| Issue ID | 693525 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10242699 |
| Manufacurer | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY |
| Brand | HARLEY DAVIDSON |
| Model | FLHTCU |
| Model Year | 2007 |
| File date | 13/08/08 |
| Component | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Started my '07harley davidson flhtcu and backed out of parking stall, bike was already in 1st gear, started to release the clutch to move the bike when the engine went to full throttle with no input from me. The bike lurched forward so i immediately twisted the throttle off and applied the front brake because i was heading for a curb. Again the engine went to full throttle on it's own. The brake had no effect so before i hit the curb i released the brake and straightened the bike so i would hit the curb at a right angle and was able to avoid a tree. The bike flew about 4-5 ft and landed on grass. I tried to regain control of the bike but despite my efforts the engine remained wide open. I pulled in the clutch but the bike swerved in the slippery grass and went down on it's left side. The bike righted itself and kept going but fell immediately again on the right side. This scenario repeated itself one more time falling on the left side only this time it fell more violently and ejected me into the dirt. As i was laying there i heard my motorcycle roaring and saw that it had flipped over on it's right side about 30 feet away and was laying perfectly horizontal with the rear wheel spinning. The bike was slowly twisting on the grass from the torque of the engine and i had a moment of fear thinking that if the wheels dug in again there's no telling which direction it would go and i couldn't move. I tried to twist my body around to put my feet towards the bike as my only defense but couldn't do it. Fortunately, after about 3 seconds, the engine quit. People came to my aid immediately and in 15 minutes i was in an ambulance. I spent two weeks in the hospital with 3 broken vertebrae, 1 broken collar bone, 2 broken shoulder bones and 6 broken ribs. The bike is in my garage. I won't let anybody touch it until i get an independent mechanic to examine it. My best guess is a malfunction in the cruise control. It tried to "resume" some former speed. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 5195 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | CORONA, CA |
| VIN pattern | 1HD1FC4397YXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | Y |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | Y |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 1 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
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| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 25 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
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| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
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