Harley-Davidson Softail Motorcycles Recall Over Brake Issue
Areazine synthesizes this NHTSA vehicle recall directly from NHTSA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Harley-Davidson is recalling certain 2025-2026 Softail motorcycles due to a potential rear brake line problem that could cause loss of rear brakes and increase crash risk.
What this NHTSA vehicle recall tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by NHTSA on April 16, 2026 and geographically references United States. Its severity classification of "high" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Vehicle Recalls - determines the consumer-protection framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, repairs, or the recall itself) are available to affected consumers and which agency holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to read it as a data point about the issuing system: how quickly NHTSA detected the hazard, how precise the geographic or product-identifier scope is, and whether similar notices have clustered in the same category or region in the last 90 days. Cluster patterns frequently precede a broader regulatory action, a single localized NHTSA vehicle recall is isolated; three of them within a quarter often indicate a supply-chain, infrastructure, or seasonal driver that will keep producing notices until something structural changes.
For decision-making, Areazine pairs each alert with the original agency URL, the full agency name, and a timestamp so you can verify the notice against the primary source before acting on it. Tags on this item (recall, product-safety, nhtsa, motorcycles) map to related alerts in the same area of risk - browsing them together gives a clearer picture than any single notice alone, because the shape of an ongoing issue only becomes visible across multiple sequential alerts.
Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Recall
What Happened
Harley-Davidson Motor Company is recalling certain 2025-2026 Softail motorcycles because the rear brake line may contact the Body Control Module (BCM), potentially causing a hole in the brake line, a brake fluid leak, and loss of the rear brakes.
Which Products Are Affected
The recall affects approximately 16,994 units of the following models: 2025-2026 FLHC, FXBB, FXLRS, and FXLRST Softail motorcycles. The NHTSA Campaign Number is 26V234000. Specific model years include 2025 FLHC, 2025 FXBB, 2025 FXLRS, 2025 FXLRST, 2026 FLHC, 2026 FXBB, 2026 FXLRS, and 2026 FXLRST.
What You Should Do
Owners should wait for notification letters expected to be mailed on May 18, 2026. Contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464 for more information. Dealers will replace the BCM caddy and associated hardware free of charge, and inspect and replace the rear brake line if damaged, also free of charge. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved can be searched on NHTSA.gov starting April 16, 2025.
Why This Matters
Loss of the rear brakes increases the risk of a crash, which could lead to serious injuries or fatalities for riders and others on the road.
Source
This information is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For more details, visit the NHTSA website and search for Campaign Number 26V234000.
Original source: NHTSA Official Notice ↗
Related Vehicle Recalls
All Vehicle Recalls →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NHTSA vehicle recall.