2018 Harley-Davidson Fxfbs problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Visibility/Wiper (1)
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (60)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-17 · M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin m1490 (v 26.9.4): digital technician ii - updates and release notes. purpose: revision. this bulletin informs dealers that harley-davidson has made a software update to digital technician ii (dt ii). digital technician ii (part number: hd-48650). new software update. note: the tech
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-14 · M1733 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin m1733: cosmetic cylinder staining (all milwaukee-eight models). purpose: initial release. this bulletin informs dealers that cosmetic staining or etching on the inside of the cylinder bore does not have an impact on engine performance, oil consumption, or overall functionality. this
Wheels 2026-07-25 · M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin m1490 (v 26.8.3): digital technician ii - updates and release notes. purpose: revision. this bulletin informs dealers that harley-davidson has made a software update to digital technician ii (dt ii). digital technician ii (part number: hd-48650). version version 26.8.3, release dat
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-06-11 · M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin m1490 (v 26.7.3): digital technician ii - updates and release notes. purpose: revision. this bulletin informs dealers that harley-davidson has made a software update to digital technician ii (dt ii). digital technician ii (part number: hd-48650). version 26.7.3. release date:• week
Vehicle Speed Control 2026-04-24 · M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin m1490 (v 26.6.2): digital technician ii - updates and release notes. purpose: revision. this bulletin informs dealers that harley-davidson has made a software update to digital technician ii (dt ii). digital technician ii (part number: hd-48650). version 26.6.2. release date: week
Vehicle Speed Control 2026-03-31 · M1490 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin m1490 (v 26.5.2): digital technician ii - updates and release notes. purpose: revision. this bulletin informs dealers that harley-davidson has made a software update to digital technician ii (dt ii). digital technician ii (part number: hd-48650). version 26.5.2 release date: week of
Showing the 6 most recent of 60 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2020-04-15 · Engine · 2,300 mi“oil sumping, oil pump failure. cylinder seized. 2300 total miles. *tr…”
2020-03-23 · Visibility/Wiper · 2,000 mi“moisture is collecting under the speedometer, forcing me not to know my speed, rpm, etc. this is very dangerous. i am on my second factory replacement of the unit.…”
2019-04-02 · Electrical System · 5,000 mi“the speedometer fills with condensation rendering it unreadable. harley davidson corporate is replacing defective speedometers with another defective speedometer and refuses to replace it more than once.…”
2019-03-29 · Electrical System“condensation forms inside the instrument cluster while driving, rendering the speed indicator unreadable. this is a very serious safety hazard because the driver can become distracted trying to read the instrument cluster through the condensation. it's also a safety hazard because the driver can't determine their speed when the speedometer is u…”
2019-02-28 · Electrical System · 15 mi“after the motorcycle warms up (about 15 minutes of riding), condensation begins to form inside the speedometer on the inside of the glass. this condensation blocks the view of the speed reading and other indicators. at night, visibility is even worse when this occurs. harley says that this is just the way it is, but that cannot be the case. the gau…”
2019-02-28 · Vehicle Speed Control · 4,000 mi“after taking my '18 hd out for lunch, the speedometer fogged up while i was inside the building (about thirty minutes - ~75 degrees outside). the entire ride home the speedometer was fogged up and i was unable to see the speed of my motorcycle or gear that the bike was in. since the unit only has an analog tach i am out of luck when it comes to det…”
2018-12-29 · Unknown Or Other · 2,200 mi · 💥 crash“'takata recall' rear brake locks up in hard breaking situations and pulls back wheel left. also speedometer constantly fills with condensation no matter what the temperature or weather is like outside. this is an extreme safety issue and a constant problem…”
2018-08-28 · Vehicle Speed Control · 1,500 mi“condensation forms inside the instrument cluster while driving, rendering the speed indicator unreadable. this is a very serious safety hazard because the driver can become distracted trying to read the instrument cluster through the condensation. it's also a safety hazard because the driver can't determine their speed when the speedometer is u…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.