Engine
Filed Apr 15, 20202,300 milesNJ
OIL SUMPING, OIL PUMP FAILURE. CYLINDER SEIZED. 2300 TOTAL MILES. *TR
2018 Harley-Davidson Fxfbs
Routine
Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsVehicle Speed Control
Filed Mar 23, 20202,000 milesMD
MOISTURE IS COLLECTING UNDER THE SPEEDOMETER, FORCING ME NOT TO KNOW MY SPEED, RPM, ETC. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I AM ON MY SECOND FACTORY REPLACEMENT OF THE UNIT.
Electrical System
Filed Apr 2, 20195,000 milesSC
THE SPEEDOMETER FILLS WITH CONDENSATION RENDERING IT UNREADABLE. HARLEY DAVIDSON CORPORATE IS REPLACING DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETERS WITH ANOTHER DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER AND REFUSES TO REPLACE IT MORE THAN ONCE.
Electrical System
Filed Mar 29, 2019CA
CONDENSATION FORMS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING, RENDERING THE SPEED INDICATOR UNREADABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN BECOME DISTRACTED TRYING TO READ THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THROUGH THE CONDENSATION. IT'S ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR SPEED WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE. THE CONDENSATION MAY ALSO CAUSE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO FAIL OVER TIME. HARLEY DAVIDSON IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT HAS ADVISED THAT THEY WILL ONLY FIX IT ONCE, AND WON'T GUARANTEE THAT THE REPLACEMENT CLUSTER WON'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH CONDENSATION.
Electrical System
Filed Feb 28, 201915 milesCA
AFTER THE MOTORCYCLE WARMS UP (ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF RIDING), CONDENSATION BEGINS TO FORM INSIDE THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE INSIDE OF THE GLASS. THIS CONDENSATION BLOCKS THE VIEW OF THE SPEED READING AND OTHER INDICATORS. AT NIGHT, VISIBILITY IS EVEN WORSE WHEN THIS OCCURS. HARLEY SAYS THAT THIS IS JUST THE WAY IT IS, BUT THAT CANNOT BE THE CASE. THE GAUGE SHOULD BE COMPLETELY SEALED SO MOISTURE CANNOT GET IN. THIS IS A WIDELY REPORTED PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BECAUSE IT IS DANGEROUS. THE PICTURE I ATTACHED SHOWS THE CONDENSATION FORMING ON THE BOTTOM. IT GETS EVEN WORSE THAN THE PHOTO I PROVIDED.
Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Feb 28, 20194,000 milesFL
AFTER TAKING MY '18 HD OUT FOR LUNCH, THE SPEEDOMETER FOGGED UP WHILE I WAS INSIDE THE BUILDING (ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES - ~75 DEGREES OUTSIDE). THE ENTIRE RIDE HOME THE SPEEDOMETER WAS FOGGED UP AND I WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE SPEED OF MY MOTORCYCLE OR GEAR THAT THE BIKE WAS IN. SINCE THE UNIT ONLY HAS AN ANALOG TACH I AM OUT OF LUCK WHEN IT COMES TO DETERMINING MY SPEED TO KEEP SAFE / LAWFUL VEHICLE OPERATION ON THE ROAD. I PHONED HD TO ASK ABOUT POSSIBLE WARRANTY OPTIONS AND I WAS TOLD "THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR" AND THAT THEY WOULD / COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT - KNOWING THAT THEIR USERS ARE UNABLE TO SEE THEIR CURRENT SPEED WHILE DRIVING.
Service BrakesCrash1 injured
Filed Dec 29, 20182,200 milesTX
'TAKATA RECALL' REAR BRAKE LOCKS UP IN HARD BREAKING SITUATIONS AND PULLS BACK WHEEL LEFT. ALSO SPEEDOMETER CONSTANTLY FILLS WITH CONDENSATION NO MATTER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE OR WEATHER IS LIKE OUTSIDE. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE AND A CONSTANT PROBLEM
Electrical System
Filed Aug 28, 20181,500 milesSC
CONDENSATION FORMS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE DRIVING, RENDERING THE SPEED INDICATOR UNREADABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN BECOME DISTRACTED TRYING TO READ THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THROUGH THE CONDENSATION. IT'S ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVER CAN'T DETERMINE THEIR SPEED WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER IS UNREADABLE. THE CONDENSATION MAY ALSO CAUSE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO FAIL OVER TIME. HARLEY DAVIDSON IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT HAS ADVISED THAT THEY WILL ONLY FIX IT ONCE, AND WON'T GUARANTEE THAT THE REPLACEMENT CLUSTER WON'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH CONDENSATION.
8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2018| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2018 — this page | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
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.