U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Harley-Davidson FLHT: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

6 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

6,500 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data updated: 2026-09-30 (September 30, 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

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Pads is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 6 complaints (33.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	2	33.3%

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.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Pads

Electrical System:Horn

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Structure:Frame And Members

Suspension

Tires

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Pads: 2; Electrical System:Horn: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 1; Structure:Frame And Members: 1; Suspension: 1; Tires: 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: 1; 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 (1). 5 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.

2001

2002

2005

2022

2001: 2; 2002: 1; 2005: 2; 2022: 1

Pattern summary

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Pads leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 2 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.

Examples from the source records

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

Owner report 10110149 · 2005-02-08 (February 8, 2005)

FRONT BRAKES MAKING A SWOOSH TYPE NOISE WHEN BRAKES ARE NOT APPLIED. FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES WITHIN 15000 MILES. REAR TIRE HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN 15000 MILES DUE TO WEAR. WAS TOLD BY 3 HARLEY DAVIDON DEALERS THIS WAS COMMON DUE TO WEIGHT OF MOTORCYCLE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10110149 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10137297 · 2005-09-22 (September 22, 2005)

I OWN A HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE HORNS ON THESE BIKES ARE A HAZARD. MY BIKES HORN SOUNDS LIKE A DEAD DUCK WHEN IT DOES MAKE NOISE, AND THERE ARE 1000'S OF OTHERS WHO MAKE THIS SAME COMPLAINT ON NUMEROUS INTERNET HARLEY FORUMS. THESE HORNS ARE A SAFETY ISSUE AND HARLEY DAVIDSON KNOWS THAT THESE HORN QUIT WORKING ON EVEN THEIR NEW BIKES. MY BIKE IS A 2001 ELECTRA GLIDE. HARLEY DAVIDSON SHOULD BE FORCED INTO A RECALL ON THEIR CHEAP HORNS, OR COME UP WITH A BETTER PRODUCT THAT WORKS. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 6,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10137297 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11491210 · 2022-10-27 (October 27, 2022)

There is a crack in the rear swing arm from top to bottom. Have been reading on line forums. Apparently this has been going on for years. Why no recall ?

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11491210 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 745950 · 2001-05-26 (May 26, 2001)

FRONT BRAKES STARTED SQUELLING AT THE FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP. HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH NO RESPONSE. RETURNED TO DEALER TWO TIMES. REFUSED TO REPAIR SAID THEY HAVE TRIED TO REPAIR IN PAST WITH NO SUCCESS.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 745950 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 770343 · 2002-12-02 (December 2, 2002)

MANUFACTURER'S POWDER COATING FLAKING AWAY AND FRAME SEVERELY RUSTING. DT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 770343 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 895611 · 2001-08-31 (August 31, 2001)

WHILE RIDING MOTORCYCLE AT 70 MPH IT STARTED TO BLOW OUT OIL THROUGH CARBURETOR ONTO CONSUMER'S LEGS. WHILE OIL WAS BURNING, CONSUMER HAD TO KEEP FOCUS ON ROAD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. *AK CONSUMER WAS BURNED DUE TO INCIDENT AND THERE WAS SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE. *SLC

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 895611 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

02V002000 · Exterior Lighting

Reported: 2002-01-04 (January 4, 2002)

ON CERTAIN MOTORCYCLES, THE CLIPS THAT RETAIN THE WIRING FOR THE FRONT FENDER TIP LIGHT CAN BECOME DETACHED FROM THE FENDER, CAUSING THE WIRES TO FRAY AND SHORT.

Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE THE LIGHTING SYSTEM FUSE TO BLOW, LEAVING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT AN OPERATIONAL FRONT FENDER TIP LIGHT, HEADLIGHT, TAILLIGHT, RUNNING LIGHTS, AND PASSING LAMPS (IF EQUIPPED).

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FENDER TIP LIGHT WIRING HARNESS RETENTION CLIPS, AND INSPECT AND REPLACE, IF NECESSARY, ANY DAMAGED WIRING HARNESSES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 9, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-342-4680.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

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

Data completeness

6 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-09-30.

16.7%Usable mileage1 / 6 records

100.0%Valid incident date6 / 6 records

100.0%Valid filing date6 / 6 records

100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates6 / 6 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
Electrical System:Horn	Too few reports for a range	6,500 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10137297 · 6,500 mi I OWN A HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE HORNS ON THESE BIKES ARE A HAZARD. MY BIKES HORN SOUNDS LIKE A DEAD DUCK WHEN IT DOES MAKE NOISE, AND THERE ARE 1000'S OF OTHERS WHO MAKE THIS SAME COMPLAINT ON NUMEROUS INTERNET HARLEY FORUMS. THESE HORNS ARE A SAFETY ISSUE AND HARLEY DAVIDSON KNOWS THAT THESE HORN QUIT WORKING ON EVEN THEIR NEW BIKES. MY BIKE IS A 2001 ELECTRA GLIDE. HARLEY DAVIDSON SHOULD BE FORCED INTO A RECALL ON THEIR CHEAP HORNS, OR COME UP WITH A BETTER PRODUCT THAT WORKS. *JB Look up ODI 10137297 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
2024-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
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 (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	Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Pads	Electrical System:Horn	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	Structure:Frame And Members	Suspension	Tires
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Pads	—	0	0	0	0	1 ODI 10110149 FRONT BRAKES MAKING A SWOOSH TYPE NOISE WHEN BRAKES ARE NOT APPLIED. FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES WITHIN 15000 MILES. REAR TIRE HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN 15000 MILES DUE TO WEAR. WAS TOLD BY 3 HARLEY DAVIDON DEALERS THIS WAS COMMON DUE TO WEIGHT OF MOTORCYCLE. *AK Look up ODI 10110149 at NHTSA ↗
Electrical System:Horn	0	—	0	0	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	0	0	—	0	0	0
Structure:Frame And Members	0	0	0	—	0	0
Suspension	0	0	0	0	—	0
Tires	1 ODI 10110149 FRONT BRAKES MAKING A SWOOSH TYPE NOISE WHEN BRAKES ARE NOT APPLIED. FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES WITHIN 15000 MILES. REAR TIRE HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN 15000 MILES DUE TO WEAR. WAS TOLD BY 3 HARLEY DAVIDON DEALERS THIS WAS COMMON DUE TO WEIGHT OF MOTORCYCLE. *AK Look up ODI 10110149 at NHTSA ↗	0	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.

Search patterns

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.