AT APPROXIMATELY 15-20 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND FAILED TO STOP THE MOTORCYCLE. AS A RESULT OF THE BRAKE FAILURE, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION AND REHABILITATION. THE MOTORC... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jul 11, 2016

COMPENSATOR IN PRIMARY WENT OUT WITH ONLY 25,000 MILES. UPON RESEARCH, IT IS FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO HARLEY, YET THEY HAVEN'T SAID ANYTHING. THIS IS A MAJOR COST TO THE CONSUMER AND MOST IMPORTANTLY DANGEROUS!!! IF THIS GOES OUT WHILE YOU ARE RIDING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, IT LOCKS THE BACK WHEEL AND PRIMARY ENGINE! NO TELLING HOW MANY DEATHS HAPPENED WITH THIS AND IT'S GOES WITHOUT ANYTHI... Read more

Incident date: Jun 11, 2016

LEG BURNS DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM REAR ENGINE CYLINDER. MEASURE RADIANT HEAT AT 340 DEGREES. THIS HAS CAUSED RED BURN ON THE BACK OF THE RIGHT LEG. HEAT IS FELT WHILE IN MOTION ON 80 DEGREE DAYS. INCREASES DURING STOPS FOR LIGHTS. HAVE BROUGHT TO DEALER AND MANUFACTURERS ATTENTION OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS.

1 injured

Incident date: Jul 8, 2016

AFTER APPROX 15 MIN OF RIDING, THE BRAKE PEDAL FOR THE REAR BRAKE WILL DEPRESS ALL THE WAY DOWN AND THERE WILL BE NO BRAKES. THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER BECOMES DIFFICULT TO SQUEEZE AND ONLY APPLIES MINIMAL STOPPING ABILITY. THIS HAS HAPPENED THE LAST 3 TIMES I HAVE RIDDEN AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO RUN A RED LIGHT THROUGH CROSS TRAFFIC. ONCE I GET THE BIKE HOME I CAN PUMP THE BRAKE AND IT WILL EVENTUALLY ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 10, 2015

ABS QUIT WORKING, HAD TO REPLACE. START BIKE AND THE BRAKE HANDLE WAS FROZEN IN PLACE. IF YOU FORCE IT USING BOTH HANDS IT WOULD BEGIN TO WORK. WOULD WORK UNTIL TURN OFF THE BIKE. WHEN STARTING BIKE AGAIN, SAME PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP SAID "ABS HCU FAILED, MUST REPLACE..

Incident date: Jun 15, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTKL. WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WOBBLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE HANDLE BARS SUDDENLY FELL OUT OF POSITION AND FRACTURED THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE HANDLE BARS LOOSENED AND NEEDED TO BE RE-TIGHTENED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,200.

Incident date: Jul 14, 2016

THE HYDRAULIC RESERVOIR COVERS ON BOTH THE CLUTCH LEVER AND FRONT BRAKE LEVER LEAK BRAKE FLUID AND ARE IN CONSTANT NEED OF MONITORING IN THE CASE OF LOW LEVELS OF BRAKE FUILD OR FLUID CONTAMINATION POSSIBLE RESULTING IN CLUTCH OR BRAKE FAILURE.

Incident date: Jul 14, 2016

Incident date: Oct 20, 2014

WHILE DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET APPROXIMATELY 40MPH I WAS CUT OFF. APPLIED BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES. ABS ENGAGED NORMALLY. WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT AFTER THAT THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER BECAME EXTREMELY STIFF. AND ONLY GOT STIFFER UNTIL IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET ANY STOPPING ACTION ON THE FRONT WHEEL. ..UPDATED 02/10/17 *BF THE ABS ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED, NORMAL BRAKING RETURNED. APPROXIMATELY A... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Apr 1, 2009

SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN 2009 I NOTICED WHEN I APPLIED THE REAR BRAKES SOMETIMES THE PEDAL WOULD GO DOWN AND HIT THE FLOOD BOARD WITHOUT ANY BRAKING PRESSURE. DEALER SAID NOTHING WRONG. NOW AFTER SITTING FOR A FEW WEEKS FRONT BRAKE LEVER IS VERY HARD TO APPLY AT FIRST BUT DOES GET BETTER AFTER USE.I QUIT COMPLAINING BUT AM STILL SCARED TO RIDE IT CANT WAIT TO SELL IT.WOU... Read more

Incident date: Jul 6, 2016

WHILE PASSING A VEHICLE AT 55 MPH MY MOTORCYCLE THROTTLE BY WIRE SYSTEM WENT INTO THE LIMP MODE (THE THROTTLE IS NO LONGER FUNCTIONING). I'M AM BESIDE THE VEHICLE I'M ATTEMPTING TO PASS AND HAD A DIFFICULT TIME TRYING TO GET BACK INTO THE DRIVING LANE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO DO SO BEFORE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE SINCE 2008 WITH THE THROTTLE BY WIRE SYSTEM. IT IS ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 15, 2016

I HAD A CRASH WITH INJURIES BACK ON MARCH 15 2016 WHERE AS I RAN INTO THE RIGHT REAR CORNER OF A SUV THAT STOPPED FOR A CAR THAT WAS TURNING LEFT SUDDENLY IN FRONT OF ME AS WE TRAVELED DOWN A RURAL TWO LANE ROAD AND I COULDN'T STOP IN TIME BECAUSE, I FEEL THAT THE ANTILOCK BRAKES DIDN'T REACT IN TIME OR FAST ENOUGH, IF AT ALL. I HAD JUST LEFT THE HOUSE GOING TO WORK WHEN THIS HAPPENED NOT EVEN A ... Read more

Crash 6 injured

Incident date: May 9, 2016

THE SHIFT LINKAGE ROD THAT CONNECTS THE FOOT SHIFT LEVER TO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT ROD LEVER HAD THE SPLINES STRIPPED WHICH MEANT THAT WHEN I WAS COMING TO A STOP I WAS NO LONGER IN CONTROL OF THE MOTORCYCLE BECAUSE I COULD NOT SHIFT GEARS. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NEARLY BRAND NEW, HAVING LESS THAN 15K MILES ON IT, AND IT HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED. ALL TORQUE VALUES WERE CORRECT AND THE LINKAGE ROD ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ULTRA FLHTCU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V2160000 (POWER TRAIN) WAS RECEIVED IN AUGUST OF 2015. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL JULY OF 2016, IN WHICH TIME THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT IT TOOK THE MANUFACTURER NEARLY ONE YEAR T... Read more

Incident date: Nov 11, 2015

I OWN AND OPERATE A 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCU ULTRA CLASSIC. WHILE RIDING ON THE HIGHWAY, EXITED ON THE OFF RAMP AND TRIED TO USE MY BRAKES TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT. BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKE LEVERS WERE HARD AS A ROCK (INOPERATIVE) AND WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT FUNCTION TO STOP THE BIKE. I IMMEDIATELY DOWN SHIFTED AND KILLED THE ENGINE AT A SLOW SPEED TO STOP THE BIKE. I CONTACTED A FRIEND TO B... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHR. WHILE DEPRESSING THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL AT 40 MPH IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN THE FRONT BRAKE WAS ENGAGED, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE PAVEMENT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE LEFT SHOULDER, HEAD, AND GROIN. THE CONTACT ALSO SUSTAINED ROAD RASH THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS ... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 30, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHP STREET GLIDE. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE HAND BRAKES TO STOP THE MOTORCYCLE. THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE MOTORCYCLE CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIR... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jun 28, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE FOOT BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE FRONT BRAKE WAS ENGAGED IN ORDER TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THERE WAS NO BRAKE FLUID VISIBLE ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WERE AIR BUBBLES IN THE BRAKE LINES. THE MEC... Read more

