RoadVitals

2012 Harley-Davidson Flstse3 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 Feb 11, 2016
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 May 28, 2012

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flstse3. 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 & structure
Filed Feb 11, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL (NA). WHILE RIDING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND DISCOVERED THAT THE SADDLEBAG SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V427000 (EQUIPMENT). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,700.

NHTSA ID
10825556
Incident
Jan 8, 2016
Mileage
2,700 mi
Other / unspecified
Filed Jun 4, 2013

HAD SADDLEBAGS INSTALLED AS PER HARLEY DAVIDSON OEM PARTS THAT CAME WITH BIKE. INDICATOR SHOWED THAT THEY WERE "LOCKED" IN PLACE. LEFT SIDE SADDLEBAG CAME OFF IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON I-15, SALT LAKE CITY. FOUR LANES OF HIGH SPEED HEAVY TRAFFIC. BAGS HAVE STEEL BRACKETS, PLASTIC CASE, LEATHER LID. THEY ARE MADE TO BE "DETACHABLE", BY TURNING A LOCK BRACKET AND SLIDING OFF. I WAS NOT AWARE OF IT FALLING OFF. ANOTHER VEHICLE MADE ME AWARE I HAD A PROBLEM. DANGEROUS GETTING OUT OF TRAFFIC AND ONTO AN EXIT TO EVALUATE ISSUE. MADE CIRCLE BACK TO LOCATION. SADDLEBAG WAS ENTIRELY DESTROYED. I AM SURE THAT MANY VEHICLES HIT DEBRIS. SOME DEBRIS WOULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS TO TIRES. ALL GEAR IN BAG WAS SCATTERED AND DESTROYED. UNABLE TO RETRIEVE ANYTHING, VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. INVESTIGATED THIS ISSUE ON LINE. HARLEY DAVIDSON ONLY MADE 800 OF THESE TYPE VEHICLES IN 2012. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, MANY OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. HARLEY DAVIDSON HAS ACCEPTED NO LIABILITY REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WONDER ID SOMEONE HAS TO DIE FIRST. *TR

NHTSA ID
10515033
Incident
May 23, 2013
Mileage
5,208 mi
Body & structureOther / unspecified
Filed May 28, 2012

THE SADDLE BAG ON THE RIGHT SIDE FELL OFF WHEN I HIT A SMALL BUMP AT VERY LOW SPEED. THIS WAS THE FIRST RIDE ON THE BIKE AND HAD JUST PICKED IT UP FROM THE DEALER. FELL INTO TRAFFIC. *TR

NHTSA ID
10459832
Incident
May 28, 2012
Mileage
52 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 .