NHTSA Complaint #11269970 — 2013 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHTCU

ABS SYSTEM MODULE FAILURE. BACKING OUT OF GARAGE WITH IGNITION ON, PULLED FRONT BRAKE LEVER AND IT WAS LOCKED, COULD NOT PULL. HAD NO FRONT BRAKE. HAD TO STOP BIKE BY APPLYING REAR BRAKE. REAR BRAKE FUNCTIONED AS IT SHOULD. IF YOU TURN BIKE OFF AND LET IT SIT FOR A FEW HOURS, BRAKE PRESSURE IN FRONT EQUALIZES. YOU CAN THEN PULL FRONT BRAKE LEVER AND BRAKE WORKS AS IT SHOULD WITH IGNITION OFF. AS SOON AS YOU TURN IGNITION ON AND ABS MODULE POWERS UP THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER LOCKS UP AND IS UNUSABLE. WHEN RIDING THE FRONT WHEEL TURNS FREELY AS THE BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED, BUT FRONT BRAKE LEVER CANNOT BE PULLED. DIAGNOSIS TO ABS MODULE FAILURE! I LET BIKE SIT OVERNIGHT. PULLED BRAKE LEVER TO ENSURE BRAKES FUNCTIONED WITH IGNITION OFF, BRAKES WORKED FINE. PULLED FUSE 21 FOR ABS SYSTEM. TURNED ON IGNITION, ABS LIGHT COMES ON STEADY AS SYSTEM HAS NO POWER. BRAKES WORKED FINE ON TEST RIDE BUT WHEELS CAN BE LOCKED UP AS ABS IS NON FUNCTIONING. SHUT BIKE OFF, RE-INSTALLED FUSE, TURNED IGNITION BACK ON, ABS SYSTEM POWERED UP AND FRONT BRAKE LEVER LOCKED AND CANNOT BE USED. REPEATED SAME PROCEDURE AS ABOVE AND NOW HAVE FUNCTIONAL BRAKES TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE BIKE, BUT ABS SYSTEM FUSE PULLED AND ABS IS DISABLED. HARLEY DAVIDSON ABS MODULE FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE ENDING IF I HAD FOUND THIS OUT AT THE WRONG TIME WHEN I REALLY NEEDED THE BRAKES. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD FAIL ON THE SAFE SIDE AND BE ABLE TO HAVE OPERATIONAL BRAKES WITH NO ABS FUNCTION, BUT INSTEAD IT FAILS TO THE BAD AND DOES NOT ALLOW THE USE OF THE BRAKES AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. VERY POOR DESIGN ABS SYSTEM. WARRANTS A FULL RECALL AT HD EXPENSE! THIS COULD KILL PEOPLE.