FaultScore report
Owners have filed 10 complaints about the 2017 Harley-Davidson Flhtk with NHTSA between 2017 and 2019. The largest single group is the transmission & drivetrain. Across this model's run it ranks 8 of 8 worst.
FaultScore 31/100
Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Harley-Davidson Flhtk.
How this is worked out10
Complaints
0
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
2,400 mi
Median mileage at failure
Half of reported failures happened before this
100%
Failed under 36,000 miles
Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Median failure at 1,300 miles
Median failure at 3,500 miles
Median failure at 2,500 miles
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
POWER TRAIN
WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE RPM DROPS AND MOTOR STALLS. HAVE TO GET BACK TO NEUTRAL AND RESTART THE BIKE.
NHTSA complaint #11219904 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL REPAIR FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V734000 (POWER TRAIN) FAILED TO PROVIDE A PERMANENT REMEDY. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED BY CANNONBALL HARLEY-DAVIDSON (3912 S US HWY 41, TERRE HAUTE, IN 47802, 1-(812) 232-7821). THE DEALER REFUSED TO PROVIDE FURTHER ASSISTANCE AFTER BEING MADE AWARE THAT THE NEW SECONDARY CLUTCH ACTUATOR PISTON ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE CONTACT ORDERED THE PART FROM LEGACY HARLEY-DAVIDSON (1315 ALTHOFF DR, EFFINGHAM, IL 62401, 1-(217) 342-3494) AND THE OWNER REPLACED THE PART. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
NHTSA complaint #11216942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
MOTORCYCLE STALLS CUTS OUT IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. RPMS DROP FROM 1,000 - 500 WHEN YOU APPLY FUEL IT SPUTTERS AND CUTS OUT. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL, BUT IF IT STALLED OUT WHILE IN THE FREEWAY THEN BRING IT IN.
NHTSA complaint #11088507 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
MOTORCYCLE STALLS CUTS OUT IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. RPMS DROP FROM 1,000 - 500 WHEN YOU APPLY FUEL IT SPUTTERS AND CUTS OUT. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL, BUT IF IT STALLED OUT WHILE IN THE FREEWAY THEN BRING IT IN.
NHTSA complaint #11088507 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS ISSUED THEIR TECHNICAL ADVISORY TA0022 TO DEALERS BUT NOT CUSTOMERS. IT IDENTIFIES A PROBLEM OF OIL TRANSFERRING FROM THE MOTORCYCLE'S TRANSMISSION TO THE PRIMARY CHAIN CASE RESULTING IN BELOW MINIMUM REQUIRED OIL VOLUME IN THE TRANSMISSION AND TOO MUCH OIL IN THE PRIMARY CHAINCASE. INADEQUATE OIL VOLUME IN THE TRANSMISSION CAN RESULT IN TRANSMISSION DAMAGE/FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES FOR THE RIDER (I.E. A CRASH). HARLEY-DAVIDSON STATES IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR THE MOTORCYCLE 'DO NOT OVERFILL THE PRIMARY CHAINCASE WITH LUBRICANT. OVERFILLING CAN CAUSE ROUGH CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT, INCOMPLETE DISENGAGEMENT, CLUTCH DRAG AND/OR DIFFICULTY IN FINDING NEUTRAL AT ENGINE IDLE'. THESE CONDITIONS COULD ALSO PRODUCE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE RIDER SUCH AS BEING UNABLE TO DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH WHEN TRYING TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THE TA0022 OFFERS NO SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM ON 2017 AND NEWER VEHICLES AND ADVISERS DEALERS ONLY TO 'CHECK THE PRIMARY AND TRANSMISSION OIL LEVELS AND ADJUST THE OIL VOLUMES AS NEEDED. VERIFY OIL LEVELS AGAIN IN 1,600KM (1,000 MI)'. THIS WOULD ONLY HAPPEN IF A CUSTOMER BECOMES AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THEN TAKES THE MOTORCYCLE TO A DEALER. CUSTOMERS MUST LEARN OF THE PROBLEM FROM SOME SOURCE OTHER THAN HARLEY-DAVIDSON AS HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS NOT NOTIFIED CUSTOMERS OF THE PROBLEM OR TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. IT MUST BE NOTED THAT THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON OWNER'S MANUAL STATES THAT TRANSMISSION OIL ONLY NEEDS TO BE CHANGED EVERY 20,000 MILES. CLEARLY, HARLEY-DAVIDSON EXPECTED THAT ADEQUATE OIL VOLUME WOULD REMAIN IN THE TRANSMISSION FOR THAT AMOUNT OF USAGE. ENCLOSED IS A COPY OF THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON TECHNICAL ADVISORY TA0022.
