RoadVitals

2012 BMW R 1200 Gs

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.
10
Latest Sep 7, 2021
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.
2
Latest Feb 8, 2021
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
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 10 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 BMW R 1200 Gs, most frequently naming the fuel system, powertrain (other) and engine categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 50 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 system538.5%
  • Powertrain (other)323.1%
  • Engine215.4%
  • Body & structure17.7%
  • Other / unspecified17.7%
  • Suspension17.7%

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

2 campaigns 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

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Feb 8, 2021
20,963 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2014 S 1000 RR/R/ HP4, R 1200 GS/GS Adventure/R/RT, K 1300 S, K 1600 GT/GTL/GTL Exclusive and 2014 R nine T motorcycles. The fuel pump, and auxiliary fuel pump in certain models, may crack and leak fuel during vehicle operation.
The risk: A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, may result in a fire.
The remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

Aug 21, 2017
9,000 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain accessory turn signals manufactured for 2006-2017 R1200GS, 2007-2008 and 2010-2017 R1200GS Adventure, 2017 F700GS and F800GS, 2013-2017 F800GT, 2015-2016 F800R, 2014-2017 F800GS Adventure, 2014-2016 S1000R, 2015-2017 R1200R, 2016-2017 R1200RS, and 2010-2017 S1000RR motorcycles. As designed, these accessory turn signals may be insufficiently visible to other drivers, and, as such, fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk: If other drivers cannot easily see the turn signals, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
The remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the turn signals, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLCView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Fuel system
Filed Sep 7, 2021

The contact owns a 2012 BMW R 1200 GS. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed in the rear-view mirror that there was fluid leaking from the motorcycle onto the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the flange for the fuel pump fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V060000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID
11431930
Incident
Aug 10, 2021
Mileage
100,000 mi
Engine
Filed Oct 7, 2020

SEVERAL TIMES THE BIKE THREW AN ERROR MESSAGE ABOUT "ENGINE CONTROLLER FAULT" AND LOST POWER, GOING INTO "LIMP-HOME" MODE. ALL OCCURRENCES WERE WHILE THE BIKE WAS BEING OPERATED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, SOMETIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF A CORNER. THE BIKE WAS UNRIDEABLE IN LIMP-HOME MODE SO WAS NAVIGATED OUT OF TRAFFIC AND SHUT DOWN AT ROADSIDE. AFTER A BRIEF WAIT THE BIKE WAS STARTED AGAIN AND RAN NORMALLY.THE ISSUE WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER AT THE 12K SERVICE AND AN UPDATED FLASH WAS APPLIED TO THE ECU, BUT THE BIKE HAS SINCE NOT BEEN RIDDEN SO I DO NOT KNOW IF THE ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED. I AM UPLOADING WITH THIS FILING A PDF FILE CONTAINING THE RESULTS OF AN OBD SCAN I RAN ON THE VEHICLE BEFORE TAKING IT IN FOR THE 12K SERVICE, AND YOU CAN SEE IN THAT PDF THE ERROR CODES THAT WERE REPORTED AT EACH OCCURRENCE.

NHTSA ID
11363230
Incident
Sep 19, 2020
Mileage
10,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Sep 7, 2020

FUEL PUMP FAILURE: ON OR ABOUT SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2019 I WAS RIDING MY BMW R 1200GS ON HIGHWAY US-60 IN ARIZONA EAST OF MESA ARIZONA. I PULLED OVER AT US-60 AND IDAHO ROAD TO CHECK MY CELL PHONE AND AS I LOOKED DOWN I COULD SEE A PUDDLE OF GAS LEAKING OUT OF THE UNDERSIDE OF MY BMW. I PROMPTLY TURNED THE BIKE OFF AND LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY OBVIOUS DAMAGE. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE NAKED EYE. I PUSHED MY BIKE TO AS SAFE PLACE ( CHEVRON GAS STATION AND PARKED IT ON THE SIDE OF THE STATION. THEN HAD A FRIEND WITH A TRAILER AND PICKUP DRIVE OUT TO MEET ME AND PUT BIKE ON TRAILER AND TOOK HOME. TOOK BIKE HOME TO MY GARAGE, LOOKED FOR WAY TO FIX LEAK. IT WAS BEYOND MY CAPABILITY, SO LATER THAT WEEK I TOOK THE BMW R 1200 GS TO INDEPENDENT SHOP TO FIX LEAK. THE MECHANIC "COLLIN" AT THE TIME STATED "THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH BMW FUEL PUMPS." I CALLED LOCAL DEALER 844-866-2677 AND THEY STATED " SOME 2012 BMW R 1200 GS HAVE BAD FUEL PUMPS, BUT NOT YOURS AFTER I GAVE THEM THE VIN. MY MECHANIC FIXED THE MOTORCYCLE FUEL PUMP LEAK FOR $771.91

NHTSA ID
11353566
Incident
Sep 5, 2019
Mileage
38,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Jan 22, 2019

SPRAY LEAK FROM FUEL PUMP, QUICK CONNECTOR ON THE FLANGE BROKE AND HAD A STRONG SPRAY OF FUEL LEAKING ON THE HOT ENGINE AND MY CLOTHES, THIS HAPPEND ON THE FREEWAY WHILE RIDING AT 70MPH. THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS BIKES UP TO 2011, MINE IS 2012.

NHTSA ID
11171528
Incident
Jan 19, 2019
Mileage
60,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Sep 26, 2018

FUEL PUMP FLANGE HAS A VERTICAL CRACK ON THE INSIDE OF THE BOSS, WHERE THE THREADS ARE.

NHTSA ID
11131833
Incident
Sep 23, 2018
Mileage
55,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Dec 26, 2017

FUEL PUMP STARTING LEAKING WHILE ENGINE IS RUNNING. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR THIS MODEL, BUT NOT FOR MY MODEL YEAR 2012. OBVIOUSLY, THE DEFECT WASN'T CORRECTED ON MY BIKE, CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I AM PLANNING ON BRINGING THE MOTORCYCLE TO THE SHOP TOMORROW FOR REMEDIATION.

NHTSA ID
11056551
Incident
Dec 23, 2017
Mileage
36,000 mi
EngineOther / unspecifiedPowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 27, 2015
1 injury reported

I WAS TRAVELLING SAFELY IN THE MIDDLE LANE AT SPEED LIMIT IN HEAVY INTERSTATE TRAFFIC. I CHANGED LANES INTO THE FAST LANE UNDER SLIGHT ACCELERATION AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER COMPLETELY. I COULD NOT RESTART THE BIKE AND SO TRIED TO GET INTO THE SLOW LANE AS THERE WAS NO ROOM ON THE INSIDE SHOULDER. IN TRYING TO MOVE SAFTELY TO THE SHOULDER I WAS NEARLY STRUCK BY THREE DIFFERENT VEHICLES, ONE SEMI TRAILER AND TWO PASSENGER CARS THAT WERE TRAVELLING AT NEARLY TWICE MY RATE OF SPEED DUE TO MY LOSS OF POWER. AFTER PULLING TO THE SIDE, I STRAINED MYSELF TRYING TO COME TO A SAFE STOP PRIOR TO THE ENTRANCE TO A HIGHWAY EXIT LANE, WORRIED THAT I MAY BE STRUCK. I CALLED THE DEALER FOR THE VEHICLE AND WITH MINIMAL TROUBLESHOOTING IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL STRIP (GAUGE) FOR THE FUEL LEVEL HAD FAILED AND WAS FALSELY DISPLAYING A 185 MILE RANGE. IN FACT THE TANK WAS EMPTY. THIS GAUGE HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED FOR BEING FAULTY BY THE DEALER AND THEY SAW THIS IN THEIR RECORDS WHICH IMMEDIATELY LED THEM TO THE FAILURE. THIS IS A KNOWN FAILURE AMOUNG MANY BMW ENTHUSIASTS ON SEVERAL BMW MOTORCYLE MODELS. BMW CLAIMS THERE AR ENOT EMOUGH COMPLAINTS TO WARRANT A RECALL. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SUPPLY A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS IN HARD COPY TO COUNTER THEIR MISCONCEPTION AND OR LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY. THIS IS SIMILAR TO RECALLS ON VEHICLES WITH DEFECTIVE CAMSHAFT SENSORS CAUSING ENGINE POWER FAIL AND SHOULD BE VALUED AS THE SAME ON A TWO WHEELED VEHICLE WITH FAR LESS PROTECTION IN SUCH INSTANCES. UPON INQUIRY BMW MOTTORAD HAS MADE NO EFFORT IN RESPONDING TO ANY PROGRESS THEY HAVE MADE IN RECTIFYING THE ISSUE OTHER THAN QUIETLY ACKNOWLEDING IT BY GOING BACK TO MECHANICAL FUEL GAUGES WITH NEARLY NIL FAILURE RATES. DO WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE DIES OR WILL THE NHTSA TAKE ACTION ? I HOPE IT IS NOT ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS!

NHTSA ID
10759855
Incident
Aug 21, 2015
Mileage
226,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Mar 29, 2014

I OWN A TOURATECH ZEGA PRO ALUMINIUM PANNIER SET ON MY BMW R1200GS 2012 BIKE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS ON MARCH 3RD 2014, DURING A ROUTINE BIKE RIDE ON A HIGHWAY, THE RIGHT HAND SIDE 45L PANNIER BECAME DETACHED AND FELL OFF THE BIKE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE REGULARLY CHECKED THE BIKE & PANNIERS BEFORE RIDING. I NOTICED THE MISSING PANNIER ONLY UPON ARRIVING MY DESTINATION. I'M EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED THIS HAS HAPPENED AS I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH MY TOURATECH SET, AND WAS USING IT ON A DAILY BASIS. I CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS DETACHMENT DURING A REGULAR EVENTLESS BIKE RIDE. I CAN ASSURE YOU NO FAULTY USE OF THET ATTACHMENT SINCE I HAVE NOT DETACHED THE ZEGA PRO CASE FROM THE MOTORCYCLE FOR OVER 2 YEARS. THE CASE WAS USED AND CHECKED BY MYSELF DAILY, AS WELL AS BEFORE THE SPECIFIC RIDE OF THE INCIDENT, AND DID NOT APEAR TO BE UNSTABLE OR FAULTY. I DO THINK THIS IS SOMETHING TOURATECH SHOULD LOOK AT, AS THIS HAS OBVIOUSLY SERIOUS SAFETY IMPLICATIONS. I THINK TOURATECH SHOULD TAKE SOME RESPONSABILITY OF SUCH A SERIOUS INCIDENT THAT MAY HAVE ENDED MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10575518
Incident
Mar 3, 2014
Mileage
18,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

B611305

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.

MC330423

POWER TRAIN

Since October 2023, a new maintenance schedule is valid for all K5x models. For the first time, maintenance positions for the cardan shaft (Driveshaft) are included. NOTICE: 1. The new maintenance schedule is not limited to vehicles affected by the SI 33 02 22 (SERVICE ACTION: Swingarm Drain retrofit and Driveshaft Check), but is valid for all K5x models - including retroactively. In case of retroactive validity (model year 2023 and older), affected customers will be informed about the change. This will be in the form of a direct-to-customer letter with a description of the new maintenance schedule, specific owner’s manual insert, and consumer warranty book insert. 1. For vehicles affected by SI 33 02 22 (SERVICE ACTION: Swingarm Drain retrofit and Driveshaft Check), this service action must be performed first. All conditions described in this bulletin apply after the open Service Action has been completed. No additional communication is required for K5x models model year 2024 and onwards. Those models have the new maintenance schedule in their owner’s manual.

MC160214

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

BMW Motorrad USA has become aware of a potential durability issue with the film type fuel level sender “Fuel Strip” equipped on certain model year 2005 to 2013 R and K series motorcycles.

SIB330222

POWER TRAIN; POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

Multiple factors may cause the driveshaft to become damaged; among them are corrosion in certain parts ofthe driveshaft, and wear and tear exacerbated by certain climatic conditions.

MC000222

SERVICE BRAKES

BMW Motorrad is aware of a number of cases in which the screw connections of the Paralever link and/or the rear brake caliper have loosened in customer vehicles while driving.

SIB330222

POWER TRAIN

Multiple factors may cause the driveshaft to become damaged; among them are corrosion in certain parts of the driveshaft, and wear and tear exacerbated by certain climatic conditions.

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 R 1200 Gs by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2019000
2018420
2017340
2016124047.5
2015104048.1
2014145046.9
2013116042.5
2012Viewing102045.8
2011740
2010840
2009305051.7
2008329256.7
2007427256.5
20069102
2005519254.8
2004430

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.