What breaks most · 2009 to 2024 model years
Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG problems by year
Owners have filed 86 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG across model years 2009 to 2024. Three years stand out: 2017 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2010 for engine and cooling complaints and 2011 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2022 and 2020.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2010, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2022, 2020
- Complaints on file
- 862009 to 2024, all trims
- Worst year
- 201713 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 132 fires · 20 injuries · 7 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 4kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 16Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 7 | 3 | 1 | Brakes (3) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Engine (3) | |
| 5 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | Engine (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 8 | 3 | 2 | Brakes (2) | |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | Brakes (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2017 Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 38% |
5 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 38% |
5 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 15% |
2 | 1 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension 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.
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Stalls when at idle or slow manouvering, rpms are going from 1200 down to 300-0 causing vehicle to stall. This a intermittent problem and a very dangerous situation at times. Have taken to dealer and called corporate with a no trouble found.
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Vehicle engine and exhaust produces excessive heat which i burned my pants on and the heat is overwhelming . I talked to hd and they will not admit there is a problem and want to brush it under the rug. Please help this is a major incident burn just waiting to happen.
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The exhaust burns my leg when i stop for a light or anything else. $35,000.00 and cant use it when ambient temp is above 80 unless i want to go to the hospital with 2nd degree burns.
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 6, 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 FLHTCUTG years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2017, 2010, 2011 carry the most filings on the Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG. The 2017 alone has 13 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 5 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Harley-Davidson FLHTCUTG complaints that include mileage is about 4,000 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.