2012 Harley-Davidson Fxdc 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 Fxdc, 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
- Brakes120.0%
- Engine120.0%
- Exterior lighting120.0%
- Other / unspecified120.0%
- Powertrain (other)120.0%
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
CATASTROPHIC REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE AT 2,500 MILES. RATTLING SOUNDS. GRINDING NOISE. ABS LIGHT CAME ON. REAR WHEEL BEGAN TO LOCK UP. PULLED OVER AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER ADVISED THAT THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAD DISINTEGRATED AND THE ABS SENSOR WAS FRIED FROM THE HEAT. NO EXPLANATION AS TO POSSIBLE CAUSE WAS GIVEN. IF THIS WOULD HAVE OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, A CRASH WOULD HAVE RESULTED FROM WHEEL SEIZURE. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING THIS MOTORCYCLE, AFTER ABOUT GOING THREE TO FOUR MILES, I RELEASED THE THROTTLE AND THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD ACCELERATE, AND NOT SLOW DOWN. I FORCED THE BIKE TO STOP BY DOWN SHIFTING IT AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN WITHOUT TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH OFF. I STARTED THE BIKE UP A FEW MINUTES LATER , AND HAD TO SHUT IT OFF ON THE WAY BACK HOME MORE THAN ONCE TO KEEP IT FROM ACCELERATING AGAIN, THE ENGINE WOULD IDLE BETWEEN 2400 AND 3100 RPM'S. IT DID THE SAME THING FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS SO I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE BIKE. THE DAY I TOOK THE BIKE TO THE DEALER IT WAS HARD TO START AND WOULD NOT KEEP RUNNING. I CALLED HARLEY DAVIDSONS CUSTOMER SERVICE, 800-258-2464 AND TALKED TO JOHN WHO TOLD ME HOW TO RUN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO CHECK FOR FAULT (TROUBLE CODES ) AND I RETRIEVED A CODE # PO507 WHICH IS A HIGH ENGINE IDLE, IDLE SPEED CONTROL MOTOR. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE BIKE WILL NOT DECELERATE WHEN THE THROTTLE IS RELEASED. *TR
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HARLEY DAVIDSON SUPER GLIDE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS WERE LEAKING WATER. THERE WAS WATER ENTERING THE TAIL LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS WHEN THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE WASHED OR WHEN IT RAINED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD CAUSE A SHORT IN THE BULBS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER WHERE THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE PARTS WERE ASSEMBLED CORRECTLY BUT HE COULD SEAL THE LIGHT COVERS WITH SILICONE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 454.
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
CATASTROPHIC REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE AT 2,500 MILES. RATTLING SOUNDS. GRINDING NOISE. ABS LIGHT CAME ON. REAR WHEEL BEGAN TO LOCK UP. PULLED OVER AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER ADVISED THAT THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAD DISINTEGRATED AND THE ABS SENSOR WAS FRIED FROM THE HEAT. NO EXPLANATION AS TO POSSIBLE CAUSE WAS GIVEN. IF THIS WOULD HAVE OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, A CRASH WOULD HAVE RESULTED FROM WHEEL SEIZURE. *TR
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
WHILE DRIVING THIS MOTORCYCLE, AFTER ABOUT GOING THREE TO FOUR MILES, I RELEASED THE THROTTLE AND THE MOTORCYCLE WOULD ACCELERATE, AND NOT SLOW DOWN. I FORCED THE BIKE TO STOP BY DOWN SHIFTING IT AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN WITHOUT TURNING THE IGNITION SWITCH OFF. I STARTED THE BIKE UP A FEW MINUTES LATER , AND HAD TO SHUT IT OFF ON THE WAY BACK HOME MORE THAN ONCE TO KEEP IT FROM ACCELERATING AGAIN, THE ENGINE WOULD IDLE BETWEEN 2400 AND 3100 RPM'S. IT DID THE SAME THING FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS SO I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE BIKE. THE DAY I TOOK THE BIKE TO THE DEALER IT WAS HARD TO START AND WOULD NOT KEEP RUNNING. I CALLED HARLEY DAVIDSONS CUSTOMER SERVICE, 800-258-2464 AND TALKED TO JOHN WHO TOLD ME HOW TO RUN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO CHECK FOR FAULT (TROUBLE CODES ) AND I RETRIEVED A CODE # PO507 WHICH IS A HIGH ENGINE IDLE, IDLE SPEED CONTROL MOTOR. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE BIKE WILL NOT DECELERATE WHEN THE THROTTLE IS RELEASED. *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 .