What breaks most · 1994 to 2017 model years
Harley-Davidson FLHTCU problems by year
Owners have filed 249 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Harley-Davidson FLHTCU across model years 1994 to 2017. Three years stand out: 2008 for brakes complaints, 2009 for brakes complaints and 2007 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2015 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2008, 2009, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2015, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 2491994 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 200876 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 122 fires · 25 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 21kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 25Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 47 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (26) | |
| 76 | 5 | 2 | Brakes (25) | |
| 66 | 2 | 3 | Brakes (32) | |
| 29 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (8) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Brakes (3) | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 5 | Brakes (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 3 | Exterior lighting (1) |
What fails on the 2008 Harley-Davidson FLHTCU
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 33% |
25 | 1 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 12% |
9 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
6 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
6 | 1 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I received a recall on hd ultra classic 2008 ABS system. However about 2 months before the front brake froze up and became non-functional resulting in a very unsafe experience. Will this recall cover this or am i on my own to pay for this failure? I have owned many vehicles in my life and have never had this happen.
-
Front brakes failed unexpectedly while on highway. Brake lever is locked open and will not move. Later that day, the brakes locked open again while in parking lot causing me to wreck into curb and damage front fender.
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Heat from the rear exhaust is so intense that it caused burns to my wife with her feet on the passenger footboards as designed. Caused burns to the inside of my right thigh.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Harley-Davidson FLHTCU years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2008, 2009, 2007 carry the most filings on the Harley-Davidson FLHTCU. The 2008 alone has 76 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Harley-Davidson FLHTCU problem?
On the 2008 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 25 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Harley-Davidson FLHTCU problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Harley-Davidson FLHTCU complaints that include mileage is about 21,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.