2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtcuse4 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 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtcuse4, 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
- Brakes337.5%
- Exterior lighting112.5%
- Other / unspecified112.5%
- Powertrain (other)112.5%
- Suspension112.5%
- Tires & wheels112.5%
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
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
FRONT BRAKE LEVER FROZEN, WILL NOT MOVE, ABS LIGHT ON, NO FRONT BRAKES. MOTORCYCLE WAS STATIONARY.
I DECIDED ONE MORNING TO RIDE MY BIKE DOWN TO THE BMV TO RENEW LICENSE PLATES. THE RIDE DOWN TO THE BMV BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES FUNCTION AND OPERATE PROPERLY. WHEN I GET BACK ON THE BIKE TO LEAVE, I GET READY TO STOP JUST PRIOR TO ENTERING THE HIGHWAY AND MY REAR BRAKE PEDAL IS ROCK SOLID WITH NO TRAVEL AND NO REAR BRAKES WHATSOEVER. I DID HAVE FRONT BREAKS, BUT BEING SURPRISED BY NOT HAVING ANY REAR BRAKES I OVERCOMPENSATED MY FRONT BRAKES ALMOST SPILLING THE BIKE INTO TRAFFIC. AFTER READING MANY HARLEY DAVIDSON FORUMS WITH FOLKS WHO HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE AND HAVING DONE SOME MECHANICAL TESTING MYSELF ALTHOUGH I AM NOT A CERTIFIED MECHANIC I AM CONVINCED THAT THE ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, LEAVING BRAKING DANGEROUS. THE ABS UNIT IS DESIGNED TO DEFAULT TO NORMAL HYDRAULIC BRAKING IF IT MALFUNCTIONS, IT DID NOT DEFAULT IT JUST BECAME IN OPERABLE! THIS IS A VERY DEADLY CONCERN TO ME. I WAS SURPRISED NOT TO SEE COMPLAINTS OR ACTION OF THIS ANYWHERE ON YOUR SITE AS I READ MANY FORUMS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE.FYI, I AM 56 YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN RIDING A MOTORCYCLE SINCE I GOT MY LICENSE AT 16 YEARS OLD. I LOG THOUSANDS OF MILES ANNUALLY AS A MOTORCYCLIST. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE ON THIS MOTORCYCLE ESPECIALLY WITH MY WIFE ON THERE. I WILL NOT RIDE THIS MOTORCYCLE AGAIN TILL I CONVERT THE ABS TO A FULL TRADITIONAL HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. CAN YOU CONFIRM FOR ME WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BECAUSE MAYBE I JUST HAVE NOT BEEN IN THE RIGHT SECTION TO SEE THEM. THANK YOU.
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE MOTORCYCLE WAS IN A TRANSPORT CARRIER. THE BIKE WAS SECURED INSIDE THE TRANSPORT TRAILER WITH THE KEY SO THE ALARM SHOULD NOT ACTIVATE THE LED LOAD BALANCER FROM KURYAKYN CAUGHT ON FIRE, THIS IS AN AFTERMARKET PART CERTIFIED BY HARLEY DAVIDSON FOR THIS APPLICATION. WHEN I CONTACTED KURYAKYN ABOUT IT, THEY SAID THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT NEVER RECALLED THE PARTS AND TOLD ME THE REPLACEMENT PART TO ORDER. THEY TOLD ME IT'S BECAUSE THE ALARM WAS ACTIVE ON THE BIKE AND CAUSED THE LOAD BALANCER TO OVERHEAT AND CATCH FIRE.
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
THE REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED SEVERELY DAMAGING THE REAR WHEEL AND BRAKE. THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED SHAKING AND WOBBLING. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BRING IT TO A STOP AND STAY UPRIGHT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
INNER PRIMARY STARTED MAKING NOISE AND RUNNING ROUGH.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED SEVERELY DAMAGING THE REAR WHEEL AND BRAKE. THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED SHAKING AND WOBBLING. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BRING IT TO A STOP AND STAY UPRIGHT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE, FLHTCUSE4 EQUIPPED, WITH DUNLOP D407 P180/65/16 TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD EXPERIENCED A RECURRING FAILURE INVOLVING AN ABNORMAL AND EXCESSIVE VIBRATION WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. THE FRONT TIRE WAS REPLACED AND THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT EVENTUALLY REPLACED BOTH TIRES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,200 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 8,769.
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 .