The 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhx has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 250,757 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 16 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
8
1crashes2injuries
POWER TRAIN
2
TIRES
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ENGINE
1
STRUCTURE:BODY
1
WHEELS
1
Total complaints16
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My front brake lever froze and can not be pulled in on my 2012 harley davidson motorcycle. Dealership is saying brake pistons are froze up and abs module will need to be replaced. I’ve owned the bike 6 years and have never been told the brake fluid needed to flushed every 2 years. There was a…”
“2012 harley street glide abs control module is failing. Causing the front brake lever to become rock hard and unusable. Same exact module that was recalled on 2008-2010 was also used in 2011-2013. Extreme safety hazard as you can not stop if someone pulls out in front of you.”
“Front brakes complete failure resulting in an accident. Abs failed & instead of reverting to non abs it locked out the brake system resulting in no brakes. This is a design flaw on 2008 & up harley's with abs. I believe that an investigation & recall are in order please. I was slightly injured,…”
“The abs control module failed causing loss of brakes. A search of the internet revealed that this is a common problem with harley davidson abs brake systems. There was no indicator light or warning that the problem existed just sudden brake failure. Luckily I was just moving the motorcycle around…”
“The front brakes were fine going to work but when I left work the front brake lever was stiff as a board and had no front brakes. The bike was not in motion when I discovered the problem.”
“I was driving at 40 mph on a 45 mph 6 lane county road and a car cut in front of me. I downshifted one gear and grabbed the front brake lever and stepped on rear brake pedal. They were both as hard as a rock and I had no brakes. I jumped the curb and rolled into a grassy embankment and the bike…”
“Front bake is hard to apply upon start up. It has also been hard a few times after the motorcycle has been ridden for a little.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 harley-davidson street glide (flhx). While parking the motorcycle, the brakes failed. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (steel city harley-davidson, 1375 washington rd, washington, pa 15301) for…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhx as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.