AI DamageHarley-Davidson Flhtc: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Harley-Davidson Flhtc across 22 model years: 112 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 25% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 20% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 17% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 5% of all complaints
- 7 Wheels 5% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel/propulsion system 4% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 28 complaints (25% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 22 complaints (20% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 19 complaints (17% of all).
- Powertrain: 13 complaints (12% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 7 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 112 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 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 22 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While riding down my driveway the rear brake failed to engage on a gravel road and I loss control using my front brake to stop before entering a 2 lane road with traffic at 45 MPH. Loss of control caused the bike to crash on the road. 2 months after the crash I get a recall notice on this issue.
While driving 40 mph, the contact attempted to apply the brakes; however, the vehicle started smoking and the back tire locked up into a fishtail. The trailing driver stated that the brake lights did not illuminate. The contact was thrown off the motorcycle into the middle of the street.
I was knocked unconscious and reportedly went in and out of consciousness at the scene and throughout my emergency treatment and transportation to the local hospital and then by emergency aircraft to grand junction trauma center.
While backing out of garage front brake was hard and would not compress luckily there was no one coming down road. It resulted in me crashing my bike in the roadway.
I was leaving work on saturday about 4:15 with my motorcycle. I was approaching the area where I turn to go in front of the building to exit out to the road. As I was braking, about to turn, the bike accelerated causing the rear wheel to lose traction and the bike went down.
The tire pressure was checked to proper inflation 30 minutes before the blowout and accident occurred. The rider suffered a brain conclusion with minor hemorrhaging, a broken collarbone, and broken bones in the right foot.
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.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- 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.
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.