Incident date: Mar 7, 2016

FRONT ABS BRAKE FAILED. PULLED OUT OF DRIVEWAY, GOT TO CORNER STOPPED FOR SIGN AND FRONT BRAKE WOULD NOT WORK, COULD NOT PULL BRAKE LEVER IN AT ALL. BRAKES DID NOT GIVE ANY WARNING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. ABS DID NOT FAIL SAFE.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCUSE5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A COMPLETE HALT, THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER FAILED TO DEPRESS. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE ANTI-LOCK WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHX. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. AS HE TURNED LEFT, THE BRAKE FAILED, THE MOTORCYCLE FLIPPED OVER, AND THE DRIVER WAS EJECTED INTO THE DITCH. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A MINOR INJURY, BUT MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT REQUIRED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS RE... Read more

Incident date: Jul 2, 2016

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND MY SHIFTER LEVER FELL OFF THE BIKE ,SO WHEN I GOT HOME I DISCOVERED THAT THE SHIFTER ROD WAS STRIPPED SO NOT ONLY DID I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ROD BUT BOTH FRONT AND REAR SHIFTER LEVERS AS WELL.THIS BIKE ONLY HAS 6000,00 MILES ON IT . WHEN I WENT TO MY LOCAL HD DEALERSHIP FOR THE PARTS HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING WITH THE 2014-2016 MODELS AND THAT THESE PARTS... Read more

Incident date: May 21, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER WERE DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A PAVEMENT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BACK, RIBS, LEFT FOOT, NECK AND LEFT LUNG INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM ... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 1, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU ELECTRA GLIDE ULTRA MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PUT HIS FEET DOWN AND SLOWED TO A HALT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS BLOCK FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAI... Read more

Incident date: Jul 7, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU. WHILE PARKED, THE ANTI-BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES FILED TO RESPOND WHEN THE BRAKE HANDLE WAS HELD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ANTI-BRAKE SYSTEM MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFAC... Read more

Incident date: Nov 10, 2010

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHRC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE REAR BRAKES HAD BEEN APPLIED SEVERAL TIMES THEY FAILED TO ENGAGE AND FUNCTIONED RANDOMLY. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, PROVIDED A COVER FOR THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR BUT DID NOT PROVIDE A DIAGNOSIS TO PREVENT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS WAITING FOR A REPA... Read more

Incident date: Oct 1, 2013

WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN YOU APPLIED PRESSURE TO LEVER TO STOP. HAD TO USE REAR BRAKE TO STOP MOTORCYCLE. PULLED OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD AND WORKED LEVER AND SEEMED TO FREE UP AND WORK OK. RESTARTED BIKE AND DROVE OFF. BRAKES SEEMED TO WORK. DROVE BIKE FOR ABOUT 30 MILES AND BRAKE LEVER FROZE UP AGAIN. NO BRAKES IN THE FRONT. HARD LEVER AGAIN. FRIGHTENING E... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2016

THE REAR BRAKE WILL LOCK UP FOR AN INSTANT IF YOU ARE APPLYING THE BRAKE AND YOU HIT A BUMP OR OVER A HOLE.

Incident date: Aug 1, 2013

DEAR SIRS, JULY 10, 2016 I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A FIX FOR POOR BRAKING ON MY 2013 HARLEY DYNA WITH ABS SINCE ABOUT 2 MONTHS AFTER BUYING IT NEW FROM SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA HARLEY. IN THE BEGINNING I EVEN THOUGHT IT WAS ME, BUT AFTER LETTING A FRIEND TRY THE BIKE , HE CONFIRMED THE VERY POOR BRAKING. HOW COULD THIS HAVE PASSED GOVERNMENTS TEST FOR BRAKING DISTANCE. I LOVE THE ABS AND WOULD... Read more

Incident date: Feb 26, 2016

THE FRONT BRAKES LOCKED WHEN I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN. I FELL OVER AND BROKE 3 RIBS. I SENT MY BIKE TO THE HD DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY FIXED THE DAMAGE TO MY BIKE. THE TECHNICIAN TEST DROVE MY BIKE AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO HIM. THE DEALERSHIP SAID HE WAS GOING ABOUT 25 MPH WENT THE FRONT BRAKES LOCKED ON HIM. HD HAD MY BIKE FOR 5 MONTHS. ALL THEY DID WAS CHARGE ME FOR A WHOLE NEW FRONT BRA... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Sep 29, 2015

