Harley-Davidson Motor Company is recalling 16,994 Softail motorcycles because a brake-line problem may lead to loss of the rear brakes, according to a notice tied to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall covers certain 2025-2026 FLHC, FXBB, FXLRS and FXLRST Softail motorcycles. NHTSA said the rear brake line may contact the Body Control Module, or BCM, which could create a hole in the line, allow brake fluid to leak and leave the motorcycle without rear brakes.
Harley-Davidson said it will replace the BCM caddy and related hardware at no cost to owners. If the rear brake line is damaged, it will be inspected and replaced along with associated parts for free as well. Owner notification letters are scheduled to be mailed on May 18.
The recall notice was reported from information provided by NHTSA, which said the defect can raise the risk of a crash. Owners can check whether their vehicle is included by searching the Vehicle Identification Numbers on NHTSA.gov, or contact Harley-Davidson customer service at 1-800-258-2464.
The question now is straightforward: whether every affected owner gets the notice quickly enough to keep a brake-line defect from turning into something far worse.