RoadVitals

1990 BMW K1

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 Jan 8, 2002
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.
1
Latest Jun 5, 1992
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 1990 BMW K1, most frequently naming the fuel system category. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 2 manufacturer communications are 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

  • Fuel system1100.0%

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

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
92V081000

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS

Jun 5, 1992
2,486 units potentially affected
The defect: THE BONDING TECHNIQUE USED BETWEEN THE PAD AND THE BACKING PLATE CAN RESULT IN A POROUS JOINT LAYER WHICH WATER AND SALT CAN PENETRATE, RESULTING IN CORROSION OF THE BACKING PLATE.
The risk: THE FRONT BRAKE PADS CAN SEPARATE PARTIALLY OR COMPLETELYFROM THE CORRODED BACKING PLATE, RESULTING IN DECREASED STOPPING ABILITY AND APOSSIBLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy: REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WITH NEW PADS UTILIZING A DIFFERENT BONDING METHOD WHICH ENSURES A NON-POROUS JOINT LAYER TO PREVENT WATER AND SALT PENETRATION OF THE BACKING PLATE.
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKEView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Fuel system
Filed Jan 8, 2002

FUEL TANK DEVELOPED VERY LARGE LEAK AND DRAINED COMPLETELY IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS. ACCORDING TO DEALER THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE FOR TYPE OF BIKE AT 10 YEARS OLD. LUCKLY I DO NOT HAVE ANY IGNITION SOURCES IN GARAGE SO NO FIRE RESULTED. LEAK BEGAN AFTER PLACING BIKE ON CENTER STAND AFTER MOVING TO CLEAN GARAGE. FULL TANK OF ~5 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS EVENTUALLY SPILLED. TANK IS ALL ALLUMINUM. MAIN LEAK ON LEFT SIDE OF BIKE DIRECTLY ABOVE FUEL INJECTORS, ENGINE AND IGNITION COILS. SMALLER LEAK (PAINT BUBBLE) ON RIGHT SIDE OF TANK AT SAME LOCATION. LEAK SEEMS TO BE A RESULT OF CORRORSION FROM THE INSIDE OF THE TANK OUT, POSSIABLY FOLLOWING WELD OR FOLD IN METAL. IF FAILURE OCCURRED IN CLOSED GARAGE WITH IGNITION SOURCES FIRE/EXPOLSION COULD RESULT. IF FAILURE OCCURED ON ROAD FUEL WOULD LEAK ONTO RIDER RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY IN FIRE. BIKE IS COMPLETELY "STOCK" AND UNMODIFIED. NO ACCIDENTS AFFECTING TANK IN HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP, HOWEVER REAR OF BIKE DAMAGED IN ACCIDENT IN 1991. TANK CURRENTLY REPAIRED WITH "JB WELD" AND I AM RESEARCHING OTHER REPAIR OPTIONS.*AK

NHTSA ID
756571
Incident
Jan 4, 2002

Manufacturer communications

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

MC510694

STRUCTURE

This document is applies to the following categories: Body Equipment

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 K1 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1992010—
1991010—
1990Viewing110—

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.