2012 Harley-Davidson Flstn

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Electrical system2
2. Wheels2
3. Exterior lighting1
4. Suspension1

Latest complaints

• Oct 4, 2017OH4,700 mi
  Wheels
  Purchased my first bike, a 2012 softtail deluxe with 4,700 miles purchased from my coworker who had only put 500 miles on the bike in last two years (since the 5000k service was done @ 4200mi.). took the bike out on a county road for the first time as a new rider and the bike developed a handlebar…

  Purchased my first bike, a 2012 softtail deluxe with 4,700 miles purchased from my coworker who had only put 500 miles on the bike in last two years (since the 5000k service was done @ 4200mi.). took the bike out on a county road for the first time as a new rider and the bike developed a handlebar shake that I could not fight at 45 mi/hr. then when the bike was slowing the whole bike would wobble. my first ride ended up being to the local dealership where they found the spokes on the rear rim had come loose and had elongated the spoke holes in the rim. my dealership called it unsafe to ride and urged me to leave the bike. a new rim was backordered, then delayed twice before I changed the order to a mag rear wheel which I'm still waiting for. the dealership where the previous owner had the bike serviced would not accept any responsibility. my dealership acknowledges that this should not be an issue at such low mileage. estimate to replace the rim and the battery was $1280.00.

• Jul 3, 2014CA7,500 mi
  Electrical system · Exterior lighting
  About 10:30 pm while en route to work I was riding on the freeway at the posted speed limit and I noted flashing lights appearing on the speedometer- the low fuel lamp and electrical system lamp. I pulled over the emergency lane right away to make any assessment. I was able to exit the freeway to…

  About 10:30 pm while en route to work I was riding on the freeway at the posted speed limit and I noted flashing lights appearing on the speedometer- the low fuel lamp and electrical system lamp. I pulled over the emergency lane right away to make any assessment. I was able to exit the freeway to secure a safer environment for me. The flashing low fuel lamp and electrical system lamp persisted. I called for my towing service the following morning because I didn't think it would be safe to drive the motorcycle home. on 7/1/2014 I called for my towing service to transport my bike to an HD dealership to request a diagnostic service. My motorcycle IS in the service department as of today, 7/3/2014. I looked at my motorcycle this morning and spoke to the technician doing the service. I was shown a part that needed replacement and was told that the part may be the cause. There IS a defect in the wiring. I am not a mechanic or a motorcycle technician but I noted what may be a factory related defect. This defect IS serious in that it affected my safety. I read the following and it does apply: "..united states code... (Title 49, chapter 301) defines motor vehicle safety ... Safety as the performance of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment....accidents occurring because of the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle, and against ... Risk of death or injury in an accident, and includes nonoperational safety of a motor vehicle. A defect includes any defect in performance, construction, a component, or material of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment. Generally, a safety defect IS defined as a problem that exists in a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment that: poses an risk to motor vehicle safety, and may exist in a group of vehicles of the same design or manufacture, or items of equipment of the same type and manufacture." *tr

• Sep 9, 2013VA2,000 mi
  Wheels
  2012 harley davidson flstn with only 2,000 miles. Wire wheel spokes worked loose. Wheel wobbled. My harley was uncontrollable and not safe to ride. I had the spokes tightened up by the harley dealer, but at about 5,000 miles spokes came loose again. Same thing happened around 10,000. My harley…

  2012 harley davidson flstn with only 2,000 miles. Wire wheel spokes worked loose. Wheel wobbled. My harley was uncontrollable and not safe to ride. I had the spokes tightened up by the harley dealer, but at about 5,000 miles spokes came loose again. Same thing happened around 10,000. My harley IS not safe to ride and the harley dealers are not willing to recognize the problem or fix or replace my wire wheels . *tr

• Sep 10, 2012TX15,000 mi
  Electrical system
  TL* the contact owns a 2012 harley davidson flstn. The contact stated that while parked the motorcycle failed to start. It was able to restart after having a jump performed. Also, the motorcycle would stall intermittently while riding it. The motorcycle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the…

  TL* the contact owns a 2012 harley davidson flstn. The contact stated that while parked the motorcycle failed to start. It was able to restart after having a jump performed. Also, the motorcycle would stall intermittently while riding it. The motorcycle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the body control module needed to be replaced. The motorcycle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000. updated 09/26/12*lj

• Jan 20, 2012TX800 mi
  Suspension
  TL* the contact owns a 2012 harley davidson flstn. the contact was driving 40 mph when the motorcycle began to vibrate abnormally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer advised that the rear wheel was faulty and needed to be replaced. the dealer replaced…

  TL* the contact owns a 2012 harley davidson flstn. the contact was driving 40 mph when the motorcycle began to vibrate abnormally. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer advised that the rear wheel was faulty and needed to be replaced. the dealer replaced the rear wheel but the replacement did not remedy the issue. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer where the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The motorcycle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 800. updated 02/15/12*bf

Service bulletins

Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.

