2016 Harley-Davidson FXSB: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
2 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2016 model year. Data updated: . 0 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 is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic
Matching reports
Share of complaints
Braking behavior
1
50.0%
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.
Engine
1
Service Brakes
1
Component breakdown data
Category
Count
Engine
1
Service Brakes
1
Engine: 1; Service Brakes: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
Under 25,000
0
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
Reported problems by failure mileage data
Category
Count
Under 25,000
0
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: 0; 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
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 2 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.
2017
1
2018
1
Complaints over time data
Category
Count
2017
1
2018
1
2017: 1; 2018: 1
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.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXSB. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED WITH FORCE, THE REAR MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER CRACKED AND LEAKED BRAKE FLUID. THE CYLINDER MATERIAL SEEMED TO BE STRUCTURALLY UNSOUND TO PREMATURELY FRACTURE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SLOWLY COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (RIVERSIDE HARLEY-DAVIDSON, 7688 INDIANA AVE, RIVERSIDE, CA 92504, [phone removed]). THE DEALER TOOK PICTURES AND INDICATED THAT THE REAR MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER BOTH INDICATED THAT THIS WA…
I PURCHASED A NEW HARLEY DAVIDSON FXSB BREAKOUT ON OCTOBER 2015. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 3,010 ACTUAL MILES AS OF TODAY 1-23-18. THE ENGINE OF THE MOTORCYCLE HAS ALWAYS HAD A VERY LOUD MECHANICAL NOISE FROM THE BEGINNING. HOWEVER, ONCE THE INITIAL BREAK-END PERIOD OF 1,000 MILES THE ENGINE WOULD QUIET DOWN. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AND SUBSEQUENTLY WHILE I WAS RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO VIBRATE ERRATICALLY, THE BACK TIRE BEGAN TO SLIDE. I PRESSED IN THE CLUTCH LEVER IN ORDER TO …
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.
Explore the data
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
0.0%Usable mileage0 / 2 records
100.0%Valid incident date2 / 2 records
100.0%Valid filing date2 / 2 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates2 / 2 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.
Component complaint heatmap
Component
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
Electrical System
00.0%
No examples available for this selection.
0Unavailable
No examples available for this selection.
00.0%
No examples available for this selection.
00.0%
No examples available for this selection.
1100.0%ODI 11323777
BACK UP MOTOR OUT AS I HAVE HEARD MANY DO 2 YEARS OLD SHOULDN'T HAPPEN THAT QUICK. *TR
I PURCHASED A NEW HARLEY DAVIDSON FXSB BREAKOUT ON OCTOBER 2015. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 3,010 ACTUAL MILES AS OF TODAY 1-23-18. THE ENGINE OF THE MOTORCYCLE HAS ALWAYS HAD A VERY LOUD MECHANICAL NOISE FROM THE BEGINNING. HOWEVER, ONCE THE INITIAL BREAK-END PERIOD OF 1,000 MILES THE ENGINE WOULD QUIET DOWN. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AND SUBSEQUENTLY WHILE I WAS RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO VIBRATE ERRATICALLY, THE BACK TIRE BEGAN TO SLIDE. I PRESSED IN THE CLUTCH LEVER IN ORDER TO …
