2008 Harley-Davidson Fxstb 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 2008 Harley-Davidson Fxstb, 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
- Powertrain (other)2100.0%
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
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
CLUTCH HUB SPLINE FAILURE DUE TO FAULTY AUTOMATIC CHAIN TENSIONER AND COMPENSATOR SPROCKET. THIS IS APPARENTLY A VERY COMMON ISSUE CAUSING A LOUD CLUNKING WHEN STARTING AND DAMAGING PARTS SUCH AS HAPPENED WITH MY CLUTCH HUB. THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT IT IS TO CHANGE TO UPGRADED AFTERMARKET COMPENSATOR SPROCKET AND MANUAL CHAIN TENSIONER. QUALITY PARTS FOR THE REPAIR COST OVER $1K
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WITH 1835 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND ABOUT A WEEK LATER I NOTICED AN AUDIBLE "CLUNK" WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE. I INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST HARLEY DAVIDSONS WITH THE 96 CID ENGINE. THE SOUND IS THE MECHANICS WITHIN THE ENGINE INTERLOCKING VIOLENTLY WHICH CAN RESULT IN CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM IS THE PURCHASE OF AN UPGRADED COMPENSATOR WHICH TOTAL SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. PRESENTLY THERE IS NO RECALL IN PLACE. *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 .