2024 BMW R 1250 RT Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2024 BMW R 1250 RT, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Electrical133.3%
- Exterior lighting133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
On May 2, 2026 I was operating the vehicle at 60 mph on the interstate. There were absolutely no other vehicles in my line of sight or on the roaway anywhere near me. The motorcycle went into automatic breaking and the brakes appeared to activate all on their own and almost locked up. I immediately was able to pull over and smell the very strong smell of burning brakes. I shut off the motorcycle let it cool down and proceeded to the local dealer. The dealer had absolutely no idea what could have happened and did not have time or ability to look into it further at that time. They did observe that the rear brake caliper and disk appeared to be discolored and may have gotten very hot. They're not sure if it was related or not. There's absolutely no reason the motorcycle should have applied the emergency breaking by itself and it's very concerning. I have turned off the adaptive cruise control feature due to fear it's going to cause a crash.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Regarding headlight warnings and horn malfunction and/or other possible electrical safety issues. (in addition to previous entry for brake a malfunction) On a few occasions (in addition to the mentioned intermittent brake malfunction) the motorcycle "low beam" headlight has stopped on occasion giving a dash warning and reset on it's own and "possible" ground fault or some other codes but BMW NA has been unwilling to have the dealer do any diagnostic work to adequately determine any potential safety issues. Within the last month one of the horns has quit working, possibly shorted out. Due to parts not being available the dealer cannot repair the motorcycle. They will not diagnose until parts are available and BMW NA does not seem to be willing to work with them to resolve the issue in a timely manner. BMW NA representatives only state in an email all they will do for now is "monitor" the situation. Communication has basically been not existent regarding the issues. I do not know if the motorcycle will leave me stranded or worse at this point due to these potentially serious electrical malfunctions. I don't know if the prior brake incident is related to this problem due to BMW NA and the dealer not giving me ANY information. BMW NA is apparently not willing to perform proper diagnostic procedure I feel the unit is unsafe to use.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
Regarding headlight warnings and horn malfunction and/or other possible electrical safety issues. (in addition to previous entry for brake a malfunction) On a few occasions (in addition to the mentioned intermittent brake malfunction) the motorcycle "low beam" headlight has stopped on occasion giving a dash warning and reset on it's own and "possible" ground fault or some other codes but BMW NA has been unwilling to have the dealer do any diagnostic work to adequately determine any potential safety issues. Within the last month one of the horns has quit working, possibly shorted out. Due to parts not being available the dealer cannot repair the motorcycle. They will not diagnose until parts are available and BMW NA does not seem to be willing to work with them to resolve the issue in a timely manner. BMW NA representatives only state in an email all they will do for now is "monitor" the situation. Communication has basically been not existent regarding the issues. I do not know if the motorcycle will leave me stranded or worse at this point due to these potentially serious electrical malfunctions. I don't know if the prior brake incident is related to this problem due to BMW NA and the dealer not giving me ANY information. BMW NA is apparently not willing to perform proper diagnostic procedure I feel the unit is unsafe to use.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .