2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtk problems & reliability
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtk, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes → | 11 | 58% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 21% |
| Suspension | 3 | 16% |
| Engine | 2 | 11% |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 11% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 5% |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% |
| Steering | 1 | 5% |
| Tires | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Rear brake failed, & no ABS. Push hard on pedal and NO BRAKES!!! Brake pedal very stiff and applies no brakes!! Almost got into wreck. It was close and I am calling it a wreck. Thank god I was going slow! This issue is highly dangerous!! Why doesn't the NHTSB give a [XXX]? (Rear brake has never worked well since new…”
Service Brakes · filed May 31, 2022
“Front brake lever is very hard to pull, front brakes won't engage. This happened as I was riding on the highway and getting ready to exit. I tried to pump the brakes and it got better but only for a few minutes. I called my mechanic and he told me it was the abs control module. He said it's been happening for years…”
Service Brakes · filed Apr 15, 2020
“When backing out of garage I could not depress the front brake handle, it was completely stuck and would not move.”
Service Brakes · filed Feb 4, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
20 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtk. The 10 most recent:
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 26.0.2): 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 Nov 18, 2025
SERVICE BULLETIN M1391A (REVU): MIDTRONICS GRX-3110 AND DCA-8000 SOFTWARE. PURPORSE: Revision U. The purpose of this bulletin is to inform the dealer network that a software update to the GRX-3110 and DCA-8000 is now…
M1391A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 28, 2025
GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1171 (REV B): SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR SCREAMIN EAGLE PRO STREET TUNER. PURPOSE: Revision B. Updated: Summary. The App has returned to the Apple App Store. This bulletin…
PAB1171 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2025
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 25.8.9): 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 Sep 6, 2025
SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 25.8.7): 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 Aug 26, 2025
SERVICE BULLETIN M1391A (REV T): MIDTRONICS GRX-3110 AND DCA-8000 SOFTWARE. PURPORSE: Revision T. The purpose of this bulletin is to inform the dealer network that a software update to the GRX-3110 and DCA-8000 is now…
M1391A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2025
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
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 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtk has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhtk?
- · 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.