2013 Harley-Davidson Flhtcu

Fatalities reported

Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes3
000
Power Train2
202
Tires1
101
Engine1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
TiresCrash1 injured1 killed
Filed Feb 27, 2025KY

See attached document for complaint.

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 8, 202156,000 milesFL

CANNOT PULL THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER. HARD AS A ROCK, THE FRONT BRAKE IS INNOPERATIVE. ABS MODULE FAILURE. HAPPEND AT MY HOUSE.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 21, 201942,800 milesNC

ABS SYSTEM MODULE FAILURE. BACKING OUT OF GARAGE WITH IGNITION ON, PULLED FRONT BRAKE LEVER AND IT WAS LOCKED, COULD NOT PULL. HAD NO FRONT BRAKE. HAD TO STOP BIKE BY APPLYING REAR BRAKE. REAR BRAKE FUNCTIONED AS IT SHOULD. IF YOU TURN BIKE OFF AND LET IT SIT FOR A FEW HOURS, BRAKE PRESSURE IN FRONT EQUALIZES. YOU CAN THEN PULL FRONT BRAKE LEVER AND BRAKE WORKS AS IT SHOULD WITH IGNITION OFF. AS SOON AS YOU TURN IGNITION ON AND ABS MODULE POWERS UP THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER LOCKS UP AND IS UNUSABLE. WHEN RIDING THE FRONT WHEEL TURNS FREELY AS THE BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED, BUT FRONT BRAKE LEVER CANNOT BE PULLED. DIAGNOSIS TO ABS MODULE FAILURE! I LET BIKE SIT OVERNIGHT. PULLED BRAKE LEVER TO ENSURE BRAKES FUNCTIONED WITH IGNITION OFF, BRAKES WORKED FINE. PULLED FUSE 21 FOR ABS SYSTEM. TURNED ON IGNITION, ABS LIGHT COMES ON STEADY AS SYSTEM HAS NO POWER. BRAKES WORKED FINE ON TEST RIDE BUT WHEELS CAN BE LOCKED UP AS ABS IS NON FUNCTIONING. SHUT BIKE OFF, RE-INSTALLED FUSE, TURNED IGNITION BACK ON, ABS SYSTEM POWERED UP AND FRONT BRAKE LEVER LOCKED AND CANNOT BE USED. REPEATED SAME PROCEDURE AS ABOVE AND NOW HAVE FUNCTIONAL BRAKES TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE BIKE, BUT ABS SYSTEM FUSE PULLED AND ABS IS DISABLED. HARLEY DAVIDSON ABS MODULE FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE ENDING IF I HAD FOUND THIS OUT AT THE WRONG TIME WHEN I REALLY NEEDED THE BRAKES. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD FAIL ON THE SAFE SIDE AND BE ABLE TO HAVE OPERATIONAL BRAKES WITH NO ABS FUNCTION, BUT INSTEAD IT FAILS TO THE BAD AND DOES NOT A

Power TrainCrash1 injured
Filed Sep 11, 201819,000 milesMI

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH FAILURE THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH FAILED WHILE RIDING CITY ROADS CAUSING AN UNSAFE STOP, LOSS CONTROL, PERSONAL INJURY.

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 10, 201735,032 milesTX

WE WERE ON A ROAD TRIP AND WHILE TRAVELING IN THE HILL COUNTRY WE STARTED HEARING A POPPING SOUND WHICH AT FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS THE ROAD TAR POPPING BECAUSE IT WAS HOT OUT. AS WE WERE DESCENDING DOWN THE HILL I APPLIED THE REAR BRAKES AND FOUND THAT THEY WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW. I APPLIED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY FAILED TO WORK. THE POPPING CONTINUED AT WHICH WE REALIZED IT WAS THE BRAKES. WHEN WE GOT THE A MOTORCYCLE STOPPING SPOT AND LET THE BIKE SET FOR A WHILE THE BRAKES CAME BACK AND WERE WORKING AGAIN. A MAN AT THE STOP ADVISED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON THING WITH THE HARLEY AND THE BRAKE FLUID COMING TO A BOIL AND THINNING OUT AND THE BRAKES FADING OUT. I KNOW WE WERE UNABLE TO SLOW OR BRING THE BIKE TO A SAFE STOP DUE TO THIS ACTION.

Engine
Filed Jul 3, 20142,800 milesPA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTCU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS CONTINUOUSLY OVERHEATING AND CAUSING THE HEAT SHIELD TO FAIL. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF THE FAILURE CAUSING SEVERE BURNS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING NORMALLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,800. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,900.

Power TrainCrash1 injured
Filed May 5, 20141,890 milesTX

WHILE UP-SHIFTING GEARS FROM 2ND TO 3RD THE CLUTCH FAILED AND I COULD NOT DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION. I MANUALLY DOWN-SHIFTED TO FIRST TO SLOW DOWN THEN TURNED INTO A PARKING LOT TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC AND TRIED TO FIND NEUTRAL TO BE ABLE TO STOP SAFELY BUT RAN OUT OF SPACE BEFORE I HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND STALL THE ENGINE. AS THE ENGINE BEGAN TO STALL THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED TO JUMP & BUCK AND I LOST CONTROL AND FELL OVER. I EXTENDED MY LEG TO TRY AND STAY UPRIGHT BUT COULD NOT HOLD THE BIKE UPRIGHT AND SPRANG OR JAMMED MY KNEE. I CHECKED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT THE 2014 MODELS OF THIS SAME BIKE WAS UNDER WHAT APPEARED TO BE A VOLUNTARY RECALL BY HARLEY DAVIDSON FOR CLUTCH ISSUES. I CALLED HARLEY DAVIDSON TO SEE IF THE 2013 MODELS WERE ALSO UNDER SOME RECALL SINCE IT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME ISSUE WITH MY BIKE. THEY SAID NO, BUT I SHOULD TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. *TR

7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2008
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20191100Routine
20181200Routine
20174300Routine
20166100Routine
20152200Routine
20149500Routine
2013 — this page7001Fatalities reported
20116200Routine
201031300Routine
200970310Routine
200881210Routine
200748000Routine
19980100Routine
19972100Routine
19961100Routine
19955100Routine
19942100Routine

Compare every Flhtcu year →

Reading this record

1 death reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.