2008 BMW R 1200 Gs Adventure Owner Complaints

MY BMW MOTORCYCLE WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME BUT WITH A BRAKE FAILURE WARNING LIGHT INDICATED ON THE DISPLAY PANEL ONCE THE IGNITION WAS TURNED ON AND THE MOTORCYCLE ENGAGED TO BE RIDDEN THE MOTORCYCLE HAS LESS THAN 5,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER DOING SOME INTERNET RESEARCH, THE ABS MODULE IS COMMONLY FAILING AT AN ALARMING RATE THROUGHOUT THE USA AND ABROAD. THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE REPAIR WITH PARTS ALONE IS OVER $2,000 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. THESE UNITS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED BY THE MFG., BMW YET THERE HAS BEEN NO SUCH RECALL. BMW HAS MADE NO ACCOMMODATION TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY OR PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT DESPITE BEING WELL AWARE OF THE FAILURE RATE OF THESE ABS UNITS. OBVIOUSLY, A FAILURE OF THIS MODULE COULD CAUSE SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH WHILE OPERATING THE MOTORCYCLE.

NHTSA ID

10825853

Incident

Feb 11, 2016

Mileage

4,800 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW R1200 GS ADVENTURE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ENGINE OIL LEAKAGE FROM THE REAR DISK THAT LEAKED ONTO THE REAR TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,591.

NHTSA ID

10745206

Incident

Jul 17, 2015

Mileage

56,591 mi

IN HAVING THE BIKE SERVICE WAS INFORMED THAT THE ABS PUMP UNIT HAS FAILED AND DID SOME TIME AGO. THIS IS HAPPENING ON MANY BMW MOTORCYCLE FROM THE R AND K CLASS OF BIKES AND COULD CAUSE COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH WILL CREATE SERIOUS INJURIES

NHTSA ID

10736105

Incident

Jul 1, 2014

Mileage

31,000 mi

I WAS RIDING ON THE CENTRAL FREEWAY ON THE BAY BRIDGE APPROACH WHEN I BEGAN TO FEEL HEAT ON MY LEFT INNER THIGH. I ALSO NOTICED A BURNING RUBBER OR PLASTIC SMELL. I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN MERGING TO THE RIGHT AS I WAS APPROACHING THE LAST SAN FRANCISCO EXIT BEFORE THE BAY BRIDGE. I FOUGHT MY WAY THROUGH THE HEAVY TRAFFIC ALL WHILE LOOKING DOWN TO SEE WHAT LOOKED LIKE EMBERS DROPPING OFF THE LEFT SIDE. I PULLED INTO A SHELL STATION, JUMPED OFF AND PULLED THE BURNING SEAT OFF OF THE MOTORCYCLE AND PATTED IT OUT. I FOUND THAT THE FRONT SEAT RAIL HAD BECOME DISLODGED (IT IS ONLY HELD IN PLACE BY A RUBBER STRAP THAT IS LOOSENED TO ADJUST THE SEAT HEIGHT) AND RUBBED THROUGH THE PROTECTIVE COVER OF THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL AND ARCED TO THE FRAME. THE SEAT AND THE SEAT BRACKETS WERE MELTED. I WAS ABLE TO COVER UP THE DAMAGED WIRING AND BATTERY ENOUGH TO ALLOW ME TO SAFELY RESTART THE MOTORCYCLE TO HAVE THE DAMAGE EVALUATED BY A SHOP (BAVARIAN CYCLE WORKS IN SAN FRANCISCO.) THE DAMAGE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AND I AM AWAITING PARTS TO ARRIVE FROM GERMANY TO CARRY OUT THE REPAIRS. I HAVE LOCATED A MACHINE SHOP THAT SELLS A KIT TO MODIFY THE SEAT TO PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING AGAIN. THE KIT ELIMINATES THE SOLID METAL BAR THAT RUNS ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE SEAT. IT USES TWO SHORTER RODS ONLY WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED TO LOCATE THE SEAT IN ITS FRONT HOLDER. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I ORDERED ONE RIGHT AWAY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10640696

Incident

Sep 24, 2014

Mileage

19,000 mi

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR INDICATOR FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THIS HAPPENS ON ALL OF THESE MODELS BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL OR EVEN AN ACCEPTABLE FIX FROM BMW. WE ARE ADVISED TO USE OUR ODOMETER AND IGNORE WARNING LIGHTS ON OUR DASHBOARDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10585138

Incident

Sep 17, 2008

Mileage

6,000 mi

ABS SYSTEM FAILED- REQUIRED THE PURCHASE OF $2500 NEW ABS PUMP CONTROL MODULE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10584035

Incident

Apr 11, 2014

Mileage

30,292 mi

FUEL LEVEL INDICATOR SHOWED EMPTY AFTER REFILLING. FLASHING LIGHTS INDICATING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE. FILLED UP WITH 1/2 GALLON OF 91 OCTANE GASOLINE TO VISIBLE FULL IN TANK. THE TANK WAS NOT EMPTY, FAULTY FUEL LEVEL GAUGE/STRIP. THIS ITEM HAS BEEN REPLACED IN THE PAST WITH NO APPARENT PERMANENT FIX. *TR

NHTSA ID

10560047

Incident

Oct 15, 2009

Mileage

12,000 mi

ARBITRARY FAILURE OF THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. IT OCCURRED AT 2,200 MILES. OPERATION OF THE MOTORCYCLE WAS UNINHIBITED EXCEPT FOR A FALSE READING ON THE FUEL GAUGE. AFTER THE FAILURE AND REPLACEMENT OF THE RECALLED FUEL PUMP CONTROLLER, THE FUEL GAUGE READS EMPTY REGARDLESS OF LEVEL. THIS RESULTS IN A CONSTANT WARNING LIGHT THAT CANNOT BE RESET OR TURNED OFF. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS TYPE OF FUEL SENSOR IN THESE MOTORCYCLES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10552598

Incident

Jun 2, 2013

Mileage

2,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BMW R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP ELECTRONICS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,300.

NHTSA ID

10547946

Incident

Oct 7, 2013

Mileage

3,300 mi

FIRST, MY MOTORCYCLE IS TITLED A 2009 BUT MANUFACTURED IN 2008. THE FLANGE WHERE THE FEMALE FUEL LINE QUICK-DISCONNECT CRACKED (ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF THE FUEL TANK) AND THERE WAS A SLIGHT SMELL OF FUEL. ONE OF THE MALE PLASTIC QUICK DISCONNECT BROKE WHEN I WAS MAKING THE REPAIR. I ORDERED, RECEIVED AND INSTALLED METAL QUICK-DISCONNECTS AND REPAIRED THE CRACKED FLANGE ITSELF WITH PARTS ORDERED FROM BEEMER BONEYARD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10532737

Incident

Jan 12, 2013

Mileage

38,000 mi

WHILE RIDING WITH PRETEEN SON ON THE PASSENGER SEAT, GAS FUMES BECAME APPARENT. UPON INSPECTION FOUND THE TOP OF THE RIDERS RIGHT FUEL PUMP WAS LEAKING FUEL VIA SEVERAL CRACKS THUS ALLOWING FUEL TO ESCAPE AND BECOME A HAZARD. THE FOLLOWING HAS ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED TO YOU BUT IT EXPLAINS THE ISSUES WITH THIS FAULTY FUEL PUMP BETTER THAN I COULD FAILURE OF THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL QUICK DISCONNECT REINFORCEMENT FLANGE CRACKS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE CYCLING AND LEAKS, SENDING RAW FUEL DOWN THE LEFT FAIRING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE VEHICLES LEFT EXHAUST PIPE AND IGNITION SYSTEM COMPONENTS. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE THE COMBINATION OF HIGH FUEL PRESSURE AND NEGLIGENT DESIGN CREATE SUBSTANTIAL RISK FOR RIDERS OF THE IMPACTED VEHICLES. THERE ARE MULTIPLE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS FAILURE, A FEW OF WHICH ARE OUTLINED BELOW: 1. RIDERS BECOME FUEL SOAKED AS FUEL LEAKS DOWN THE LEFT FAIRING AND THEN IS FORCED BY FAIRING AIRFLOW DYNAMICS ON TO THE RIDERS LEFT LEG. 2. FUEL VAPORS, CAPTURED BY THE FAIRING AND HEATED BY THE EXHAUST PIPE BECOME EXTREMELY VOLATILE AND COULD LEAD TO A FIRE AND/OR EXPLOSION. 3. FUEL VAPORS RISING FROM THE FAIRING AND EXITING THE TOP OF THE FAIRING BETWEEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND FUEL TANK, ARE BLOWN BY AIRFLOW INTO THE RIDERS FACE. PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY SUGGESTS THAT THE HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL QUICK DISCONNECT REINFORCEMENT FLANGE WAS INADEQUATELY DESIGNED FOR THE FUEL PUMP OUTLET PRESSURES. BMW'S CHOICE OF A NON-METALLIC (COMPOSITE) PUMP HOUSING COMBINED WITH A COMPOSITE HIGH-PRESSURE DISCONNECT FITTING WAS UNWISE AND THE FAILURE MECHANISM IS OBVIOUS. HIGH PUMP PRESSURE EXPANDS THE COMPOSITE HIGH-PRESSURE FITTING CAUSING IT TO READILY LOAD THE FUEL PUMP HIGH-PRESSURE QUICK DISCONNECT FLANGE. OVER TIME, PRESSURE CYCLING CAUSES THE QUICK DISCONNECT REINFORCEMENT FLANGE TO CRACK ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10490417

