What breaks most · 2007 to 2026 model years
Harley-Davidson FLHX problems by year
Owners have filed 184 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Harley-Davidson FLHX across model years 2007 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2008 for brakes complaints, 2009 for electrical system complaints and 2010 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2020, 2015 and 2016.
- Years to check closely: 2008, 2009, 2010
- Fewest complaints: 2020, 2015, 2016
- Complaints on file
- 1842007 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 200830 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 143 fires · 26 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 18kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 27Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 3 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 30 | 1 | 2 | Brakes (9) | |
| 28 | 1 | 3 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 24 | 0 | 3 | Brakes (12) | |
| 18 | 2 | 2 | Brakes (8) | |
| 16 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (8) | |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Engine (1) | |
| 10 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Forward collision system (1) | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (1) |
What fails on the 2008 Harley-Davidson FLHX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 30% |
9 | 1 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 20% |
6 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 17% |
5 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 13% |
4 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
4 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 7% |
2 | 1 | — |
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 hit my brakes and I felt the abs system kick in and after I let off the brakes the next time I attempted to use the rear brake the pedal was extremely hard to push and I had no braking power on the rear of the motorcycle.
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Transmission is poorly manufactured. Motorcycle has 40k miles and when ring on shifter gets hot, it becomes brittle causing it to break off 1/4" causing bike to loose power and gear while traveling at highway speeds. When taken to repair shop, piece had damaged other 5 gears can provide pictures if needed
-
Front Brakes do not work. I can not operate brake lever will not pull in, brakes have been service to manufacture recommendations, Rear brakes work, the front brake has failed in ABS unit and failed not working.
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 FLHX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2008, 2009, 2010 carry the most filings on the Harley-Davidson FLHX. The 2008 alone has 30 complaints, led by brakes.
What is the most common Harley-Davidson FLHX problem?
On the 2008 model year, the most-reported component is brakes with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Harley-Davidson FLHX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Harley-Davidson FLHX complaints that include mileage is about 18,000 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.