AI Damage2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtcutg: common problems
Owners of the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtcutg filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 7
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 43% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 14% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 14% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (43% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Steering: 1 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 7 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
No brake lights, New tire, 406 miles on it, 6.6 miles fr: dealership, 3rd time there for random electrical issues, radio, starting, etc. Less than 1 mile tested in parking lot. Battery replaced. Drove thousands of miles since the 1970s. Trike maintained on schedule by dealer.
The contact's husband owned a 2012 Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Classic. The contact stated while her husband was driving at 30-35 MPH on a curve, the brake pedal or caliber was depressed but failed to respond. The contact stated the motorcycle rolled over and her husband jumped off and fell into a ditch.
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 motorcycle was towed to the dealer where it awaited repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.
Cpsc: i1460341a. 2012 harley-davidson flhtcutg. Consumer stated the rear driver differential unexpectedly failed. The motorcycle was repaired.
Took a 400 mile trip from orlando, florida to key west, florida on 7/27/11. On the way down to key west, the right side of the motorcycle was extremely hot!! Heat caused inside calf of my wife's right leg to become extremely red and burned.
This bike has excessive heat issues it is almost to the point this bike cannot be ridden. I have been told to take care of this problem I would need to invest nearly $2,000 more dollars into this bike. I think this is an ongoing issue with harley-davidson and they refuse to acknowlege the problem.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 12,538 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 34% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Flhtcutg has 5 complaints (17 years in the data). This year has 7, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- 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.
Other years of this model
- Flhtcutg 20095 sources
- Flhtcutg 20109 sources
- Flhtcutg 20119 sources
- Flhtcutg 20137 sources
- Flhtcutg 20145 sources
- Flhtcutg 20156 sources
- Flhtcutg 201652 sources
- Flhtcutg 201792 sources
- Flhtcutg 201875 sources
- Flhtcutg 201974 sources
- Flhtcutg 202076 sources
- Flhtcutg 202163 sources
- Flhtcutg 202259 sources
- Flhtcutg 202355 sources
- Flhtcutg 202442 sources
- Flhtcutg 202526 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtcutg?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 7. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (14%), infotainment or screen glitches (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtcutg?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtcutg from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2012 models
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.