Harley-Davidson Flhr Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 52 consumer complaints across the 6 model years of the Harley-Davidson Flhr (1995–2018) that have at least 5 complaints. 2008 has the most, with 14. Across all years, the part named most often is brakes (10 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Flhr model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 | 3,450 | 1 | 81 | — | Not enough data |
| 2011 | 9 | 27,000 | 2 | 22 | — | Not enough data |
| 2009 | 10 | 19,000 | 3 | 16 | — | Not enough data |
| 2008 | 14 | 12,300 | 2 | 15 | — | Not enough data |
| 1999 | 8 | 54,827 | 1 | 2 | — | Not enough data |
| 1995 | 6 | 30,042 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Brakes10 19%
- Engine9 17%
- Suspension8 15%
- Electrical system7 13%
- Vehicle speed control5 9.6%
- Engine cooling5 9.6%
- Transmission and drivetrain4 7.7%
- Tires4 7.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1999: “I took my bike harley davidson road king in to the shop for a flat tire. The mechanic showed me my swing had arm broken literally into two pieces. He informed that harley quit making this particular swing due the high rate of failure! This is highly concerning, as this is the piece that holds the rear wheel to the motorcycle straight when the torque of the motor is transferred to the rear wheel. …”
NHTSA complaint #10621117, filed 2014-08, 78,654 miles2008: “Bike would just shut down. Once restarted it would idle at approx 1500 RPM (limp mode). This happen twice. There no throttle response, idle was still around 1500 RPM. Talk to the dealer about my issues. Before I could finish my little speech, I was told that it was the ECM or the atc pin connectors. He describes my problem to me. They have fixed this problem in that past.”
NHTSA complaint #10454567, filed 2012-04, 23,000 miles2009: “I was exiting the freeway at 55mph when I slightly banked right, the engine died. I coasted to the side, turned the ignition switch off, then back on and it started and ran perfectly. The engine died again while entering the freeway at a later time. Again, I was banking to the right on a sweeping turn. The bike started as before after coasting to side of the onramp. I rode without a problem until I entered the freeway at the same on ramp a few hours later. The engine died in the same exact place. This is a dangerous situation!”
NHTSA complaint #10643722, filed 2014-10, 28,540 milesOther Harley-Davidson models
263 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhx
174 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtk
147 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtcui
100 complaintsHarley-Davidson XG750
85 complaintsHarley-Davidson Harley Davidson
84 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtc
82 complaintsHarley-Davidson Flhtcutg
76 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology