RoadVitals

2002 Harley-Davidson Flht Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
6
Latest Jul 21, 2011
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
4
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2002 Harley-Davidson Flht, 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

  • Engine350.0%
  • Electrical116.7%
  • Fuel system116.7%
  • Exterior lighting116.7%

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

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I OWN A 2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHT. LAST YEAR (2009) I NOTICED THAT MY FAIRING STARTED TO VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY WHEN THE ENGINE WAS AT 1500 TO 2200 RPM. I BOUGHT THE MOTORCYCLE NEW AND PREVIOUSLY DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE BIKE VIBRATED SO BAD THAT THE FAIRING BRACKET BROKE. I HAD MY MECHANIC REPLACE THE BRACKET AS WELL AS THE FRONT MOTOR MOUNT, WHICH DID NOT HELP THE VIBRATION. MY MECHANIC (INDEPENDENT) BELIEVES MY ENGINE CRANK SHAFT HAS "TURNED" OR IN OTHER WORDS IS OUT OF TOLERANCE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM ON LINE, I HAVE DISCOVERED NUMEROUS OTHER HARLEY DAVIDSON OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, WITH MOTORCYCLES FROM 2001 TO 2010 WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. MY BIKE HAS AROUND 30,000 MILES ON IT, AND VIBRATES SO BAD AT THE MENTIONED RPM'S THAT I CAN'T EVEN SEE THROUGH MY MIRRORS, MAKING THIS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ID 10317621 · filed Mar 8, 2010

TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED REGARDING THE 2002 FLHT ELECTRIC GLIDE STANDARD HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS BEING REPAIRED THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THE CAM TENSIONER WAS WORN OUT . THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE CAM TENSIONER WITH A MECHANICAL TENSIONER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 40,000. THE CONTACT STATED HIS CONCERN WAS THAT THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS TO INDICATE THE CAM TENSIONER FAILURE. *AK

NHTSA ID 10184022 · filed Mar 2, 2007

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.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

FRONT FENDER TIP LIGHT WIRE RUBS AGAINST TIRE, CAUSING WIRE TO FRAY AND MAKE CONTACT CAUSING THE LIGHT FUSE TO SHORT OUT. ALL HEAD LIGHTS, AUXILLIARY DRIVING LIGHTS, RUNNING LIGHTS AND MARKER LIGHTS GO OUT. THIS HAPPENING AT NIGHT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS COULD PROVE TO BE FATAL.

NHTSA ID 755456 · filed Dec 9, 2001

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.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 2002 FLHT FUEL TANK QUALITY PROBLEM LEADING TO SAFETY RISK OF FIRE AND VEHICLE STALLING EXPOSING OPERATORS AND/OR PASSENGERS TO PERSONAL DEATH OR PERMANENT DISABLEMENT. FUEL TANKS HAS A SIGNIFICANT RUST CHARACTERISTIC ALLOWING CONTAMINATES TO ENTER INTO THE MOTORCYCLES FUEL SYSTEM CAUSING A CARBURETOR OVERFLOW CONDITION RELEASING RAW FUEL ONTO THE MOTORCYCLE SURFACES LEADING TO FIRE RISK AND ENGINE STALL DURING OPERATION. I HAVE HAD YEARS OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER MODELS OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CYCLES WHICH HAVE NEVER EXHIBITED THIS PROBLEM AND ALL HAVE FACED THE SAME ENVIRONMENTS AND OPERATING CONDITIONS WITHOUT THIS ISSUE. THE PROBLEM STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT ON THE MANUFACTURING DATE OF THE 2002 FLHT FUEL TANKS THE PROCESS INTRODUCED A QUALITY DEFECT FOR THE PRODUCTION RUN. ALSO, A DESIGN CHANGE IN 2003 PRODUCED FUEL TANKS THAT ADDS A REMOVABLE FUEL FILLER CUP TO THE TANK FURTHER DEMONSTRATES THAT APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN QUALITY ISSUE WITH HARLEY-DAVIDSON FUEL TANKS. THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR THE CHANGE OTHERWISE. ADDITIONALLY, CURRENT HARLEY-DAVIDSON R&D EFFORTS ON TANK COATING PROCESSES AND TANK COATING COMPOSITION WOULD NOT BE OCCURRING SAVE FOR THIS FUEL TANK QUALITY ISSUE. ALTHOUGH NO DEATHS NOR PERMANENT DISABILITIES HAVE RESULTED AS YET, THERE IS A SAFETY RISK TO THE CONSUMER FOR FIRE AND/OR TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF THIS QUALITY DEFECT WITH THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON FUEL TANK. *JB

NHTSA ID 10021505 · filed Jun 12, 2003

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Exterior lighting

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HARLEY DAVIDSON ROAD KING FLHT MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A CLIP FROM THE FRONT FENDER BECAME LOOSE AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE FRONT TIRE. AS A RESULT, SOME OF THE FUSES WORE OUT AND THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED ILLUMINATING. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 02V002000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE RECURRENCE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A WAITING LIST TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE A SECOND TIME FREE OF CHARGE. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000.

NHTSA ID 10413888 · filed Jul 21, 2011

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

Data on this page last refreshed .