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Harley-Davidson · NHTSA safety record

2012 Harley-Davidson FLHX

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

16

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 Harley-Davidson FLHX have filed 16 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2012 and October 2022. The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 8 of them (50%). The typical failure was reported at 26,300 miles, the median across the 13 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

11V506000 · October 19, 2011

The defect
HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 TOURING, CVO TOURING AND TRIKE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 6, 2008, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 16, 2011. SEE THE ABOVE LIST FOR THE MODELS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MAY BE EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.
The risk
THE EXCESSIVE HEAT MAY CAUSE THE SWITCH TO NOT ACTIVATE THE BRAKE LAMP OR ACTIVATE THE BRAKE LAMP WHEN NO BRAKE IS APPLIED AND/OR CAUSE A BRAKE FLUID LEAK AT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH, AFFECTING REAR BRAKE PERFORMANCE. EITHER CONDITION MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
HARLEY-DAVIDSON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL A INSTALL A REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH KIT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER 31, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY · up to 250,757 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 16.

SERVICE BRAKES 8 50%
POWER TRAIN 2 13%
TIRES 2 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 6%
ENGINE 1 6%
STRUCTURE 1 6%
WHEELS 1 6%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 3.

2012 2018 2022
2012 to 2022

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · 38,589 miles

FRONT BRAKES COMPLETE FAILURE RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. ABS FAILED & INSTEAD OF REVERTING TO NON ABS IT LOCKED OUT THE BRAKE SYSTEM RESULTING IN NO BRAKES. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW ON 2008 & UP HARLEY'S WITH ABS. I BELIEVE THAT AN INVESTIGATION & RECALL ARE IN ORDER PLEASE. I WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED, THIS CAN LEAD TO FATALITIES!!

NHTSA complaint 11338998. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · 30,000 miles

I WAS DRIVING AT 40 MPH ON A 45 MPH 6 LANE COUNTY ROAD AND A CAR CUT IN FRONT OF ME. I DOWNSHIFTED ONE GEAR AND GRABBED THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER AND STEPPED ON REAR BRAKE PEDAL. THEY WERE BOTH AS HARD AS A ROCK AND I HAD NO BRAKES. I JUMPED THE CURB AND ROLLED INTO A GRASSY EMBANKMENT AND THE BIKE FELL ON ME. I HAD NO BRAKES AND RODE HOME WITH A CAR BEHIND ME WITH FLASHERS ON, LESS THAN ONE MILE HOME.

NHTSA complaint 11155622. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
My front brake lever froze and can not be pulled in on my 2012 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Dealership is saying brake pistons are froze up and ABS module will need to be replaced. I’ve owned the bike 6 years and have never been told the brake fluid needed to flushed every 2 years. There was a recall on this issue but only for years 2008-2011 and my bike is 2012, but was built on 2011. I never received recall notice.

NHTSA complaint 11489040. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

19,000 miles

2012 HARLEY STREET GLIDE ABS CONTROL MODULE IS FAILING. CAUSING THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER TO BECOME ROCK HARD AND UNUSABLE. SAME EXACT MODULE THAT WAS RECALLED ON 2008-2010 WAS ALSO USED IN 2011-2013. EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD AS YOU CAN NOT STOP IF SOMEONE PULLS OUT IN FRONT OF YOU.

NHTSA complaint 11390099. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILED CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKES. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET REVEALED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HARLEY DAVIDSON ABS BRAKE SYSTEMS. THERE WAS NO INDICATOR LIGHT OR WARNING THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTED JUST SUDDEN BRAKE FAILURE. LUCKILY I WAS JUST MOVING THE MOTORCYCLE AROUND THE YARD WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AND WAS ABLE TO SAFELY ROLL TO A STOP. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR IN TRAFFIC THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. THIS VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 8,000 MILES ON IT AND IS GARAGE KEPT IN A CLIMATE CONTROLLED BUILDING. ANY HELP OR ADVISE WOULD BE APPRECIATED AND I HOPE THIS CAN HELP OR POSSIBLY SAVE THE LIVES OF OTHER RIDERS.

NHTSA complaint 11229574. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

17,800 miles

THE FRONT BRAKES WERE FINE GOING TO WORK BUT WHEN I LEFT WORK THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER WAS STIFF AS A BOARD AND HAD NO FRONT BRAKES. THE BIKE WAS NOT IN MOTION WHEN I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint 11219337. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Harley-Davidson FLHX

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 10 2 —
2018 8 1 —
2014 8 5 —
2011 18 2 —
2010 24 3 —

Other 2012 Harley-Davidson models

FLHTK 19

Every Harley-Davidson on this site — 32 vehicles, 96 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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