Harley-Davidson FLS SOFTAIL problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
4 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
3,342 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2014 to 2015 model years. Data updated: . 4 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 4 complaints (25.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 1 | 25.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1 |
| Service Brakes | 1 |
| Structure:Body | 1 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 |
Engine: 1; Service Brakes: 1; Structure:Body: 1; Vehicle Speed Control: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 4 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 4; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (4). 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 4 |
2015: 4
Pattern summary
Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. 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.
Owner report 10714673 · 2015-05-05 (May 5, 2015)
REAR BRAKE RUBBING CAUSING CALIPER AND ROTOR TO GET HOT ENOUGH TO FRY EGGS , DEALERSHIP NO HELP. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 6,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10714673 at NHTSA ↗
Recalls by model year
All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.
Recall campaigns
Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 1 |
2014: 1; 2015: 1
Year-by-year records
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
4 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
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.
| Component | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 133.3%ODI 10716987 · 70 miAS I WAS ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP OF SALTWELL RD. HARRISON COUNTY, WV 26330 MERGING ONTO I-79 NORTHBOUND MY ENGINE LOCKED UP AND ALMOST THREW ME OFF THE MOTORCYCLE. I GRABBED THE CLUTCH AND COASTED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE. I CALLED TRIPLE S HARLEY DAVIDSON OUT OF MORGANTOWN, WV. THEY CAME AND PICKED THE BIKE UP. [XXX] 2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON FAT BOY INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Service Brakes | 133.3%ODI 10714673 · 6,000 miREAR BRAKE RUBBING CAUSING CALIPER AND ROTOR TO GET HOT ENOUGH TO FRY EGGS , DEALERSHIP NO HELP. *TR | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Structure:Body | 133.3%ODI 10743345 · 9,000 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLS SOFTAIL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE REAR LEFT SIDE SADDLE BAG FELL OFF THE BIKE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 10734687 · 683 miMY 2015 FLS HAS JUST UNDER 700 MILES ON IT & THE SPEEDOMETER BROKE YESTERDAY. STUCK ON 60MPH. IT DROPPED BACK DOWN TO 0 AFTER SITTING FOR A HALF HOUR, BUT STUCK AGAIN AS SOON AS I REACHED 45 MPH. IT JUMPED UP TO 100MPH & WAS INACCURATE FOR THE REST OF MY RIDE. I CALLED MY DEALER & I KNOW IT WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF RIGHT AWAY BUT I BELONG TO A GROUP ONLINE OF ONLY SOFTAIL SLIM OWNERS & SEVERAL HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. GETTING IT REPLACED WITH THE SAME SPEEDO JUST TO HAVE THAT ONE GO BAD ALSO. A FEW OWNERS GOT UPGRADES FREE & SOME PAID THE EXTRA … |
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 | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | Too few reports for a range | 70 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10716987 · 70 miAS I WAS ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP OF SALTWELL RD. HARRISON COUNTY, WV 26330 MERGING ONTO I-79 NORTHBOUND MY ENGINE LOCKED UP AND ALMOST THREW ME OFF THE MOTORCYCLE. I GRABBED THE CLUTCH AND COASTED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE. I CALLED TRIPLE S HARLEY DAVIDSON OUT OF MORGANTOWN, WV. THEY CAME AND PICKED THE BIKE UP. [XXX] 2014 HARLEY DAVIDSON FAT BOY INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR |
| Service Brakes | Too few reports for a range | 6,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10714673 · 6,000 miREAR BRAKE RUBBING CAUSING CALIPER AND ROTOR TO GET HOT ENOUGH TO FRY EGGS , DEALERSHIP NO HELP. *TR |
| Structure:Body | Too few reports for a range | 9,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10743345 · 9,000 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLS SOFTAIL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE REAR LEFT SIDE SADDLE BAG FELL OFF THE BIKE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000. |
| Vehicle Speed Control | Too few reports for a range | 683 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10734687 · 683 miMY 2015 FLS HAS JUST UNDER 700 MILES ON IT & THE SPEEDOMETER BROKE YESTERDAY. STUCK ON 60MPH. IT DROPPED BACK DOWN TO 0 AFTER SITTING FOR A HALF HOUR, BUT STUCK AGAIN AS SOON AS I REACHED 45 MPH. IT JUMPED UP TO 100MPH & WAS INACCURATE FOR THE REST OF MY RIDE. I CALLED MY DEALER & I KNOW IT WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF RIGHT AWAY BUT I BELONG TO A GROUP ONLINE OF ONLY SOFTAIL SLIM OWNERS & SEVERAL HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. GETTING IT REPLACED WITH THE SAME SPEEDO JUST TO HAVE THAT ONE GO BAD ALSO. A FEW OWNERS GOT UPGRADES FREE & SOME PAID THE EXTRA … |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
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
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | 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.
2014: 3 complaints · 2015: 1 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 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 | Engine | Service Brakes | Structure:Body | Vehicle Speed Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Structure:Body | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.