2008 Harley-Davidson Flhtcu: ABS light or ABS activating

Filed Mar 30, 2022 · Brakes, Electrical · FL · 1 injury

ABS System failure causing brakes to fail

Filed Aug 8, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · SC · crash · 2 injuries

I was riding my motorcycle with a group of bikes and had to make an emergency stop. When the brakes were applied, as directed in the owners manual, the ABS failed and caused the rear tire to lock and skid. The resulting skid caused a loss of control of the motorcycle and ultimately laying the bike down on the asphalt highway. This resulted in the rider and passenger sustaining injuries. The passenger received a Tramatic Brain Injury which a month and a half later she is still in recovery. The motorcycle has not yet been repaired or looked at by any Police or Technical personnel. There were no warnings or lights prior to the accident.

Filed Apr 25, 2020 · Brakes · 51,080 miles · MD

I was traveling about 35mph and approaching an intersection near my home. I had to stop quickly as a car turned into my lane just a head of me. I applied the front and rear brakes of my motorcycle but the front brake lever did not move at all. It was as if it was frozen in place. I had no control of the front brakes. I was able to slow using the rear brake and avoided a collision by steering out of the way. After arriving home and investigating, I found the ABS module had failed. I also found this is an issue known by harley davidson of their 2008-2014 motorcycles with ABS. Their solution, is to bleed the brake fluid every two years no matter what. I do that myself every two years. There is no guarantee that if I replace the ABS module, at significant cost, that a failure won't happen again.

Filed Mar 14, 2019 · Brakes · 11,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 harley-davidson flhtcu. While driving 45 MPH, the front brakes were applied, but failed to respond. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to hannum's harley-davidson (1011 w baltimore pike, media, pa 19063, (610) 566-5562) where it was diagnosed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for service. The failure mileage was 11,000.

Filed Aug 16, 2018 · Brakes · 21,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 harley-davidson flhtcu. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v076000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The motorcycle was taken to sandy's harley-davidson sport center (11940 n maple island rd, fremont, mi 49412, (231) 924-3020) for servicing. While the mechanic was bleeding the brake fluid per the recall, the ABS module became damaged. The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

Filed Jun 15, 2018 · Brakes · 56,000 miles · CT

Abs unit failed I have no rear brake on the motorcycle.

Filed Mar 19, 2018 · Brakes · 40,000 miles · GA

I received a recall on hd ultra classic 2008 ABS system. However about 2 months before the front brake froze up and became non-functional resulting in a very unsafe experience. Will this recall cover this or am I on my own to pay for this failure? I have owned many vehicles in my life and have never had this happen.

Filed Feb 8, 2018 · Brakes · 9,200 miles · LA

While attempting to come to a stop at a traffic signal the rear brake locked up with no warning. Luckily I was going straight and was able to recover the skidding bike before I hit the car ahead of me. I brought my bike the local dealer and the claim the ABS module is bad.no one mentioned to me about the recall.

Filed Dec 1, 2017 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · OH

While approaching an intersection I tried to apply the brakes and the front brake lever would not move. It was locked in place. Luckily the rear brake still worked and I was able to stop. After I stopped and pulled over I was able to get the brake lever to move again. It did the same thing again on the next attempt to stop so I slowly drove home using only the rear brake. I have been riding bikes for 40 years and have never had anything like this happen. I have read on the internet that this is a common occurrence and I would be surprised if it has not caused serious accidents like it almost did for me and my wife. The ABS module has a serious design flaw and should never have been used on any bike! On top of that the dealership wants around $1200 to fix the issue.

Filed Jul 6, 2017 · Brakes · 36,000 miles · MI

While driving home from work on the express way a car changed lanes in front of me to close for comfort. I attempted to apply the rear brake but could not push the pedal down. I swerved and used the front brake to slow down to create space between myself and other traffic. I continued home knowing I only had front brakes. Once home I attempted to push the brake pedal. It would not move. Upon researching this on the computer I found many complaints of this happening to others sometimes the rear brake sometimes the front brake. I took the bike to the dealers for maintenance. What failed was the rear ABS control module. This is the same part listed online by many as failing. One week after taking the motorcycle to the dealer I received a letter from harley davidson informing me that my motorcycle contained dot 4 brake fluid and that it was required to be changed every two years to prevent possible failure. I have owned this bike since new, 2008, and never received a letter from harley before. The dealer confirmed that it was the ABS module that had failed and ordered one. The part that was on my bike is no longer available. (I am assuming because harley knows they are no good). The new part that it has been replaced with will not work on my motorcycle unless I purchase a new electronic ABS electronic control unit also which is in excess of five hundred dollars. When the ABS brakes failed on the highway, they failed in a manner that I had no brakes. Not just no ABS but no brakes on the rear system what so ever. Although harley davidson knows that this part was defective, as it was discontinued and replaced with another part, they blame the consumer by saying the brake fluid was not changed often enough. This was not a gradual failure but sudden. They worked fine that morning. The complete loss of brakes could be fatal.

Filed Mar 23, 2017 · Brakes · 50,000 miles · FL

The front brake lever suddenly became very hard to pull. I knew from other riders experiences with this this same problem that it was probably a problem with the ABS (anti-lock brake system). My harley certified mechanic verified that the ABS module had gone bad. I contacted my local harley-davidson dealer and they told me that ABS module was obsolete and there was no replacement. After several calls to harley customer service I was given two part numbers that should work on my motorcycle. My mechanic has to determine which type of ABS is on my motorcycle and then I have to find a dealer that can get the pert. The motorcycle is still operable but it is questionable whether or nor the ABS is working. Also with the front brake lever very hard to pull it certainly leads to a potentially dangerous situation. I am the original owner of this vehicle and bought it brand new from the dealership. I feel that this condition should have been brought to my attention by the manufacturer and since it involves control and braking of the vehicle should have merited a safety recall or at the very least a technical service bulletin. If I am able to locate the correct ABS module it will cost me $373.71 - $ 481.73 plus labor costs of installation. The motorcycle has 50,000 miles on it is garage kept and serviced on a regular basis. I feel the manufacturer should have warned me of this problem and should have replaced a critical part they knew was going to fail.

Filed Feb 19, 2017 · Brakes · 20,900 miles · IN

On city street applied front brake to slow down to make turn and lever was rock solid. No front brake at all. Abs light was not on. Rear brake worked. Dealer said they had to order ABS module from harley davidson because harley davidson needed the old one to inspect. Bike is currently at the dealer waiting on new part.