I WAS ON I-275 JUST EAST OF THE I-71 INTERSECTION IN CINCINNATI, OH. MY MOTORCYCLE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I WAS IN THE SLOW LANE SO I PULLED IN THE CLUTCH AND COASTED TO A STOP IN THE EMERGENCY LANE. I HAD OVER A GALLON OF PREMIUM GAS STILL IN THE TANK. I WAS LESS THAN 1/4 MILE FROM THE MONTGOMERY ROAD EXIT AND KNEW I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PUSH MY MOTORCYCLE THAT FAR. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND SAT THERE FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE WHEN I DECIDED TO SEE IF IT WOULD START. IT STARTED IMMEDIATELY AND I DROVE TO EXIT AND ADDED 3 GALLONS TO THE…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXSB. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED WITH FORCE, THE REAR MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER CRACKED AND LEAKED BRAKE FLUID. THE CYLINDER MATERIAL SEEMED TO BE STRUCTURALLY UNSOUND TO PREMATURELY FRACTURE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SLOWLY COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (RIVERSIDE HARLEY-DAVIDSON, 7688 INDIANA AVE, RIVERSIDE, CA 92504, [phone removed]). THE DEALER TOOK PICTURES AND INDICATED THAT THE REAR MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER BOTH INDICATED THAT THIS WA…
I HAVE HAD TWO D407 REAR TIRES FOR A HARLEY BREAKOUT 2013. MY DRIVING IS A T2 MILE STRETCH FROM OAKLAND TO RICHMOND CA TO WORK AND FROM RICHMOND TO HAYWARD 16 MILES TWICE A WEEK TO WORK PART TIME AS A COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR. TRIPS TO LOS ANGELES ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR. NO OTHER TRIPS TO SURROUNDING AREAS JUST RIDING AROUND TOWN AT LOW SPEED EVERY WEEKEND. BOTH REAR TIRES SHOWED SIGNS OF FAILURE AT ABOUT 3K WITH CRACKS SPANNING THE BREATH OF THE TIRE. THE FIRST HAD SEVERAL CRACKS, WHEN THE FRONT DID THE SAME THING I WENT TO THE DEALER AND …
WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL ROAD SPEED, MY FORWARD SPEED SUDDENLY DROPS FROM 60 MPH DOWN TO 25 MPH, THEN 5 OR 6 MPH ON A HIGHWAY. MY RIGHT GRIP THROTTLE CONTROL FAILS TO WORK. THE BIKE'S ETC, ELECTRONIC-THROTTLE-CONTROL, FAILS TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY BIKE'S COMPUTER OR THROTTLE-BODY. I HAVE TO LIMP HOME ON THE OPEN ROAD. THIS IS DANGEROUS. I'VE SUFFERED 4 SEPARATE FAILURES OF MY ETC THROTTLE CONTROL. ONCE AT DAYTIME, BUT 3 TIMES AT NIGHT. SOMEONE FROM BEHIND TRAVELING AT 45 OR 55 OR MORE MIGHT SLAM INTO ME AT NIGHT AS MY RED TAILLIGHT IS ON. I COULD…
TIRES ON MY 2013 BREAKOUT ARE SHOWING SERIOUS SIGNS OF FRACTURING ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE TIRE. THIS HAS OCCURED ON BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK TIRES THAT COME STANDARD ON THE VEHICLE. THE CRACKS ON THE FRONT TIRE FIRST APPEARED SOMETIME BETWEEN THE 5K CHECKUP AND 7K. IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF THIS WAS A PEEL OR CRACK AND DID NOT APPEAR TO GET DEEPER. AFTER THE 10 CHECK I NOTICED THE CRACK LOOKED DEEPER AND INSPECTED AND FOUND THAT TO BE TRUE. THE BIKE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT WAS NORMAL AND TO CHANGE THE TIRES, HE HAD ALREADY RECOM…
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
No usable records for this analysis.
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
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
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.
2017: 0 complaints · 2018: 1 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
2017
0
0
0
2018
0
0
1
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
2017
0
0
1
2018
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 co-occurrence matrix
Component
Engine
Service Brakes
Engine
—
0
Service Brakes
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.
1 patterns with matching reports.
Brake response concerns
1 mentions · 50.0% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 11054534
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXSB. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED WITH FORCE, THE REAR MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER CRACKED AND LEAKED BRAKE FLUID. THE CYLINDER MATERIAL SEEMED TO BE STRUCTURALLY UNSOUND TO PREMATURELY FRACTURE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SLOWLY COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (RIVERSIDE HARLEY-DAVIDSON, 7688 INDIANA AVE, RIVERSIDE, CA 92504, [phone removed]). THE DEALER TOOK PICTURES AND INDICATED THAT THE REAR MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER BOTH INDICATED THAT THIS WA…