AI Damage2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscf: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscf filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and fuel/propulsion system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 45% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 27% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (45% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 3 complaints (27% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 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 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 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.
While driving on a surface street approximately 40mph I was cut off. Applied both front and rear brakes. Abs engaged normally. Without incident but after that the front brake lever became extremely stiff. And only got stiffer until it was impossible to get any stopping action on the front wheel.
The contact stated while riding approximately 20 MPH and attempting to stop the motorcycle, the contact stated that the front brakes were functional however, the rear brakes failed to operate as designed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated.
The fuel sensor has failed twice, the first time causing me to run out of gas while on a desert highway (over 100f outside). Fortunately there was no-one behind me that might have hit me from sudden deceleration. After the first incident, I replaced the sensor with the same part number from harley davidson.
This is apparently because the abs system is integral to the braking system, without the abs module working, rather than having brakes with no abs, there are simply no brakes at all.
I noticed the engine oil light flickering after the engine is warmed up. I decided to talk to my locl harley dealership and they informed me that it was a known issue and could cause me to wreck if the engine seized.
The fuel gauge provided on my motorcycle does not operate correctly. It is intermittent and can drop from 3/4 tank to e without any warning.this seems to be a on going problem on almost all the vrod from harley davidson.
Fuel gauge does not work correctly. It will go from full to empty to half a tank and everywhere in between no matter how much fuel is actually in the tank. The only way to know if I am getting close to empty is to watch my odometer.
Fuel gauge reads anywhere from empty to full at random times - regardless of what the actual fuel level in the tank is. Example: #1. I filled the fuel tank, as I drive away from the gas station, the gauge suddenly goes to "e", and low fuel indicator comes on; #2.
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 10,520 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 29% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Vrscf has 4 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 11, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscf?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, fuel/propulsion system, electrical system. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (27%), brake failure (18%), engine failure or replacement (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscf?
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 2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscf 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 2009 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.