What breaks most · 1990 to 2016 model years
Harley-Davidson FLSTC problems by year
Owners have filed 73 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Harley-Davidson FLSTC across model years 1990 to 2016. Three years stand out: 2012 for wheels complaints, 2009 for exterior lighting complaints and 2000 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1999 and 2001.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2009, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1999, 2001
- Complaints on file
- 731990 to 2016, all trims
- Worst year
- 201212 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 21 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 9kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 6Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Wheels (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Wheels (3) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Wheels (9) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (2) |
What fails on the 2012 Harley-Davidson FLSTC
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 75% |
9 | 0 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 17% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
1 | 1 | 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 |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting 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.
-
Pulling onto the roadway i heard a hiss then a pop and saw something fly in front of the headlight. Further examination revealed that one of the passing lamps had blown out internally
-
I have found that the switch for the rear brake will not light the brake light after the bike warms up, if the bike is allowed to cool back down the light starts to function again. This is the same problem that is causing the current recall on other model harleys in the 2009 model year.
-
The rear cam bearings, cam support plates, and oil pump failed causing engine failure, the manufacturer knows of the malfunction but feels its too costly to correct the problem until it fails. Nlm
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 FLSTC years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2009, 2000 carry the most filings on the Harley-Davidson FLSTC. The 2012 alone has 12 complaints, led by wheels.
What is the most common Harley-Davidson FLSTC problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is wheels with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Harley-Davidson FLSTC problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Harley-Davidson FLSTC complaints that include mileage is about 9,000 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.