I PULLED OUT OF MY GARAGE ON MY 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON HEADING TO THE STREET CORNER STOP SIGN AND APPLIED THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKES. THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER WOULD NOT MOVE BACK TO APPLY THE FRONT BRAKE. SINCE I WAS ONLY MOVING AT 25 MPH THE REAR BRAKE BROUGHT THE BIKE TO A STOP SAFELY. I EXAMINED THE BRAKE EQUIPMENT BUT FOUND NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE TO THE SYSTEM. L CALLED MY HD DEALER WHO ADVISED ME THAT ... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 2016

FRONT BRAKE IS STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. THE ABS MODULE IS BAD ACCORDING TO THE HARLEY SHOP. THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS RIDING ON A HIGHWAY ALL OF A SUDDEN I'M UNABLE TO PULL THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER. I JUST READ AN ARTICLE THAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING INTO THIS AND ISSUE AND IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED. I WAS CONSIDERING LEAVING A REPORT BEFORE SINCE THIS IS SO UNSAFE AND I'M GLA... Read more

Incident date: Feb 15, 2016

THE REAR BRAKE ON MY 2010 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLTRX WITH ABS FAILED. THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL FROZE IN THE UP POSITION, NOT ALLOWING ME TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE. NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED IT WOULD NOT GO DOWN. I WAS TRAVELLING 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TIME. I RODE HOME USING ONLY THE FRONT BRAKE FOR STOPPING, FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT FAIL ALSO. I TOOK IT IN TO THE LOCAL HARLEY DEALER AND THE TECH TO... Read more

Incident date: May 6, 2016

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY STEEP DRIVEWAY AND MY FRONT BRAKE SUDDENLY BECAME VERY HARD TO PULL, BORDERING ON IMPOSSIBLE, AND BASICALLY HAD NO STOPPING POWER. AS THIS IS THE ONLY BRAKE I COULD USE WHILE WALKING/BACKING MY BIKE DOWN MY SLOPED THE DRIVEWAY THE BIKE PICKED UP SPEED AND CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL AND THE BIKE FELL OVER. SINCE THEN I HAVE TRIED TO BLEED THE BRAKES 3 TIME WITH NO CHANGE. BRA... Read more

Crash

Incident date: May 27, 2016

REAR BRAKES CAUGHT FIRE. DUE TO BRAKE DRAG

Fire

Incident date: Jun 3, 2016

FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP. WOULD NOT APPLY.

Incident date: Nov 28, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHT. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND WHEN THE BRAKE HANDLE WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE MODULE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE V... Read more

Incident date: May 30, 2009

ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, MOTORCYCLE PURCHASED IN 2009, AT APPR. 12000 MILES, FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED AROUND EVERY 12000 MILES SINCE NEW AND I HAVE 90,000 MILES ON IT NOW. AT APPR. 40,000 MILES, THE HOLE FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED, ROTORS, CALIPERS, LINES, MASTER CYLINDER. THE BRAKES WOULD AUTOMATICALLY APPLY THEMSELVES UNTIL I... Read more

Incident date: May 29, 2016

A FUEL SYSTEM FAILURE CAUSED JERKING AND EXCESSIVE GAS CONSUMPTION. MOTORCYCLE DIES FREQUENTLY AND IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAFELY RIDE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HARLEY DAVIDSON HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN FOR, BUT LIKE MANY OTHERS MY PARTICULAR MODEL FALLS OUTSIDE OF THE COVERED ASSEMBLED DATES.

