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2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Soft Tail

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

21 reports with mileage · 2 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Tires complaints

2 reports
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5,800 miles · Jul 21, 2011
Tires

I OWN A 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON SOFTAIL CUSTOM FXSTC WITH 5,800 MILES ON IT AND THE FRONT TIRE IS SHOWING NOTABLE CUPPING AND EXCESSIVE WEAR. THIS MODEL OF TIRE DUNLOP D407F IS NO LONGER BEING SOLD AND IS SUPERSEDED BY THE D408F. SERVICE BULLETIN M-1258A COVERS OTHER HARLEY MODELS WITH A SIMILAR TIRE AND ISSUE. SINCE A MOTORCYCLE O…

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I OWN A 2009 HARLEY DAVIDSON SOFTAIL CUSTOM FXSTC WITH 5,800 MILES ON IT AND THE FRONT TIRE IS SHOWING NOTABLE CUPPING AND EXCESSIVE WEAR. THIS MODEL OF TIRE DUNLOP D407F IS NO LONGER BEING SOLD AND IS SUPERSEDED BY THE D408F. SERVICE BULLETIN M-1258A COVERS OTHER HARLEY MODELS WITH A SIMILAR TIRE AND ISSUE. SINCE A MOTORCYCLE ONLY HAS TWO WHEELS THE CUPPING AND PREMATURE WEAR ARE A HAZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS A SAFETY CONCERN. REPORTED AS CASE #[XXX] TO HARLEY DAVIDSON. THIS ISSUE IS MENTIONED ON SEVERAL HARLEY DAVIDSON RIDER FORUMS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *KB

NHTSA ODI #10413991

5,000 miles · Apr 24, 2010
Tires

2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXSTSSE3 HD OEM DUNLOP D407 TIRES SHOWING WEAR AT 5,000 MILES, LOCAL DEALER & EMAIL TO DUNLOP WOULD NOT COVER THEM. LATER, PROVIDED LOCAL DEALER SERVICE MANAGER PRINTED COPIES OF HD BULLETINS & INTERNET COMMENTS FROM HD FORUMS ON PROBLEM AND HE GOT APPROVAL TO REPLACE FRONT TIRE WITH D408 AT NO CHARGE BEC…

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2009 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXSTSSE3 HD OEM DUNLOP D407 TIRES SHOWING WEAR AT 5,000 MILES, LOCAL DEALER & EMAIL TO DUNLOP WOULD NOT COVER THEM. LATER, PROVIDED LOCAL DEALER SERVICE MANAGER PRINTED COPIES OF HD BULLETINS & INTERNET COMMENTS FROM HD FORUMS ON PROBLEM AND HE GOT APPROVAL TO REPLACE FRONT TIRE WITH D408 AT NO CHARGE BECAUSE IT HAD SIGNS OF CUPPING. WOULD NOT COVER REAR D407 240/40R18 TIRE EVEN THOUGH AT 6,000 MILES SHOWING EARLY WEAR. DUNLOP WEB SITE ADVERTISES THE D407 & D408 TIRES HAVE MT FOR LONGER LIFE, YET MANY 2008 - 2009 HD OWNERS WIT THIS BRAND TIRE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS. ON THEIR WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.DUNLOPMOTORCYCLE.COM/TIRECATALOG_TIRE.ASP?ID=107 : "THE NEW D407 TIRE IS MADE FOR 2009 FL TOURING MODELS, AND THEREAR TIRES FEATURE DUNLOP'S ADVANCED MT MULTI-TREAD TECHNOLOGY. MT MULTI-TREAD REAR TIRE INCORPORATES A TOUGH TREAD COMPOUND IN THE CENTER THAT RUNS COOLER TO PROVIDE STABILITY, EXCELLENT TRACTION UNDER BRAKING AND LONG LIFE, AND TO EACH SIDE IS A SECTION OF LATERAL-GRIP COMPOUND THAT ENHANCES TRACTION AT HIGHER LEAN ANGLES FOR GREAT GRIP WHILE CORNERING.". HD & DUNLOP WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE REAR D407'S. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10327265

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.