NHTSA complaint #11071860 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
ON A DAILY BASIS, WHILE OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE WITH THE CLUTCH ENGAGED, IN GEAR, AND AT IDLE SPEED, THE ENGINE WILL STALL. THIS OCCURS WHEN YOU ARE STOPPING FOR A STOP SIGN, RED LIGHT, OR IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC. WHEN THIS OCCURS, YOU CAN NOT RESTART THE ENGINE. NEW RESTRICTIONS ON THE MOTORCYCLE DO NOT ALLOW THE ENGINE TO BE STARTED WITH THE MOTORCYCLE CLUTCH ENGAGED WITH IT "IN GEAR". YOU MUST COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, PLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL. AND THEN YOU ARE ALLOWED TO RESTART THE ENGINE. THIS IS PROBLEMATIC AT BEST AND EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS WHEN IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC. NUMEROUS OCCASIONS HAVE OCCURRED WHEN MY ENGINE HAS STALLED AND TRAFFIC BEHIND ME STARTS MOVING AND I CAN'T.
NHTSA complaint #11055610 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
VEHICLE LOOSES TRANSMISSION FLUID. 3 TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED AND CONTINUES TO DO IT. SAFETY ISSUE AS ONCE THE TRANSMISSION RUNS OUT OF OIL IT MAY LOCK UP AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, DUE TO BEING UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE.
NHTSA complaint #11022327 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
IT IS TRANSFERRING OIL FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE PRIMARY WHILE RIDING. THIS CAUSES THE PRIMARY TO OVERFILL WHICH RESULTS IN CLUTCH ISSUES AND DIFFICULTY FINDING NEUTRAL. THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING DOWN WHICH IS PROBABLY DECREASING ITS LIFE AND COULD CAUSE IT TO LOCK UP DUE TO LOW OIL LEVEL. THIS IS POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT IF THIS OCCURS AT HIGHER SPEEDS. BIKE HAS ONLY 2500 MILES ON IT AND SHOULD NOT BE DOING THIS. NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE DEALER.
NHTSA complaint #11012209 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
IT IS TRANSFERRING OIL FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE PRIMARY WHILE RIDING. THIS CAUSES THE PRIMARY TO OVERFILL WHICH RESULTS IN CLUTCH ISSUES AND DIFFICULTY FINDING NEUTRAL. THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING DOWN WHICH IS PROBABLY DECREASING ITS LIFE AND COULD CAUSE IT TO LOCK UP DUE TO LOW OIL LEVEL. THIS IS POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT IF THIS OCCURS AT HIGHER SPEEDS. BIKE HAS ONLY 2500 MILES ON IT AND SHOULD NOT BE DOING THIS. NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE DEALER.
NHTSA complaint #11012209 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN
HYDRAULIC CLUTCH HAS NO ADJUSTMENT AND MY PARTICULAR CLUTCH IS ALL THE WAY AT THE VERY END APPEARS IT MAY EVEN BE SLIPPING SOME LESS THAN 500 MILES ON THE MACHINE AND CLUTCH HAS TO BE WHAT APPEARS TO BE 1/8 INCH FROM THE END BEFORE IT CATCHES AND NO FRICTION ZONE HAS ALMOST GOTTEN ME HIT MORE THAN ONCE DUE TO NO TAKE UP BEFORE RELEASE AND WITH CLUTCH SO FAR HAND HAS SLIPPED FROM CLUTCH HANDLE MORE THAN ONCE. IT HAS ALSO CAUSED ME TO ROLL BACK ALMOST INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE OR HAS CAUSED ME TO KILL THE BIKE TRYING TO TAKE OFF FROM A LIGHT OR STOP. I HAVE OVER 30 YEARS RIDING EXPERIENCE AND WHEN MENTIONED T DEALERSHIP WAS INFORMED THEY HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS BUT I'D JUST HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. I HAVE RIDDEN TO MANY BIKES AND NO BETTER THAN THIS.
NHTSA complaint #10946903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.