2021 Harley-Davidson Flhxs problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (1) · Service Brakes (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Harley-Davidson Flhxs model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights 2022-10-18 · campaign 22V781000 · 199,419 vehicles
Defect: Harley-Davidson Motor Company (Harley-Davidson) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Trike and CVO Trike and 2020-2022 Touring and CVO Touring motorcycles. Please refer to Addendum A for specific vehicle model details. Due to a software error, the brake lights may illuminate without the rider applying the brakes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Unintended illumination of the brake lights may confuse other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the software on Touring and CVO Touring motorcycles. On Trike and CVO Trike motorcycles, a new pressure switch will also be installed. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 2, 2022. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464. Harley-Davidson's number for this recall is 0635.
Service bulletins (64)
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 64 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-04-18 · Vehicle Speed Control“this is my second report on 2021 street glide special. bike goes into limp mode whenever it wants to. this has happened at idle at a light, driving 25 mph in town and running at 65 mph on the freeway. bike was at the dealer for a month in 2022 and they claimed nothing was wrong. the first time was at 13,000 miles, bike is currently at 28,000 and p…”
2023-08-31 · Service Brakes“the bike randomly goes into limp mode. when codes are pulled they are always the same ecm and abs codes. took the bike to harley dealer they said they couldn't find anything wrong and couldn't duplicate it. it's happened four times now. leaving a stoplight and entering a freeway are two examples. there is no warning before going into limp mode.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.