RoadVitals

2015 Harley-Davidson Flhtkse 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.
3
Latest Aug 17, 2022
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 Nov 19, 2015

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2015 Harley-Davidson Flhtkse. 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 1–3 of 3

Body & structureSteeringSuspension
Filed Aug 17, 2022

I brought my motorcycle into a Harley Davidson dealer for a Virginia State Safety Inspection. The inspector noticed a crack in the powder-coat of paint covering a welded section of the frame. Further investigation revealed the crack in the paint followed the edge of the weld and the weld is lifted off of the frame. Harley Davidson Corporate was notified and I was told the motorcycle is out of warranty and damage was probably cause by miss use or accident. They told me it was an insurance issue. I called Geico and reported the claim. They investigated and denied the claim saying it was not related to an accident. I called Harley Davidson Corporate and told them the results of the insurance investigation but it did not change their mind. The weld is the strongest point of any manufactured steel component. If the weld is failing it can only be from a defective welding job. The motorcycle is still sitting at the dealership in Virginia.

NHTSA ID
11479875
Incident
Jul 22, 2022
Engine
Filed Jul 7, 2018

A TAPPET CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED, CAUSING COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE ON A MOTORCYCLE IS A VERY DANGEROUS EVENT. MANY HARLEY-DAVIDSON CVO 110 ENGINES HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT, WHICH IS THE RESULT OF BAD METALLURGY AND POOR DESIGN OF THE TAPPET TO CAM INTERFACE IN THE 110 TWIN-CAM ENGINES. THESE BIKES SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE CAMS AND TAPPETS. AGAIN, THE DANGER OF A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE IN A MOTORCYCLE IS EXTREME. A PHOTO OF THE TAPPET FAILURE IS ATTACHED.

NHTSA ID
11110013
Incident
Jun 21, 2018
Mileage
36,339 mi
Electrical
Filed Nov 19, 2015

2015 HARLEY DAVIDSON FLHTKSE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO START THE BIKE, IT SHUT OFF AND WOULD NO RESTART. AFTER SEVERAL MORE ATTEMPTS, THE BIKE STARTED AND THEN SHUT OFF, AND DISPLAYED A FAULT CODE " FORKS LOCKED". THE BIKE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER. HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. THE BIKE WAS RETURNED TO THE CONSUMER, WITH THE REPAIRS. WHEN THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TURN RIGHT AFTER A COMPLETE STOP, THE BIKE SHUT DOWN AGAIN AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE SAME MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE SCREEN. ONCE AGAIN, THE BIKE WAS TOWED AND ONCE AT THE DEALER, IT RESTARTED AND NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. ONCE AGAIN, THE BIKE SHUT OFF AGAIN, WHEN IT WAS RETURNED TO THE CONSUMER. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CONSUMER ARRIVED AT THE DEALER, HE DEMANDED THE IGNITION SWITCH BE REPLACED. SO FAR, THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS. *JB

NHTSA ID
10749439
Incident
Jun 15, 2015

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 .