Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 BMW R 1200 Gs Adventure submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Data on this page last refreshed .