AI DamageHarley-Davidson Flstci: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Harley-Davidson Flstci across 5 model years: 12 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 17% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 8% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (17% of all).
- Tires: 2 complaints (17% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (8% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (8% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 12 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 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.
Traveling down interstate lost ability to slow down. Throttle was stuck open. Had to hit kill switch and move into emergency lane. As I have been told by repair shop the 2003 model year has been notorious for this issue. News to me. The throttle control rod cracks and disengages from throttle sensor.
Was driving on the freeway when I heard a strange sound and loss of power so pulled off the freeway to check it out. When I pulled over, couldn't see anything wrong so attempted to go again and the bike would not go anywhere.
Metzeler me880 motorcycle tire is delaminating. Big chunk of tread pulling away from tire belt. Tire must be replaced after 1season about 8000 miles..
Brake light switch failure. Known problem with softail models and no recall by company.
Metezler marathon 880 tire blow out.was driving down highway at 65 mph and the side of my rear tire went out,causing me to almost crash,thank god there was no corner! 150/80b16 www metezler marathon. Tire pressure always checked as I am a motorcycle crash survivor!
Vehicle does not like to idle when cold. Also spuraticly stalles going down the road. This is a safty hazard because you may be just in the middle of intersection or going threw curves. There may be a small hickup just before it quites.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
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 2026-11-06.