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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtcu Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
5about this part
Share
7%of 70 total for the year
Median mileage
30,100miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtcu, 7% of the 70 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 30,100 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My bike is a 2009 ultra classic. I sent this to att: harley davidson customer service lead/manager, and really got nowhere with this issue. I took it upon myself to check on why I have been seeing grindings on my drain plug from my primary chain case. Here, I found a piece of metal 7 x 1/2 wide stuck between my primary chain and the clutch pack grinding away to break and lodge into the gearing which could have locked up the rear tire. …”

NHTSA complaint #10510059, filed 2013-04, 50,000 miles

“Compensator primary chain failure shutter when driving hard starting failure to starter motor part is junk will cause rear wheel to lock up while driving ending up in crash and death”

NHTSA complaint #10903896, filed 2016-09, 28,200 miles

“Began to hear a faint high pitched squeal in the transmission at highway speeds, along with a noticeable clunk in the engine at startup and shutdown. Also noticed the clunk when shifting the lower gears and the bike was becoming difficult to get into neutral. Took the bike in for the 20,000 mile service and mechanic advised he had found an issue with the compensator in the drive train. Mechanic stated that this issue could result in a failure at any time and cause a lock down of rear wheel or cause the bike to lose drive train function, along with damage to other internal components. …”

NHTSA complaint #10568072, filed 2014-03, 18,500 miles

“The guard/spring housing locater on the rotor behind the drive sprocket developed a fatigue crack, it propagated approximately half way around the circumference before separating and then being pulled thru between the drive chain and sprocket . this caused the drive train to seize up locking up the engine and rear wheel and damaging the engine. being a motorcycle this can lead to a serious injury or death crash. fortunately for me it let go at low speed.”

NHTSA complaint #11471559, filed 2022-06

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2016117%
2014444%
2013229%
2010826%
200957%
2008911%
20071225%

Other parts of the 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtcu

Brakes
36 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 complaintsEngine
6 complaintsEngine cooling
6 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtcu

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology