2007 BMW R 1200 RT

ODI began investigating this issue after owners of model year (MY) 2004-2011 R-series BMW motorcycles reported incidents of pressurized fuel leakage from the fuel pump flange.Some owners first became aware of the problem when their pant leg was fuel-soaked.Prior to opening our initial investigation on November 16, 2012, BMW had concluded that the small number of warranty claims and owner reports did not indicate the existence of a safety defect trend.However, during the course of responding to our information requests, BMW re-examined its data and decided to conduct a recall (13V-617) of the subject motorcycles.In conducting recall 13V-617, BMW voluntarily expanded the scope of affected vehicles from ODI'soriginal scope, MY2005-2008 R-series motorcycles, to include the primary and auxiliary fuel pumps on all MY 2005-2011 R-series, MY 2005-2011 K12&13 models, MY 2010-2011 RR models, and the MY 2012 K1600 motorcycles.The total number of motorcycles subject to this recalled is 50,184.The 55 reports cited in this investigation can be viewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers:10485789,10449393,10521322,10475150,10435325,10493015,10471642, 10448216,10488899,10356156,10433733,10442023,10492342,10435968, 10492961,10504324,10485882,10433013,10453738,10474390,10417320, 10485276,10444876,10508150,10485807,10492118,10491835,10425962, 10430734,10488652,10485274,10493320,10522421,10399423,10443840, 10448325,10490417,10485452,10433589,10467136,10420291,10503806, 10532145,10523763,10523626,10425514,10354202,10437222,10444742, 10454834,10532172,10487624,10435984,10452476, 10485337

Owners of model year (MY) 2005-2008 R-Series motorcycles report substantial, high pressure fuel loss occurring when the fuel pump is energized.Many times they first become aware of the problem when fuel soaks their pant legs or is puddled under their parked motorcycle.The Office of Defects investigation (ODI) has obtained an owner video illustrating the issue.This video, and other material, may be found in the public file at www.SaferCar.gov. ODI has learned that the subject fuel leak is due to cracks in the fuel outlet quick connector located on the in-tank fuel pump housing.While some owners, reluctant to incur the expense to replace the fuel pump assembly, have undertaken frequently ineffective do-it-yourself repairs primarily involving adhesive patches, two other remedies are available.The first, found in the after-market, is an aluminum clamp designed to reinforce the fuel outlet threaded flange.The second is BMW?s own remedy, appearing in early 2011, following introduction of the aftermarket clamp.It, too, involves a metal collar designed to support the fuel outlet threaded flange.In January 2004 BMW conducted safety recall 04V028 involving 2000 to 2004 Model Year K and R Series motorcycles for a pressurized fuel leak.In this case an O-ring in a fuel line quick connector could become damaged and BMW identified the potential for fire as a consequence of this failure.In its recall, influenced by an ODI investigation (PE03-054), BMW judged the fire risk to be low and the fuel loss to be insignificant -- occurring most often during cold starts -- resulting most often from improper servicing of the fuel line quick connector by its dealers. All of the complaints and warranty claims referenced in this resume involve verified fuel leaks rather than owners simply expressing a concern that a leak may develop in their subject motorcycle. With summer approaching and seasonal motorcycle usage increasing, ODI has upgraded PE12-036 to EA13-006 to further evaluate this issue, monitor fuel leak frequency, and determine the risk associated with the alleged fuel leaks.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers: 540232, 765847, 10074376, 10159252, 10236289, 10339245, 10356156, 10417320, 10425962, 10430734, 10430822, 10432269, 10433589, 10433733, 10436885, 10437222, 10442023, 10443840, 10444670, 10444742, 10444876, 10445888, 10445954, 10448104, 10448104, 10448325, 10448592, 10449393, 10451907, 10452476, 10453738, 10460566, 10463408, 10463946, 10467136, 10470251, 10471518, 10471642, 10474390, 10475150, 10474390, 10475150, 10480052, 10480834, 10485274, 10485276, 10485292, 10485337, 10485348, 10485351, 10485376, 10485434, 10485452, 10485783, 10485789, 10485796, 10485807, 10485882, 10487501, 10487624, 10488652, 10488899, 10490417, 10490868, 10491835, 10492118, 10492342, 10492961, 10493015, 10493320, 10494927, 10494899, 10495307, 10496593, 10503488, 10503806, 10504130, 10504324, 10508135, 10508150

A fuel leak around at the fuel pump flange. Leaking around the support ring installed by the previous remedy. I contacted a dealer several times, but they have been unable to remedy due to no parts since April 2021. I also contacted [email protected] and they said "at this time the remedy for the recall: 20V-471 is available; however, the parts are on backorder for all models. We currently don't have an eta we can provide." BMW has failed to prepare sufficient replacement parts and they are unable to remedy for 20V-471 in a timely manner.

NHTSA ID

11420714

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

FUEL GAUGE STOPPED RESPONDING, LEADING TO RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WHILE MOVING. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON MANY BIKE MODELS FROM BMW FROM 2005-2013.THE FUEL LEVEL MEASURING STRIP IN THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER04. THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION SINCE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM RUNNING OUT OF FUEL CAN BE QUITE DANGEROUS ON A MOTORCYCLE

NHTSA ID

10915030

Incident

Apr 19, 2015

Mileage

59,000 mi

FUEL GAUGE STOPPED RESPONDING, LEADING TO THE POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WHILE MOVING. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON MANY BIKE MODELS FROM BMW FROM 2005-2013. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN 3 TIMES SO FAR, AND EACH TIME THE FUEL LEVEL MEASURING STRIP IN THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION SINCE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM RUNNING OUT OF FUEL CAN BE QUITE DANGEROUS ON A MOTORCYCLE.

NHTSA ID

10913696

Incident

Aug 27, 2016

Mileage

54,020 mi

FUEL GAUGE STOPPED RESPONDING, LEADING TO THE POSSIBILITY OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WHILE MOVING. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON MANY BIKE MODELS FROM BMW FROM 2005-2013. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN 2 TIMES SO FAR, AND EACH TIME THE FUEL LEVEL MEASURING STRIP IN THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION SINCE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM RUNNING OUT OF FUEL CAN BE QUITE DANGEROUS ON A MOTORCYCLE.

NHTSA ID

10913693

Incident

Mar 12, 2016

Mileage

49,701 mi

FUEL GAUGE STOPPED RESPONDING, LEADING TO RUNNING OUT OF FUEL WHILE MOVING ON A CITY STREET. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE ON MANY BIKE MODELS FROM BMW FROM 2005-2013. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN 1 TIME SO FAR, AND EACH TIME THE FUEL LEVEL MEASURING STRIP IN THE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED. THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION SINCE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM RUNNING OUT OF FUEL CAN BE QUITE DANGEROUS ON A MOTORCYCLE.

NHTSA ID

10913689

Incident

Apr 18, 2015

Mileage

39,287 mi

FINAL DRIVE BEARING SUDDENLY DEVELOPED PLAY (WHEEL CAN BE MOVED LATERALLY BY HAND). VERY UNSTABLE HANDLING AND WOBBLE UPON DECELERATION DUE TO WHEEL MOVEMENT. VEHICLE WILL "SHIMMY" CONSIDERABLY FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE UPON ENGINE BRAKING.

NHTSA ID

10781385

Incident

Oct 10, 2015

WHEN I BEGAN A RIDE THE RED ABS BRAKE FAILURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINED ON. A SHOP READ THE CODE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE AS ABS PUMP MOTOR FAILURE. I LEARNED THROUGH ON-LINE RESEARCH THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM RELATING TO POOR DESIGN OF THE ABS PUMP MOTOR BRUSHES THAT FAIL TO MAKE GOOD CONTACT RESULTING IN A LOW VOLTAGE SITUATION AND PUMP FAILURE. THE RESULT - THE ABS SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. THE ESTIMATED COST OF REPLACING THE UNIT IS APPROX. $2200. THE MECHANIC TAPPED ON THE MOTOR HOUSING AND FREED UP THE BRUSHES BUT IT WAS A TEMPORARY FIX THAT LASTED ABOUT 200 MILES. IT THEN BECAME AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 400 MILES BEFORE IT WENT BACK TO BEING THE CONSTANT PROBLEM THAT I AM NOW FORCED TO FIX OR RIDE WITHOUT ABS BRAKES. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED PROBLEM BUT BMW HAS NOT ADMITTED ANY PROBLEMS RELATED TO DESIGN OF THE UNIT. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE IN THE WAY THE BRUSHES SLIDE IN A GROOVED GUIDE OR KEY WAY . APPARENTLY THE GROOVES GET DIRTY AND THE BRUSHES HANG UP AND DON'T REACH THE PROPER POSITION FOR GOOD CONTACT WITH THE MOTOR ARMATURE IF I UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY. MODULEMASTER IN MOSCOW, IDAHO, REBUILDS THE UNITS AND PROVIDES A 5 YR GUARANTEE. THEY SEEM TO BE QUITE BUSY WITH THESE UNITS. MY MECHANIC ACTUALLY SENT IN 2 OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME. THE SECOND UNIT WAS FROM A GS MODEL. AND THERE ARE OTHER MODELS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. IT IS MY OPINION THAT NHTSA NEEDS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS ISSUE AND CAUSE BMW TO FIX THE POOR DESIGN AND ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM OF ABS FAILURE. DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE FOUND THROUGH SITES SUCH AS FORUMS.BMWMOA.ORG, WWW.XS-ADVENTURE.COM, WWW.I-BMW.COM.

NHTSA ID

10767426

Incident

Jul 23, 2015

Mileage

48,150 mi

THE MOTORCYCLE STARTED STALLING AFTER I WOULD DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP. IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP UNLESS I TURNED THE THROTTLE AND HELD THE RPM'S ABOVE 1500. THE BIKE WOULD NOT IDLE UNLESS I KEPT THE THROTTLE PARTIALLY OPEN. I BROUGHT THE BIKE TO THE DEALER AND THEY RE-FLASHED THE COMPUTER AND UP-GRADED THE SOFTWARE. THAT LASTED 2 WEEKS AND THE STALLING STARTED BACK AGAIN. ALL RE-CALLS FOR THIS BIKE WERE PERFORMED BY BMW. NO TROUBLE CODES WERE SHOWN TO EXIST ON THE BIKES ECU WHEN TESTED BY THE DEALERS SCAN EQUIPMENT. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED: SPARK PLUGS, IDLE ACTUATORS (2), CAM POSITION SENSOR, FUEL PUMP CONTROLLER, FUEL PUMP, AND BATTERY. THE MOTORCYCLE HAS A LITTLE OVER 32,000 MILES ON IT NOW. SOME OF THE PARTS REPLACED DID CURE THE STALLING PROBLEM TEMPORARILY, BUT IT ALWAYS CAME BACK. I HAVE SINCE PARKED THE MOTORCYCLE BECAUSE THE STALLING SCARES ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND WHEN IT UNEXPECTEDLY HAPPENS IN TRAFFIC. IT IS ABSOLUTELY DANGEROUS! I KNOW FROM READING POSTS ONLINE FROM FELLOW BMW MOTORCYCLE OWNERS THAT MANY OTHERS WHO OWN THE R 1200RT MADE FROM 2005-2009 HAVE THIS SAME STALLING PROBLEM. AS FAR AS I KNOW BMW HAS NOT RE-CALLED MY YEAR AND MODEL BIKE TO FORCE THE DEALERS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10758488

Incident

Oct 15, 2014

Mileage

27,456 mi

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.