AI DamageHarley-Davidson Fxsts: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Harley-Davidson Fxsts across 5 model years: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Wheels 43% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel system 14% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 14% of all complaints
- Wheels: 3 complaints (43% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
21-inch after market wheel failed/ split into two parts, causing loss of control, resulting in a crash/injuries.
This isn't a complaint, it's an observation. I own a harley davidson that has a solid cast aluminum rear wheel. The valve stem is visible on the right side of the wheel as you look toward the front of the bike. This is the same side of the bike that the mufflers and the rear brake disc are mounted.
Custom chrome wheels that were sold with motorcycle had 5 spokes out of 40 break off. Consumer felt if one broke and went through wheel it could kill someone.
Carburetion system has had repeated failures. Initally the gas-air mixture was so lean that the unit sputtered repeatedly. This can be a fatal event on a slow curve when a motorcycle is at its maximum lean angle and the engine sputter can in fact become a spontaneous engine shut-down.
Has taken motorcycle to dealership the first three times because the tail lights keep going out. The dealership only changed the bulbs each time. The fourth time dealer cleaned the ground, the fith and sixth times they changed bulbs and cleaned ground, the seventh time the dealer changed the tail light assembly, and…
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Wheels. Wheel runout, cracks, signs of a wheel strike.
- 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.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
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.