RoadVitals

2017 Harley-Davidson Flhtk Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
8
Latest Jun 13, 2019
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jan 22, 2017

What this page shows

Our database holds 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2017 Harley-Davidson Flhtk. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–8 of 8

Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 13, 2019

WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE RPM DROPS AND MOTOR STALLS. HAVE TO GET BACK TO NEUTRAL AND RESTART THE BIKE.

NHTSA ID
11219904
Incident
Jun 11, 2019
Mileage
2,300 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed May 30, 2019

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 ID
11216942
Incident
Dec 19, 2018
Fuel system
Filed Apr 16, 2018

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 ID
11088507
Incident
Apr 9, 2018
Powertrain (other)
Filed Feb 8, 2018

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 ID
11071860
Incident
Feb 1, 2018
Fuel system
Filed Dec 19, 2017

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 ID
11055610
Incident
Dec 19, 2017
Mileage
3,500 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 8, 2017

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 ID
11022327
Incident
Aug 10, 2017
Mileage
200 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 1, 2017

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 ID
11012209
Incident
Aug 1, 2017
Mileage
2,500 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 22, 2017

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 ID
10946903
Incident
Jan 4, 2017
Mileage
300 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .