2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtc problems & reliability
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtc, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes → | 10 | 53% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 16% |
| Power Train | 2 | 11% |
| Wheels | 2 | 11% |
| Engine | 1 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 5% |
| Steering | 1 | 5% |
| Unknown / Other | 1 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Bought the HD new in 2008 and used all warranty plans for 1st 10 years of ownership. They performed all work per their guidelines. Never once did they flush the system as this recall mentions every 2 years? While riding down my driveway the rear brake failed to engage on a gravel road and I loss control using my front…”
Service Brakes · filed Aug 10, 2022
“The handlebars broke whial driving, the left side weld gave. Resulting in that the bar droped into my left lap. Yes it is available for inspection. Have video.”
Steering · filed May 16, 2022
“After starting bike and leaving driveway, bike has been sitting for the winter, approached first stop sign no brakes on rear. Brake pedal hard no movement. Lights come on, no brake response..... Front brakes work.... Abs module problem according to hd forums.”
Service Brakes · filed Apr 5, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Sudden Brake Failure - Motorcycle
Preliminary Evaluation PE16009 · opened Jul 6, 2016 · closed Apr 23, 2018 · led to recall 18V076000
Technical service bulletins
12 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtc. The 10 most recent:
SERVICE BULLETIN M1684: MARKET SPECIFIC BATTERY INTRODUCTION. PURPOSE: Initial Release. This bulletin informs dealers of the availability of new batteries for new Original Equipment (OE) vehicle production and in the…
M1684 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 16, 2025
SERVICE BULLETIN M1650: MILWAUKEE EIGHT AND TWIN CAM CAMSHAFT DRIVE GEAR RETENTION KIT CHANGES. PURPOSE: This bulletin informs dealers that changes have been made to the Camshaft Drive Gear Retention Kit and service…
M1650 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 24, 2025
SERVICE BULLETIN M1555 (REV E): BATTERY WARRANTY GUIDELINES. PURPOSE: Revision E. Added: Added procedures for the DCA-8000 E Battery Tester.* Updated: All sections. This bulletin informs the dealership network that…
M1555 · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Sep 12, 2024
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 24.8.8): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL…
M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 8, 2024
GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1158: OIL FILTER PACKAGING AND CASE QUANTITY UPDATE. PURPOSE: To inform dealerships that Harley-Davidson has made updates to oil filters including new part numbers…
PAB1158 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 10, 2024
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 24.6.4): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II)…
M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2024
SERVICE BULLETIN M1612 (REV A): MILWAUKEE-EIGHT AND TWIN CAM TRANSMISSION GEAR PACKS. Purpose: Revision. Update: Notes for Table 3 and 4. * Updated: Part Numbers. This bulletin informs dealers that all: Twin Cam gear…
M1612 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2024
GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1146: 68193-95 BULB WEDGE, FENDER TIP LAMP. Purpose: To inform dealers of an issue with the bulb wire terminals not being to specification. The light bulbs were used…
PAB1146 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 21, 2023
SERVICE BULLETIN M1612: MILWAUKEE-EIGHT AND TWIN CAM TRANSMISSION GEAR PACKS. Purpose: This bulletin informs dealers that all: â ¢ Twin Cam gear packs on CVO, Dyna, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models and â ¢…
M1612 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 4, 2023
SERVICE BULLETIN M1612: MILWAUKEE-EIGHT AND TWIN CAM TRANSMISSION GEAR PACKS. Purpose: This bulletin informs dealers that all: â ¢ Twin Cam gear packs on CVO, Dyna, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models and â ¢…
M1612 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 4, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtc has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2009 Harley-Davidson Flhtc?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.