2019 BMW F850GS Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2019 BMW F850GS, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Powertrain (other)1100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE IN MOTION, APPROXIMATELY ONE OUT OF FIVE UP-SHIFT ATTEMPTS FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR RESULT IN REPEATED MISSED SHIFTS, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION ATTEMPTING TO REACH SPEEDS ABOVE 35 MPH. BMW MOTORCYCLES OF OMAHA (OMAHA, NEBRASKA) AND BMW MOTTORAD USA ATTRIBUTE THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONS TO A MATERIAL DEFECT, MOST LIKELY A METAL BURR IN THE SHIFTING MECHANISM. THEIR RECOMMENDATION IS TO CONTINUE OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE IN ORDER TO WEAR DOWN THE BURR. AFTER OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE FOR ~500 MILES, THE ISSUE HAS NOT SELF RESOLVED. THE SHIFTING PROBLEM RESULT IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF ACCELERATION, AND NEARLY RESULTED IN BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY VEHICLES ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS AS THE TRAILING VEHICLES DIDN'T ANTICIPATE A LOSS OF STEADY ACCELERATION IN THE COURSE OF ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO REACH POSTED SPEED LIMITS. BMW MOTORCYCLES OF OMAHA DID NOT PROVIDE ANY DOCUMENTATION OF THE SERVICE REQUEST, THE PROBLEM, OR THEIR INTENDED COURSE OF ACTION, TO CONTINUE USE OF THE F850GS IN THE HOPE THE PROBLEM WOULD SELF-RESOLVE. I BELIEVE THE LACK OF PROVIDED PAPERWORK WAS TO AVOID ANY POTENTIAL LEGAL ISSUES STEMMING FROM ASKING ME TO CONTINUE OPERATING A MOTORCYCLE I EXPLAINED TO THEM WAS UNSAFE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .