2008 Harley-Davidson Flhrse4 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2008 Harley-Davidson Flhrse4, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance240.0%
- Electrical120.0%
- Fuel system120.0%
- Other / unspecified120.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
RIDING VEHICLE WHEN SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED. SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE THROTTLE CONTROL ACTUATOR. HD HAS REVISED THIS ASSEMBLY, BUT IT IS STILL PROBLEMATIC. SEARCH RESULTS ARE LOADED WITH OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. HD KNOWS ABOUT IT AND HAS ISSUED A TSB ON IT, BUT HAS DONE NOTHING IN THE ORDER OF A RECALL FOR THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION.
I WAS OPERATING MY 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHRSE4 ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN THE THROTTLE BY WIRE CUT OUT IN TRAFFIC ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND EACH TIME, THE MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED FOR REPAIR. EACH TIME, THE SERVICE DEPT. STATED THE ISSUE WAS FIXED, ONLY TO OCCUR AGAIN DURING A FUTURE RIDE. APPARENTLY, THE THROTTLE BY WIRE HAS BEEN AN ISSUE EVER SINCE HARLEY DAVIDSON STARTED USING IT IN THEIR MOTORCYCLES. MY 3RD AND LAST INCIDENT I HAD, I WAS TRAVELING IN TRAFFIC, AND MY THROTTLE CUT OUT TO IDLE, AND THEN CAME ON FULL THROTTLE WHILE I WAS MOVING WITH TRAFFIC, NEARLY CAUSING ME TO COLLIDE WITH THE REAREND OF A PICKUP TRUCK, AND CRASH MY MOTORCYCLE. I PULLED OVER AFTER AVOIDING THE COLLISION, AND SHUT THE MOTORCYCLE DOWN FOR A FEW MINUTES. UPON STARTING IT BACK UP, THE MOTORCYCLE WENT INTO LIMP MODE, AND SINCE I WAS CLOSE TO THE HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALERSHIP, I RODE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SLOWLY ON BACK STREETS. UPON REACHING THE DEALERSHIP, THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT WAS ON, AND MY BUTTERFLY VALVE ON THE BIKE WAS FLUTTERING VIOLENTLY DUE TO SOME SORT OF SHORT IN THE THROTTLE SYSTEM. MY BIKE IS CURRENTLY AT THE SERVICE DEPT. AWAITING A LOOK BY AN "EXPERT" FROM ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. I HAVE OWNED THIS MOTORCYCLE A TOTAL OF 13 MONTHS NOW, AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED IT FROM, FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS TOTAL. ACCORDING THE DEALERSHIP, A DIFFERENT PART HAS FAILED THIS TIME, BUT I KNOW THAT THE THROTTLE BY WIRE IS THE CULPRIT DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND REPEAT FUNCTION ISSUES. THIS ISSUE HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME SEVERAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE SUDDEN DROP IN ACCELERATION, AND CUTTING OUT. WHEN I ASKED THE SERVICE DEPT. IF I WAS THE FIRST WITH THIS PROBLEM, THEY TOLD ME OF AT LEAST 20 OTHER 2008 OR NEWER H-D MOTORCYCLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE BEFORE THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL ON THE THROTTLE BY WIRE/ FLY BY WIRE ISSUE? *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
I WAS OPERATING MY 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHRSE4 ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN THE THROTTLE BY WIRE CUT OUT IN TRAFFIC ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND EACH TIME, THE MOTORCYCLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED FOR REPAIR. EACH TIME, THE SERVICE DEPT. STATED THE ISSUE WAS FIXED, ONLY TO OCCUR AGAIN DURING A FUTURE RIDE. APPARENTLY, THE THROTTLE BY WIRE HAS BEEN AN ISSUE EVER SINCE HARLEY DAVIDSON STARTED USING IT IN THEIR MOTORCYCLES. MY 3RD AND LAST INCIDENT I HAD, I WAS TRAVELING IN TRAFFIC, AND MY THROTTLE CUT OUT TO IDLE, AND THEN CAME ON FULL THROTTLE WHILE I WAS MOVING WITH TRAFFIC, NEARLY CAUSING ME TO COLLIDE WITH THE REAREND OF A PICKUP TRUCK, AND CRASH MY MOTORCYCLE. I PULLED OVER AFTER AVOIDING THE COLLISION, AND SHUT THE MOTORCYCLE DOWN FOR A FEW MINUTES. UPON STARTING IT BACK UP, THE MOTORCYCLE WENT INTO LIMP MODE, AND SINCE I WAS CLOSE TO THE HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALERSHIP, I RODE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SLOWLY ON BACK STREETS. UPON REACHING THE DEALERSHIP, THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT WAS ON, AND MY BUTTERFLY VALVE ON THE BIKE WAS FLUTTERING VIOLENTLY DUE TO SOME SORT OF SHORT IN THE THROTTLE SYSTEM. MY BIKE IS CURRENTLY AT THE SERVICE DEPT. AWAITING A LOOK BY AN "EXPERT" FROM ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. I HAVE OWNED THIS MOTORCYCLE A TOTAL OF 13 MONTHS NOW, AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED IT FROM, FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS TOTAL. ACCORDING THE DEALERSHIP, A DIFFERENT PART HAS FAILED THIS TIME, BUT I KNOW THAT THE THROTTLE BY WIRE IS THE CULPRIT DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND REPEAT FUNCTION ISSUES. THIS ISSUE HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME SEVERAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE SUDDEN DROP IN ACCELERATION, AND CUTTING OUT. WHEN I ASKED THE SERVICE DEPT. IF I WAS THE FIRST WITH THIS PROBLEM, THEY TOLD ME OF AT LEAST 20 OTHER 2008 OR NEWER H-D MOTORCYCLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE BEFORE THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL ON THE THROTTLE BY WIRE/ FLY BY WIRE ISSUE? *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 H-D FLHRSE4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THAT THE FUEL TANK O-RING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, HE NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT SIDE SADDLE BAG FELL OFF OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE RETAINING PINS WERE LOOSE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS AND THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SERVICED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 8,500.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .