The 2011 Harley-Davidson Flhrc has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 250,757 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. Last updated July 5, 2026.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 TOURING, CVO TOURING AND TRIKE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 6, 2008, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 16, 2011. SEE THE ABOVE LIST FOR THE MODELS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MAY BE EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.
Consequence
THE EXCESSIVE HEAT MAY CAUSE THE SWITCH TO NOT ACTIVATE THE BRAKE LAMP OR ACTIVATE THE BRAKE LAMP WHEN NO BRAKE IS APPLIED AND/OR CAUSE A BRAKE FLUID LEAK AT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH, AFFECTING REAR BRAKE PERFORMANCE. EITHER CONDITION MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
HARLEY-DAVIDSON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL A INSTALL A REAR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH KIT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER 31, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT 1-414-343-4056.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
Total complaints5
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Abs warning light comes on. The abs system had a recall in 2018/19 to change fluid. It supposedly could create an issue if not done every 2 years. This light came on and part needs to be ordered. The service that was done did not even have 1000 miles on it if it even had 500. I believe this module…”
“Abs warning light comes on. The abs system had a recall in 2018/19 to change fluid. It supposedly could create an issue if not done every 2 years. This light came on and part needs to be ordered. The service that was done did not even have 1000 miles on it if it even had 500. I believe this module…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2011 harley-davidson flhrc. While driving approximately 20 mph, the rear brakes malfunctioned and failed to stop the motorcycle when pressing the rear brake lever. The motorcycle was taken to the local dealer (adamec harley-davidson in jackson, fl) where it was diagnosed…”
“Front brake is stuck in the open position. The abs module is bad according to the harley shop. This happened while I was riding on a highway all of a sudden I'm unable to pull the front brake lever. I just read an article that you guys are looking into this and issue and it is exactly the same as…”
“Front brake lever will not move much and takes a lot of force to get it to move. Front brake will not work. This is a big and dangerous problem!! After researching, I found it to be a common problem with harley davidson abs equipped bikes.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE16009 Opened 2016-07-06 · closed 2018-04-23
Sudden Brake Failure - Motorcycle
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation in July 2016 based on forty-three (43) Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ).During the course of this investigation ODI received a total of 145 VOQs related to the alleged defect on the subject motorcycles.Owners allege they experience a sudden and…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Harley-Davidson Flhrc as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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