RoadVitals

1989 BMW BMW Motorcycle

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Dec 18, 1999
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1989 BMW BMW Motorcycle, most frequently naming the exterior lighting category. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Exterior lighting1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Exterior lighting
Filed Dec 18, 1999

FAILURE OF THE "MUSTARD COLORED RELAY" CAUSES TAIL LIGHTS TO INTERMITTENTLY SHUT OFF. FAILURE OF THE LKM INTERMITTENTLY CAUSES THE HEADLIGHTS TO TURN OFF. MANY BMW E32(735,740,745,750 MODELS) OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING, WE HAVE A WEB PAGE WHERE 7 SERIES OWNERS DISCUSS PROBLEMS AND FIXES TO THEIR CARS ON A DAILY BASIS, THERE IS A SEARCH FEATURE ON THE WEB PAGE AND YOU CAN SEE THE VARIOUS TIMES AND COMMETNS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM HTTP://WWW.BRESZLAND.COM/BMW-7ER/, IT REALLY CAN BE A MAJOR SAFETY HAZZARD AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AT THE GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL BEFORE FATALITIES DO HAPPEN AS A RESULT OF THESE PROBLEMS. RIGHT NOW, EACH OWNER IS PAYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THAT IS RATHER UNFAIR.

NHTSA ID
716195
Incident
Apr 15, 1999

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SB-00-021-07

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

BMW MOTORCYCLE: ENGINE FUELS CONTAINING ETHANOL. BMW MOTORRAD HAS NO OBJECTION TO THE USE OF SI ENGINE FUELS CONTAINING UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 10% ETHANOL AND IMPOSES NO WARRANTY RESTRICTIONS. ETHANOL MIXTURES IN PROPORTIONS HIGHER THAN 10% CAN HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE AND CAN RESULT IN DAMAGE TO COMPONENTS THAT COME INTO CONTRACT WITH FUEL. NO WARRANTY CLAIMS WHATSOEVER FOR DAMAGE CAUSED IN THIS WAY WILL BE ACCEPTED. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

BMW BMW Motorcycle by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2001101—
2000130247.9
1999130036.2
1998400—
1997200—
1996300—
1995300—
1994200—
1992100—
1989Viewing100—
1988100—
1984000—
1983000—
1982000—
1981000—
1980000—
1979000—
1978000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.