Incident date: Jul 2, 2016

ENGINE PRODUCES EXCESS HEAT THAT CAN BURN YOU AND WHEN HOT RUNS ERRATIC AT IDLE. ESPECIALLY NOTICBLE WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND THE SYSTEMS GETS SO HOT IT CAN BURN YOUR LEGS. I HAVE AN OLDER HARLEY AND THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH IT

Incident date: Jun 16, 2016

WHILE I WAS RIDING MY 2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTK MOTORCYCLE ON A 35 MPH TWO LANE CITY STREET, THE SHIFTER SHAFT LEVER BECAME STRIPPED. I WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE MOTORCYCLE OUT OF FIRST GEAR AFTER A STOP AND TRAFFIC WAS BACKING UP BEHIND AND PASSING ME CREATING SOMEWHAT OF A HAZARD. FORTUNATELY FOR ME I WAS IN AN AREA WHERE I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY EXIT THE ROADWAY. HAD THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A ROAD... Read more

Incident date: Jun 23, 2016

I CHANGED THE OIL, WHEN FINISHED I COULD NOT GET THE OIL CAP TO LOCK AND SEAL. I TOOK IT TO A HARLEY DEALERSHIP AND HAD THE SERVICE ADVISOR TRY TO GET IT TO LOCK DOWN AND HE COULD NOT. THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED THE OIL THAT HAD DRIPPED ALL OVER MY BIKE. I ORDERED A NEW CAP. I THEN TOOK IT TO A BIKE GARAGE (INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED), THEY TOLD ME THAT SOME YEARS OF HARLEYS HAD SWITCHED TO A PL... Read more

Incident date: Jun 23, 2016

Incident date: Jun 24, 2016

ON JUNE 24, 2016 TRIED TO PRESS REAR BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY DOWN WHILE SLOWING TO AVOID STOPPED CAR IN FRONT OF ME. COULD NOT DO IT IN NORMAL RIDING POSITION. HAD TO USE ALL FRONT BRAKE. I WAS ON A CITY STREET DURING FORTY MILES AN HOUR.

Incident date: Jun 21, 2016

THE COMPENSATOR SPROCKET BEGAN TO THUMP AND KNOCK ON CURBSIDE STARTING, INDICATING WEAR. IT ONLY HAPPENS WITH THE BIKE IN GEAR AND THE CLUTCH DEPRESSED. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN IN NEUTRAL. IT CLEARED UP WITHIN 30 MINUTES, AND I CHANGED THE GEAR OIL, HOWEVER NOW I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE IF IT GOES COMPLETELY IT WILL DISTRIBUTE METAL SHARDS THROUGHOUT THE GEAR BOX AND LOCK UP THE ENGINE POTENT... Read more

Incident date: May 11, 2016

I DECIDED ONE MORNING TO RIDE MY BIKE DOWN TO THE BMV TO RENEW LICENSE PLATES. THE RIDE DOWN TO THE BMV BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES FUNCTION AND OPERATE PROPERLY. WHEN I GET BACK ON THE BIKE TO LEAVE, I GET READY TO STOP JUST PRIOR TO ENTERING THE HIGHWAY AND MY REAR BRAKE PEDAL IS ROCK SOLID WITH NO TRAVEL AND NO REAR BRAKES WHATSOEVER. I DID HAVE FRONT BREAKS, BUT BEING SURPRISED BY NOT HAVING ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 13, 2016

EXHAUST SYSTEM BURN HAZARD. THE EXHAUST SYSTEM HAS AN INEFFECTIVE HEAT SHIELD FOR THE RIGHT SIDE FOOT/LEG AREA. THE HEAT SHIELD REACHES TEMPERATURES OVER 250 DEGREES IN UNDER 30 SECONDS FROM SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE OR SETTING AT LONG STOPLIGHTS. ATTEMPTING TO RIDE OR RE-MOUNT A RECENTLY RIDDEN MOTORCYCLE WILL BLISTER BARE SKIN ON CONTACT.

1 injured

Incident date: Jun 13, 2016

1 injured

Incident date: Jun 8, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE ACCELERATION FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED FOUR OTHER TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE ACTUATOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE W... Read more

Incident date: Jun 8, 2016

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