NHTSA Complaint #11079476 — 2010 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHRC

ABS REAR BRAKE FAILURE. MY REAR BRAKE PEDAL BECAME HARD TO PRESS AND RESULTED IN ABSOLUTELY NO REAR BRAKE. ALMOST RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THERE IS NOW A RECALL TO FLUSH THE SYSTEM WITH NEW BRAKE FLUID TO SUPPOSEDLY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. NO VEHICLE WITH ABS SHOULD JUST FAIL WITHOUT AT LEAST REVERTING TO STANDARD BRAKING. THE ABS LIGHT IS BASICALLY USELESS. THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW HOW MANY LIVES THIS ISSUE MAY HAVE CLAIMED OR WILL DO SO IN THE FUTURE. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND POORLY DESIGNED ABS SYSTEM. A DEALERSHIP REPORTED THAT THEY WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS ISSUE. I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE, CONSIDERING THE RECALL INVOLVES OVER 200,000 HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLES WITH ABS! THERE ALMOST IS CERTAINLY A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS MODULE, THE CONTROLLER OR BOTH! NO, I DID NOT CHANGE THE FLUID EVERY TWO YEARS. I BOUGHT THE MOTORCYCLE USED AND DID NOT RECEIVE THE MANUAL. HOWEVER, TO BLAME THE OWNER FOR THIS IS IRRESPONSIBLE ON THE MOCO'S PART AS WELL. WHY DOESN'T THE MACHINE REVERT TO STANDARD BRAKING RATHER THAN NO BRAKES PERIOD? BRAKE FLUID SHOULD BYPASS THAT MODULE. THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT, I WILL PROBABLY BE STUCK WITH AT LEAST THE COST OF A NEW ABS MODULE. IS THIS BRAKE FLUID FLUSH WHAT THE NHTSA REFERS TO AS A FREE AND SAFE SOLUTION TO A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE? EVEN IF THE BRAKE FLUID IS FLUSHED EVERY TWO YEARS, WHAT WILL PREVENT A NO BRAKE SITUATION IF A MODULE OR CONTROLLER FAILS? BOTH HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE NHTSA (TWO ORGANIZATIONS I USED TO RESPECT) SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THIS RIDICULOUS 'SOLUTION' TO A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING ISSUE. UNLIKE, HD I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SELL THE VEHICLE EVEN AFTER THE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS THAT WILL MOST LIKE BE RECOMMENDED ALONG WITH THE FREE FLUID FLUSH KNOWING THAT I MIGHT SELL A DEATH MACHINE. APPARENTLY, HD AND THE NHTSA FEEL DIFFERENTLY. STILL, I AM VERY INTERESTED IN YOUR RESPONSE. *TR