Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
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Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 BMW K1200LT submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
RIDING ON RELATIVELY STRAIGHT, TWO LANE STATE ROAD IN RURAL GEORGIA ( WITHOUT HAVING ANY PREVIOUS ISSUES). RIDING APPROXIMATELY 45-50 MILES PER HOUR. BIKE SUDDENLY BEGAN MAKING A CLANKING NOISE FROM THE REAR WHEEL. RODE APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE-TENTH MILE TO STORE PARKING LOT. SHUT DOWN BIKE AND TRANSPORTED TO MY RESIDENCE ON TRAILER.
ODI NO. [XXX], AND CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED UNDER CAMPAIGN DP12001. OIL LEAKED OVER TIRE AND BRAKES. NOTICED THE LEAK WHEN TRIED TO STOP AND DIDN'T STOP AS IT NORMALLY DID. BMW DEALER REPLACED FINAL DRIVE. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
SAME FAILURE AS DESCRIBED IN ODI NO. 10439549, AND CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED UNDER CAMPAIGN DP12001. *KB
FINAL DRIVE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT FOR GRINDING, CLUNKING AND VIBRATION. DEALER FOUND OIL LOADED WITH BEARING MATERIAL AND SIGNS OF AN OIL LEAK. *KB
THE LINEAR BEARING IN THE REAR DRIVE FAILED - METAL FLAKES AND BEARING MATERIAL APPEARED IN THE REAR DRIVE OIL WHEN THE OIL WAS CHANGED. THE OIL WAS CHANGED EVERY 3000 - 400 MILES AND WITHOUT WARNING THE DRIVE OIL BECAME CONTAMINATED BY A BEARING THAT DETERIORATED. THE BEARING CAGE HAD NOT STARTED TO FAIL AT THIS TIME. THE REAR DRIVE WAS REMOVED FROM THE MOTORCYCLE, TAKEN APART AND UPON INSPECTION THE BEARING WAS IN EARLY STAGES OF COMPLETE FAILURE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION AND MEASUREMENT IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE BEARING WAS INITIALLY OVER SHIMED (GREATER THAN THE MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS CALLED FOR) AT THE FACTORY PLACING UNDUE FORCES ON THIS LINEAR BEARING - THUS CAUSING ITS PREMATURE FAILURE. THE REPLACEMENT BEARING ALONG WITH PROPER SHIMS, AS CALLED FOR IN THE MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS, WERE PLACED BACK INTO THE DRIVE. *KB
SECOND REAR DRIVE FAILURE OF 2002 BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE AT 42502 MILES FIRST AT 17520 MILES. *TT
ON AUGUST 28TH, MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING TO EUREAKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS FOR OUR 40TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. ABOUT TEN MILES FROM OUR DESTINATION, THE REAR WHEEL DRIVE BEARINGS WENT OUT ON OUR BMW K12LT MOTORCYCLE FOR THE SECOND TIME. WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN A STEEP, WINDING, MOUNTAIN ROAD AND WERE EXTREMELY WORRIED THAT THE BACK WHEEL WOULD LOCK UP AND SEND US SKIDDING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. GOD WAS WATCHING OVER US AND BROUGHT US SAFELY INTO TOWN WHERE WE WERE THEN STRANDED. THE NEXT DAY, I FOUND A KIND MAN WITH A TRUCK AND TRAILER, WHO HAULED US TO BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS TO THE BMW DEALER. THEY REPAIRED THE BIKE IN ONLY THREE HOURS AND WERE WONDERFULLY KIND AND HELPFUL. SINCE THE BEARINGS HAD ONLY BEEN REPLACED 3000 MILES AND ONE MONTH BEFORE, THEY DIDN'T CHARGE US FOR THE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE BMW HAS A ONE YEAR PARTS WARRANTY. THE LOCAL DEALERS ARE GREAT, BUT BMW IN UNCARING WITH REGARD TO THE SAFETY OF THE MOTORCYCLISTS WHO RIDE THEIR BIKES. THIS REAR WHEEL DRIVE BEARING IS A COMMON PROBLEM AFFECTING MOST OF THE BMW BIKES, BUT BMW HAS CHOSEN TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE STILL BUILDING THE PROBLEM INTO THE NEW BIKES THEY ARE SELLING. THE FIRST QUESTION THE DEALER ASKED ME WHEN WE ARRIVED IN BENTONVILLE WITH THE BIKE WAS "IS THE BACK WHEEL LOCKED UP?" THAT IS THE MOST FRIGHTENING THING TO ME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. IF YOUR REAR WHEEL LOCKS UP WHILE YOU ARE LEANING INTO A CURVE ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD, THERE WON'T BE ANY WAY TO AVOID A SKID AND CRASH. MY WIFE AND I COULD BOTH BE KILLED IF THIS HAPPENED. WE LOVE BMW BIKES AND WE LOVE RIDING. HOWEVER, I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT BMW SHOULD BE FORCED INTO CORRECTING THIS DEFICIENCY BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED, IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ALREADY. TO DATE, BMW IS PRETENDING THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM. THE FACT THAT THERE IS A LARGE PROBLEM CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN ON THE INTERNET AND IN THE MAGAZINE ARTICLES. *TR
