NHTSA Complaint #10480619 — 2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLTR

THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE I WAS OPERATING MY HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE ON A HIGHWAY TRAVELING APPROX. 65 MPH. THE THROTTLE BY WIRE SUDDENLY WENT INTO A LIMP HOME MODE WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING. THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING AND ALL LIGHTS AND GAUGES SEEMED TO BE FUNCTIONING HOWEVER THE MOTORCYCLE CEASED TO RESPOND TO ANY DEGREE OF TWIST OF THE THROTTLE. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER MOTORCYCLISTS BEHIND ME WHO HAD TO BREAK ABRUPTLY TO AVOID REAR-ENDING ME. I HAD TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC TO PULL TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. THE SITUATION WAS VERY DANGEROUS TO MYSELF AND OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. AFTER SHUTTING THE MOTORCYCLE OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO START THE BIKE WITH THROTTLE RESPONSE RESTORED. THIS SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED OVER 20 MORE TIMES. MY BIKE HAS BEEN TO SEVERAL HARLEY DEALERSHIPS SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT ONLY TO FAIL AGAIN SOON AFTER. UNBEKNOWNST TO ME AT THE TIME I PURCHASED THIS MOTORCYCLE (END OF 2008), MANY OTHER BIKE OWNERS OF THE SAME MODEL OR OTHER SIMILAR TOURING MODEL FROM 2008 TO 2011 HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. HARLEY IS AWARE OF THIS HIGHLY DANGEROUS DEFECT. (REFER TO THE FOLLOWING LINK TO A HARLEY DAVIDSON SERVICE BULLETIN: HTTP://WWW.SCRIBD.COM/DOC/55139820/2008-LATER-TOURING-TT418-1.) ALSO, REFER TO THE FOLLOWING LINK TO AN ARTICLE ABOUT A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT THAT WAS FILED IN TEXAS ALLEGING THAT A MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE ON A HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT IN 2008: HTTP://WWW.ABOUTLAWSUITS.COM/WRONGFUL-DEATH-LAWSUIT-HARLEY-DAVIDSON-THROTTLE-DEFECTIVE-9072/. HARLEY HAS ISSUED TT 418 NOV 3, 2009, TO ADDRESS THIS WIDESPREAD PROBLEM ON THROTTLE BY WIRE BIKES 2008 - 2011. DEALER COMPLIANCE ON TT 418 IS WEAK. THIS ISSUE OF THE BIKE CUTTING OFF SUDDENLY IN TRAFFIC POSES AN OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO REPLACE THE POORLY DESIGNED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. *TR