• 11008736SERVICE 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 Harley-Davidson has provided guidelines for battery warranty.
• 11007544SERVICE 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 TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 24.8.8. Release Date: Week of August 5, 2024. New Features for Harley-Davidson vehicles: Advanced Module Replace for 2021 and later Revolution Max; 2023 and later CVO Touring; and 2024 Street Glide (FLHX), Road Glide (FLTRX). New Features for LiveWire vehicles: Updated calibrations for 2024 S2DM EV1/ EV6; 2024 S2MH EV1; and 2024 S2DM, S2MH. Changes: Added Hand Control Module (HCM) (Part No. 71500522A and 71500536A) for reflash support.
• 11005514GENUINE 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, packaging design, and bulk case quantity changes.
• 11001293SERVICE 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). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 24.6.4. Release Date: Week of May 1, 2024. New Features for LiveWire S2DM and S2MH, 2024 Revolution Max, and 2024 Touring.
• 10254115SERVICE 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 packs on CVO, Dyna, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models and Milwaukee-Eight gear packs on CVO, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models ordered after December 04, 2023 will not come with the shift drum, forks, shafts and related hardware. Models Affected: 2006-2017 Twin Cams: Dyna models 2007-2016 Twin Cams: CVO, Police, Touring and Trike models 2007-2017 Twin Cams: Softail models 2017-2024 Milwaukee-Eight: CVO, Police, Touring and Trike models 2018-2024 Milwaukee-Eight: Softail models
• 10248401GENUINE 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 in numerous front and rear fender tip light assemblies for domestic and international applications.
• 10248398SERVICE BULLETIN M1612: MILWAUKEE-EIGHT AND TWIN CAM TRANSMISSION GEAR PACKS. Purpose: This bulletin informs dealers that all: Twin Cam gear packs on CVO, Dyna, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models and Milwaukee-Eight gear packs on CVO, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models ordered after December 04, 2023 will not come with the shift drum, forks, shafts and related hardware. Note: Resubmission is a correction to Selected Products Section of Transaction ID 24MC44619, NHTSA ID 10248397. Models Affected by M1612 to include only: 2006-2017 Twin Cams: Dyna models 2007-2016 Twin Cams: CVO, Police, Touring and Trike models 2007-2017 Twin Cams: Softail models 2017-2024 Milwaukee-Eight: CVO, Police, Touring and Trike models 2018-2024 Milwaukee-Eight: Softail models
• 10248397SERVICE BULLETIN M1612: MILWAUKEE-EIGHT AND TWIN CAM TRANSMISSION GEAR PACKS. Purpose: This bulletin informs dealers that all: Twin Cam gear packs on CVO, Dyna, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models and Milwaukee-Eight gear packs on CVO, Police, Softail, Touring & Trike models ordered after December 04, 2023 will not come with the shift drum, forks, shafts and related hardware.
• 10179446GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1100: TWIN CAM LONGBLOCK & WARRANTY ENGINE - PROGRAM UPDATES. PURPOSE: To inform dealers of certain twin cam longblock and twin cam warranty engines are no longer supported. Instead, shortblocks should be ordered where applicable.
• 10158172GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1084: SOFTAIL BACKREST PAD IMPROVEMENTS. Purpose: To inform dealers of design improvements for the Compact Passenger Backrest Pads. Some of these pads can become loose resulting in the backrest pad slipping on the sissy bar. The new backrest pads, designated with an ?A? revision, have been redesigned to fix this issue.
• 10153955SERVICE BULLETIN M1485: 2000 - 2017 SOFTAIL - FUEL TANK GASKET. Purpose: Service fuel tanks for Softail motorcycles are now being updated to include a top plate gasket (Part No. 61381-02A) with all new replacement tanks. Harley-Davidson strongly recommends using the new gasket when servicing the fuel tank. The updated gasket has improved sealing of fuel vapors and improved compatibility with fuel that contains ethanol alcohol additives. Motorcycles Affected: 2000 - 2017 Softails, all models excluding FXSTD, FXSTDSE, FXSTDSE2, FXCW and FXCWC.
• 10139399TECH ARTICLE TA0023: TA0023: Crankshaft Rod Bearing. Purpose: Technicians have been falsely identifying connecting rod bearings as failed due to a perception of resistance as the rods are rotated. The clearance of the Twin Cam and Milwaukee-Eight crank pin bearings are maintained to a very tight range. This optimizes performance and maintains low mechanical noise in operation. The connecting rod bore can also distort slightly in operation due to stress relaxation. As a result, bearing clearance decreases due to the contact zone broadening and the load being distributed over more rollers. The combination of a bore being slightly out of round and reduced bearing clearance can result in varying degrees of resistance through the range of motion. Axial clearance is also tightly controlled for proper alignment. For these reasons, zones of resistance can be found when the connecting rods are rotated by hand through their range of motion. Resistance during rod motion, by itself, is not an indication of a performance or durability concern.
• 10090241The purpose of this bulletin IS to create dealer awareness of a change in registered accessory labor codes and associated times.

Every Harley-Davidson Flstn model year

Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.