Incident

Nov 9, 2012

Mileage

30,840 mi

RIGHT ANGLE TRANSMISSION(FINAL DRIVE) BEARINGS FAILED REQUIRING A $2200 REPAIR. POOR DESIGN. ORIGINAL PART NOT AVAILABLE, FIRST MODIFICATION PART NOT AVAILABLE, SECOND MODIFICATION PART REQUIRED TO REPAIR MOTORCYCLE. BMW IS AWARE OF THE DEFECTIVE INADEQUATE PART DESIGN. FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED WOULD MOST LIKELY BE FATAL. NEW PART NUMBER 01 33 11 7 726 889 RIGHT-ANGLE GEARBOX WITH VENT, *TR

NHTSA ID

10480870

Incident

Sep 21, 2012

Mileage

32,000 mi

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR STRIP HAS FAILED FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. THIS CAUSES A WARNING LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH AND A "FUEL!" WARNING TO FLASH ON THE COMPUTER. IT IS DISTRACTING AND DECREASES THE RIDER'S ABILITY TO JUDGE WHEN THE BIKE IS ACTUALLY LOW ON FUEL. *TT

NHTSA ID

10413111

Incident

Jul 6, 2011

Mileage

7,400 mi

DRIVING IN THE RAIN CAUSE WATER TO PENETRATE INTO AN AREA WHERE A FPC (FUEL PRESSURE CONTROLLER) ON THE VEHICLE IS POSITIONED. THE ENGINE DIES SUDDENLY AS FUEL PRESSURE IS INTERRUPTED AND THE VEHICLE. A LARGE NUMBER OF THIS FAILURE IS REPORTED BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS ONLINE IN WEB BOARD DISCUSSIONS MAKING IT APPEAR A DESIGN FLAW. THE CONSEQUENCE FOR ME WAS THAT I HAD TO CROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC ON A DISABLED MOTORCYCLE AND WAS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AS THE PROBLEM FIXED ITSELF TEMPORARILY AND THE DEALER SIMPLY CLEARED THE FAULT CODE FROM THE COMPUTER AND CLAIMED TO NOT BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10411578

Incident

Jun 30, 2011

Mileage

33,040 mi

FUEL GAUGE SENSOR DISPLAYS INACCURATE READINGS (NO/LOW FUEL WHEN TANK IS FULL OR WORSE, DISPLAYS FULL TANK WHEN THERE IS LOW/NO FUEL). THIS HAS LED TO ME BEING STRANDED TWICE. THE FUEL SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE ALREADY BY THE DEALERSHIP. THAT ADDS UP TO ALMOST ONE REPLACEMENT A YEAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10396996

Incident

Apr 17, 2011

Mileage

11,967 mi

THE FUEL STRIP ON MY MOTORCYCLE HAS FAILED TWICE RESULTING IN FALSE READINGS ON THE FUEL GAUGE (SHOWING MORE FUEL THEN IS ACTUALLY PRESENT). BMW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS SO FAR ISSUED NO RECALLS OR DEVELOPED A SOLUTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10396887

Incident

Sep 28, 2010

Mileage

19,491 mi

2008 BMW R1200GSA FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT WORK. PAID EXTRA FOR A COMPUTER THAT IS USELESS W/O IT... LOCAL BMW DEALER ANSWER IS IT IS "NORMAL." "NORMAL" MAY GET ME SERIOUSLY INJURED IF I RUN OUT OF GAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREEWAY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10251144

Incident

Nov 18, 2008

Mileage

200 mi

2006 GS 1200 BMW MOTORCYCLES,LT MODELS ALSO. MOTORCYCLES HAVE SEALS THAT ARE FAILING ON FINAL DRIVE (REAR END OF CYCLE WHERE REAR TIRE MOUNTS) THIS CAUSES GEAR LUBE TO ESCAPE ONTO REAR TIRE AND BRAKE ROTOR. BEARINGS IN REAR WHEEL WILL FAIL CAUSING REAR WHEEL TO WOBBLE AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL OF CYCLE. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF FIRE. I PERSONALLY HAVE ONE RIGHT NOW WAITING TO GO INTO DEALER FOR REPAIR. BMW CAME OUT WITH A UPDATED FINAL DRIVE ASSY. BUT THEY WILL ONLY PUT IT ON IF THERE IS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. THE DEALER SAY THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM. FAILURES TYPICALLY OCCUR AROUND 20,000 MILES OR HIGHER, WHEN CYCLE WILL HOPEFULLY BE OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS ISSUE IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS,. THESE BIKES SHOULD ALL BE RECALLED AND FIXED AND OR HAVE THE WARRANTY EXTENDED FOR LIFE. OWNER INCURRED COST OF FIXING THIS COULD GO AS HIGH AS 1,500 DOLLARS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239566

Incident

Aug 23, 2008

Mileage

21,000 mi