RoadVitals

2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscdx Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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 Jul 27, 2016
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
3
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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2009 Harley-Davidson Vrscdx, 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

  • Fuel system250.0%
  • Brakes125.0%
  • Electrical125.0%

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

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

SINCE TIME OF PURCHASE, FUEL SENDING UNIT HAS NOT BEEN WORKING. TAKEN TO LOCAL HD DEALER FOR A CHECK AND THEY HAVE NO FIX. DOING SOME RESEARCH MOST 2007 AND UP HARLEY DAVIDSON V-RODS HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THEIR FUEL SENDING UNIT NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND THE FUEL GAUGE MALFUNCTIONS. HD HAS TRIED 2 OR 3 FIXES FOR THIS SOLUTION BUT AT THE OWNER'S COST. ON OCTOBER 11TH, 2013 THE FUEL SENDING UNIT ON MY VRSCDX WAS READING 1/2 TANK, AND MY MOTORCYCLE COMPLETELY RAN OUT OF GAS ON I-75 NORTHBOUND. THIS LEFT ME STRANDED ON THE EXPRESSWAY. FINDING OUT THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR OVER 7 YEARS AND HD HAS NOT FOUND A WORKING FIX AND NOT ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS PART. VERY DISTURBING. *TR

NHTSA ID 10599138 · filed Jun 18, 2014

FUEL GAUGE NEEDLE DROPS FROM FULL TO COMPLETELY EMPTY IN 5-10 MINUTES EVEN WHEN TANK IS COMPLETELY FULL. SOMETIMES NEEDLE GETS STUCK ON EMPTY, FULL OR ANY OTHER POSITION REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON TANK. AFTER MOTORCYCLE IS RESTING ON OFF POSITION FOR A WHILE, NEEDLE SEEMS TO RESET TO CORRECT MEASUREMENT UNTIL TANK IS REFUELED AND PROBLEM RECURS ALL OVER AGAIN. SITUATION APPEARS TO BE COMPLETELY RANDOM AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TRACE IT DOWNS TO ANY ELECTRICAL OR VACUUM LEAKS. *TR

NHTSA ID 10547167 · filed Oct 7, 2013

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

HARLEY DAVIDSON VRSCDX 2009 ABS HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT FAILURE. WHILE IN MOTION APPROXIMATELY 45MPH I WENT TO DEPRESS THE REAR BRAKE AND IT FELT LIKE THE PEDAL WAS FROZE, UPON PUTTING MORE PRESSURE ON THE PEDAL IT MOVED BUT THE REAR BRAKE INSTANTLY LOCKED UP WITHOUT ANY PROGRESSIVE FEEL CAUSING THE REAR TIRE TO SKID CAUSING THE REAR OF THE BIKE TO SLIDE SIDEWAYS. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE BIKE UPRIGHT AND IN CONTROL WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCIDENT VERY LIKELY THE CURRENT LOWER SPEED I WAS TRAVELING CONTRIBUTED TO BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. AT HIGHWAY SPEED THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO THE NEAREST HARLEY DAVIDSON DEALER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS BEING THE ABS HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. HARLEY DEALERSHIP QUOTED APPROXIMATELY $1000.00 TO REPAIR WOULD COULD BE A DEADLY ISSUE WITH THEIR ABS CONTROL AND CONFIGURATION. THE CONCERN IS THAT THE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE BRAKES DO NOT REVERT TO A NORMAL CONFIGURATION WHEN THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT FAILS INSTEAD THEY FEEL AS IF THE PEDAL IS COMPLETELY FROZEN THEN INSTANTLY LOCK UP. THE PART THAT FAILED IS HARLEY PART# 48344-09

NHTSA ID 10888971 · filed Jul 27, 2016

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

FUEL GAUGE NEEDLE DROPS FROM FULL TO COMPLETELY EMPTY IN 5-10 MINUTES EVEN WHEN TANK IS COMPLETELY FULL. SOMETIMES NEEDLE GETS STUCK ON EMPTY, FULL OR ANY OTHER POSITION REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON TANK. AFTER MOTORCYCLE IS RESTING ON OFF POSITION FOR A WHILE, NEEDLE SEEMS TO RESET TO CORRECT MEASUREMENT UNTIL TANK IS REFUELED AND PROBLEM RECURS ALL OVER AGAIN. SITUATION APPEARS TO BE COMPLETELY RANDOM AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TRACE IT DOWNS TO ANY ELECTRICAL OR VACUUM LEAKS. *TR

NHTSA ID 10547167 · filed Oct 7, 2013

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

Data on this page last refreshed .