2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtc 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 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtc, 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 assistance266.7%
- Electrical133.3%
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
WHILE IN TRAFFIC ON A BUSY ROAD THE MOTORCYCLE LOST ALL THROTTLE RESPONSE AND WENT INTO "LIMP MODE". DURING THIS TIME THE ENGINE RPM'S IMMEDIATELY DROPPED AND I WAS FORCED TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC AT MOVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO SAFELY PULL THE MOTORCYCLE TO A STOP. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO ACHIEVE A TOP SPEED OF 15 MPH. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS THEN TRANSPORTED BY TRAILER TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE 2ND TIME IN 3 WEEKS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE SUDDEN DECELERATION FOR THE THROTTLE BY WIRE IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE. *TR
I WAS LEAVING WORK ON SATURDAY ABOUT 4:15 WITH MY MOTORCYCLE. I WAS APPROACHING THE AREA WHERE I TURN TO GO IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING TO EXIT OUT TO THE ROAD. AS I WAS BRAKING, ABOUT TO TURN, THE BIKE ACCELERATED CAUSING THE REAR WHEEL TO LOSE TRACTION AND THE BIKE WENT DOWN. WHEN THE BIKE WENT DOWN, I WAS SLAMMED TO THE GROUND AND WAS SEPARATED FROM THE BIKE. THE REAR WHEEL CONTINUED TO SPIN LEAVING A BLACK MARK ON THE PAVEMENT APPROXIMATELY 6-8 FEET LONG. THE BIKE KEPT GOING ANOTHER 30-40 FEET ON THE RIGHT SIDE UNTIL IT FLIPPED OVER TO THE LEFT SIDE AND CONTINUED TO SLIDE ANOTHER 20-30 FEET COMING TO A STOP. I WAS ABLE TO GET UP AND SHUT THE BIKE OFF. A MECHANIC FROM WORK WAS ABLE TO PICK THE BIKE UP FOR ME AND CHECK TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY FAULT CODES, THERE WERE NONE. THE BIKE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE THROTTLE SYSTEM. I ALSO CALLED HARLEY DAVIDSON CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT WHAT I DESCRIBED CAN'T HAPPEN. I HAVE 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE RIDING MOTORCYCLES AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN. THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BY WIRE SYSTEM ON THIS BIKE AND THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING WRONG FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. THERE WAS A WITNESS TO THE INCIDENT. *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
WHILE IN TRAFFIC ON A BUSY ROAD THE MOTORCYCLE LOST ALL THROTTLE RESPONSE AND WENT INTO "LIMP MODE". DURING THIS TIME THE ENGINE RPM'S IMMEDIATELY DROPPED AND I WAS FORCED TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC AT MOVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO SAFELY PULL THE MOTORCYCLE TO A STOP. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO ACHIEVE A TOP SPEED OF 15 MPH. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS THEN TRANSPORTED BY TRAILER TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE 2ND TIME IN 3 WEEKS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE SUDDEN DECELERATION FOR THE THROTTLE BY WIRE IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE. *TR
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 .