AI DamageHarley-Davidson Electra Glide: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide across 9 model years: 41 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 34% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 10% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 10% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 5% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 5% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 14 complaints (34% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 5 complaints (12% of all).
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (12% of all).
- Equipment: 4 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 4 complaints (10% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 41 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
2004 harley davidson flhtcse screaming eagle went into high speed wobble, causing rider to lose control.
I put a product called tireflys on the valve stem of my 1999 harley davidson electra glide classic. These cadgets give off light as the wheel spins. After 15 minutes of riding on I 75 I developed two flat tires at the same time. It seems that the tireflys remove the stem from the tire.
The rear swing arm on the primary side (left) is broken in two. This swing arm holds the rear wheel, and brakes to the motorcycle. This is a very dangerous situation. After much research many of these swing arms for years 1996 to 2000 break yet no factory recall has ever happened.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 (na) harley davidson electra glide ultra l. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v216000 (power train) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable timeframe to schedule the recall repair.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 harley davidson electra (na). The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v216000 (power train); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
The contact stated that while driving 15 mph the vehicle would wobble, shaking the contact's arms and making the vehicle hard to control. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who decided to grease the barring in the steering column in order to remedy the problem. The failure recurred.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.