2013 Harley-Davidson Flhx: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2013 Harley-Davidson Flhx
Only 6 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2013 Harley-Davidson Flhx, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 2 | 2 | — | 15k | — | 0.5 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 11k | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 30k | — | 0.2 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 2k | — | 0.2 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 1 | — | 5k | — | 0.2 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure
Front brake becomes hard and cannot squeeze to stop. Fluid has been changed in accordance with maintenance schedule every two years. This first occurred while operating on the highway during rush hour traffic. This model is equipped with ABS. I believe there is a sticky valve in the ABS control module. A standard braking system without ABS would not have this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 harley-davidson flhx motorcycle. When the motorcycle clutch was engaged to start the engine, the motorcycle failed to accelerate. The contact had to engage the start switches several times to engage acceleration. The contact also stated that the engine warning light illuminated while driving and the motorcycle decelerated. The motorcycle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. A diagnostic was performed that was unable to locate a failure code; however, the dealer replaced the electronic control module, the twist grip sensor, and the speed sensor. The failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.
Loss of braking
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 harley-davidson flhx street glide. While merging to the right lane at 45 MPH, the rear brakes failed to respond. The contact mentioned that the rear brake handle became difficult to depress and caused the motorcycle to skid. The contact fell off the motorcycle, resulting in a fractured left arm and laceration to the right arm that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The motorcycle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,911.
Other brake problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 harley-davidson flhx. While riding at 55 MPH, the contact attempted to depress the front brake lever; however, the brake failed to respond. The contact stated that the rear brake pedal was depressed while still attempting to slow the motorcycle down with the front brake. The front brake suddenly activated, which caused the contact to be thrown from the motorcycle. The contact sustained a fractured left big toe, a fractured left leg, and a fractured left knee cap, which required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The motorcycle was towed to seminole harley-davidson (620 hickman cir, sanford, fl 32771, (407) 328-1212), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
Every year of the Harley-Davidson Flhx
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2011-2015 generation, 2012 Harley-Davidson Flhx scores best at 77 and 2011 Harley-Davidson Flhx worst at 79.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2013 Harley-Davidson Flhx are control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure (2 reports, around 15k miles), loss of braking (1 report, around 11k miles), other brake problem (1 report, around 30k miles) and other wheel or tire problem (1 report, around 2k miles). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed