U.S. public vehicle records

2004 Harley-Davidson FLHT problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

56,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2004 model year. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine And Engine Cooling

Engine And Engine Cooling: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 0 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2009

2009: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

100.0%Usable mileage1 / 1 records

100.0%Valid incident date1 / 1 records

100.0%Valid filing date1 / 1 records

100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates1 / 1 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	2008	2009	2010	2019	2020	2021	2022
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Service Brakes	125.0% ODI 11075665 · 56,000 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE FLHT. WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE BRAKE FAILED TO ENGAGE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TIMMS HARLEY-DAVIDSON (4110 CLEMSON BLVD, ANDERSON, SC 29621, [phone removed]) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS PUMP FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE REPAIR FEES. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V076000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NO… Look up ODI 11075665 at NHTSA ↗	450.0% ODI 10883517 · 12,000 mi ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, MOTORCYCLE PURCHASED IN 2009, AT APPR. 12000 MILES, FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED AROUND EVERY 12000 MILES SINCE NEW AND I HAVE 90,000 MILES ON IT NOW. AT APPR. 40,000 MILES, THE HOLE FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED, ROTORS, CALIPERS, LINES, MASTER CYLINDER. THE BRAKES WOULD AUTOMATICALLY APPLY THEMSELVES UNTIL I WOULD HAVE TO PULL OVER. THEY WOULD LOCK DOWN. THEY WOULD WORK PROPERLY AFTER I SAT ON SIDE OF ROAD FOR AROUND 30 MINUTES. I TOOK IT TO HARLEY THE NE… Look up ODI 10883517 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 10918042 · 21,000 mi I PULLED OUT OF MY GARAGE ON MY 2010 ELECTRA GLIDE CLASSIC AND WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE STOP SIGN ON THE STREET AT APPROX 10 MPH I WENT TO APPLY MY FRONT BRAKE AND FOUND I COULD NOT MOVE MY FRONT BRAKE LEVER. LUCKILY MY REAR BRAKE HAD WORKED AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP MOTORCYCLE BEFORE AND DAMAGE OCCURRED. THERE WAS NO APPARENT ISSUES WITH MY BRAKE SYSTEM (NO FLUID LEAKS) SO I CALLED MY HD DEALER AND THEY HAD TOLD ME MY ABS MODULE HAD FAILED DUE TO LACK OF CHANGING MY BRAKE FLUID AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE OWNED MANY VEHICLES WITH ABS BRAKIN… Look up ODI 10918042 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Power Train	250.0% ODI 10472683 · 31,000 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN HE HEARD A ROLLING NOISE COMING FORM THE SHIFTER. THE CONTACT LATER DISCOVERED THAT A METAL COMPONENT HAD FALLEN AND DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ROTOR STATOR ASSEMBLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 31,000..UPDATED11/19/12 BF UPDATED 11/20/2012 JS Look up ODI 10472683 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Unknown Or Other	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 11320073 · 10 mi ON MY 2019 FLHT I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY COUNTER STEER TO THE RIGHT TO MAKE THE BIKE GO IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A STRAIGHT ROAD ON A CALM DAY WITH NO WIND, (BIKE STEERS TO THE LEFT AT ALL TIMES) AFTER TAKING THE BIKE TO TWO DEALERS ONE OF WHICH I BOUGHT IT FROM THEY BOTH CLAIM AFTER TESTING IT THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT,I FOUND OUT MYSELF THAT THE REAR FORK(SWINGARM) IS TWISTED AND I BROUGHT THIS TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION ,THEY REFUSED TO CHECK IT,SO WHEN I GOT INTOUCH WITH THE HARLEY DAVIDSON COMPANY THEY SAID THAT THEY ARE GOING BY THEIR DE… Look up ODI 11320073 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Suspension	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 11340763 · 850 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THAT THE MOTORCYCLE SWING ARM WAS FACTORY TWISTED AND THE FRAME WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTORCYCLE DRIFTED TO THE LEFT WHILE RIDING. ADDITIONALLY, THE STEERING NECK AND STEERING HEAD WERE NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE BACKBONE OF THE FRAME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME WAS NOT CENTERED. THE MOTOR CYCLE WAS TAKEN TO NEW ORLEANS HARLEY DAVIDSON (6015 AIRLINE DRIVE METAIRIE LA, 70003, [phone removed] FOR INSPECTION. THE CONTACT WAS INFOR… Look up ODI 11340763 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Wheels	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	112.5% ODI 10476718 · 22,000 mi AT AROUND 20,000 MILES I TOOK MY MOTORCYCLE IN TO HAVE THE TIRES CHANGED AND THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS WERE BAD AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACE THE REAR WHEEL BEARING. A FEW THOUSAND MILES LATER THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED ON ME IN MONTANA, I AM FROM WASHINGTON STATE, ON THE FREEWAY AND I ALMOST CRASHED, I COULD HAVE DIED RIGHT THERE BUT LUCKILY I WAS NOT IN A TURN AND MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. A DEALERSHIP IN MONTANA TRAILERED MY MOTORCYCLE IN AND REPLACE THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS. NOW AT ABOUT 40,000 MILES I TOOK THE MOTORCYCL… Look up ODI 10476718 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 11338882 · 100 mi TRACKING NUMBER 11320073,I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING MY CASE,I WOULD LIKE TI KNOW WHAT THE NHTSA ARE DOING ABOUT MY UNSAFE BIKE,THANK YOU [XXX] REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *CC Look up ODI 11338882 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Ignition	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Engine And Engine Cooling	Too few reports for a range	56,000 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10284662 · 56,000 mi ON ALL HARLEY DAVIDSON TWIN CAM 88 CI ENGINES YEARS 2004-2006 THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE INTERNAL CAM CHAIN TENSIONERS. THE SPRING LOADED TENSIONERS BURN OUT AS EARLY AS 25000 MILES WHICH IF NOT DETECTED MAY HAVE CAUSED SOME ACCIDENTS. ONCE THE TENSIONER BURNS THROUGH SMALL METAL PARTS BREAK OFF AND MAY HAVE ALREADY CAUSED ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE ENGINE LOCKING UP. IT HAS CAUSED COUNTLESS FAILURES COSTING OWNERS BETWEEN 700 TO 1000 DOLLARS TO FIX IF THEY ARE STILL ALIVE. HARLEY HAS TRIED TO SWEEP THIS UNDER THE RUG. BURNED OUT PARTS ARE AVAIL… Look up ODI 10284662 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2021: 0 complaints · 2022: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2021	0	0	0
2022	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2021	0	0	0
2022	0	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Engine And Engine Cooling
Engine And Engine Cooling	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.