The 2018 Harley-Davidson Flde has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 147,341 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION25V3750002025-06-0682,117 affected
Defect
Harley-Davidson Motor Company (Harley-Davidson) is recalling certain 2018-2024 Softail motorcycles. The mounting tab on the rear shock pre-load adjuster may break, allowing the rear shock absorber adjuster to damage the rear tire, causing a loss of tire pressure.
Consequence
A sudden loss of tire pressure increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new bracket, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 16, 2025. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464. Harley-Davidson's number for this recall is 0188. Some of the vehicles included in this recall were previously repaired under…
SUSPENSION23V5910002023-08-2265,224 affected
Defect
Harley-Davidson Motor Company (Harley-Davidson) is recalling certain 2018-2019 FLDE, 2018-2021 FLHC, 2018-2023 FLHCS, 2018 and 2023 FLHCS ANV, 2020-2023 FXLRS, 2022-2023 FXLRST, and 2022 FXRST Softail motorcycles. A fastener securing the rear shock absorber may break and allow the rear shock absorber adjuster to…
Consequence
A loss of tire pressure can lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the shock absorber fastener, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 8, 2023. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464. Harley-Davidson's number for this recall is 0181.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN
2
SERVICE BRAKES
2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
SUSPENSION
1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1
Total complaints7
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My 2018 harley softail was repaired .the rear shock adjuster bolt was broken 11/1/2018 at 1500 mile this was before the recalls.then it was repaired again with the recall 2/6/24 it was broken again.my bike was then repaired again on 7/29/25 for the recall .it was broken at the time again. On…”
“My 2018 harley softail was repaired .the rear shock adjuster bolt was broken 11/1/2018 at 1500 mile this was before the recalls.then it was repaired again with the recall 2/6/24 it was broken again.my bike was then repaired again on 7/29/25 for the recall .it was broken at the time again. On…”
“Faulty front brake light switch causes the brake light to remain on all the time. Comon failure and the part is on back order for two months. Issue has been confirmed by dealer.”
“Faulty front brake light switch causes the brake light to remain on all the time. Comon failure and the part is on back order for two months. Issue has been confirmed by dealer.”
“I received a recall notice on november 5th 2018 and still cannot get the dealer to fix the recall issue, it is now january 9th 2019”
“My motorcycle was recalled for a potentially life threatening condition. Fluid could leak past the clutch reservoir and cause the drive train to stay engaged and you cant shift out of gear causing you to crash. This is march 21, 2019 and I am 123 customers away from the harley dealership from…”
“2018 harley davidson softail deluxe 2400 miles. Was riding at lunch heading back to work, on a city street came to a intersection the lights were turning red went to apply my front brakes and they went from working with no issues or signs of issues to complete fail of the front brakes pulled off…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Harley-Davidson Flde as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.