THE REAR WHEEL DRIVE BEARING ON MY BMW K12LT MOTORCYCLE FAILED WHILE MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS A ROAD SIDE PARK NEARBY. WE PULLED IN AND WATCHED THE OIL RUN OUT ON THE GROUND FROM THE DRIVE. WHILE TRYING TO GET THE BIKE ON A TRAILER, THE REAR WHEEL LOCKED UP. IF THAT HAD HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING, SINCE GOING INTO A SKID ON A MOTORCYCLE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE COST TO HAVE THIS BEARING REPLACED WAS ALMOST $700. GOD WAS WATCHING OVER US AND KEPT US FROM HAVING ANY INJURIES FROM THIS FAILURE. I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM WITH THE K12LT'S. IT HAPPENS TO ALMOST ALL OF BMW'S BIKES. AT EVERY BMW RALLY, ONE OR MORE PEOPLE HAVE THIS BEARING GO OUT EITHER GOING TO OR COMING FROM THE RALLY. BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT CHOOSES TO IGNORE IT AND ACT LIKE IT DOESN'T EXIST. IN FACT, THEY CONTINUE TO MANUFACTURE NEW MOTORCYCLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEY ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR BOTTOM LINE THAN THEY ARE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE MOTORCYCLE RIDING PUBLIC. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAS BEEN INJURED OR KILLED AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECTIVE DESIGN, BUT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL THE BEARING FAILURE CAUSES THE REAR WHEEL TO LOCK UP WHILE SOMEONE IS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. *TR
I HAD THE FINAL DRIVE BEARINGS AND SEALS MALFUNTIONED ON THE BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED AT GINAS BMW IN IOWA CITY, IA. *AK
REAR WHEEL DRIVE FAILURE (CROWN BEARING FAILURE). *NM
THE FIRST 100 MILES LEADING TO THE FAILURE, THERE WAS A WINDING NOISE THAT SOUND LIKE IT'S GOING OVER THE GROOVED PAVEMENT. THE LAST 50 MILES FELT LIKE THERE WAS SOMETHING GRINDING IN THE CHASSIS, WASN'T SURE IT WAS THE FRONT OR REAR. ONCE I GOT HOME, THERE WAS A LEAKAGE IN THE REAR WHEEL DRIVE. THE SEAL WAS SHREDDED. ONCE OPENED UP INSIDE, THE BEARING WAS SHREDDED AND TORE UP THE SEAL. THEY WERE REPLACE WITH DEALER PARTS. *NM
VIBRATION SIMILAR TO A ROUGH TIRE. WORSENED WITHIN A FEW MILES, MECHANICAL NOISE, BRAKE DRAGGING AND REAL WHEEL HOPPING. NO OIL LEAKS. WHEEL BEARING FAILED, ENTIRE FINAL DRIVE WAS REPLACED. REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *JB
BMW MOTORCYCLE FINAL DRIVE FAILURE -- OIL LEAKAGE ONTO REAR TIRE RESULTING IN TIRE SLIDING AND POTENTIAL FOR SUDDEN CRASH (RIDER SUFFICIENTLY SKILLED TO (BARELY) MAINTAIN CONTROL WHILE STOPPING). FAILURE WAS BY DISINTEGRATION OF FINAL DRIVE CROWN GEAR BEARING BALL RETAINING ELEMENTS (OBSERVED BY RIDER UPON DISASSEMBLY/INSPECTION OF FAILED FINAL DRIVE), WHICH IN TURN DESTROYED ADJACENT OIL SEAL. RIDER UNDERSTANDS BMW HAS EXPERIENCED CIRCA 400 SIMILAR FAILURES OUT OF CIRCA 10,000 K1200LT MOTORCYCLES SOLD IN THE U.S. -- A 4% (!) FAILURE RATE, BUT HAS NOT PROVIDED CUSTOMERS WITH INFORMATION AS TO CAUSE, CURE OR REMEDY. *AK
THE REAR DRIVE ASSEMBLY ON MY BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE STARTED VIBRATING AND MAKING GRINDING NOISES , CAUSING THE REAR OF THE BIKE TO BECOME UNSTABLE. THIS COULD EASILY HAVE CAUSED A REAR WHEEL LOCKUP AND SERIOUS CRASH IF IT WASN'T CAUGHT IN TIME.*AK
REAR DRIVE ASSEMBLY ON MY BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE STARTED LEAKING FLUID ONTO THE REAR WHEEL & TIRE. THIS COULD EASILY HAVE CAUSED A REAR WHEEL SLIDE AND SERIOUS CRASH IF IT WASN'T CAUGHT IN TIME.*AK
REAR DRIVE FAILURE ON BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE. *JB
THE REAR DRIVE UNIT ON MY 2002 BMW K1200LT MOTORCYCLE FAILED. THE INITIAL DIAGNOSIS IS THAT THE CROWN BEARING FAILED. THERE WAS LITTLE WARNING THIS WAS GOING TO OCCUR, WITHIN A COUPLE OF MILES IT WENT FROM WORKING FINE TO A LOUND THUMPING/GRANDING NOISE AND A VERY NOTICEABLE WOBBLE AND VIBRATION SENT THOROUGH THE MOTORCYCLE. *AK
REAR DRIVE FAILURE IN BMW MOTORCYCLE K1200 LTC YEAR 2000 AT 2000 MILES. *AK
REAR DRIVE FAIL ON BMW K1200LT 2002 MOTORCYCLE. BIKE WENT ALL WOBBLY AND IF HAD NOT BEEN GOING VERY SLOW COULD HAVE RESULTED IN LOST CONTROL AND PERSONAL INJURY. *JB
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.
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