RoadVitals

2022 BMW R 18

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.
9
Latest Oct 21, 2025
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.
1
Latest Sep 27, 2024
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.
1

Overview

Our database contains 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2022 BMW R 18, most frequently naming the exterior lighting and electrical categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 1 manufacturer communication is 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

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

1 campaign 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
24V716000

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:SEALS/GASKETS

Sep 27, 2024
5,048 units potentially affected
The defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2024 BMW R18 motorcycles. The seal for the reverse gear control unit may deteriorate and allow moisture inside the control unit, which can result in the unit overheating.
The risk: An overheated reverse gear control unit increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy: As an interim remedy, the reverse gear control unit will be disconnected from the electrical system of the motorcycle, free of charge. Dealers will replace the reverse gear control unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 7, 2025 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

View all 9
Electrical
Filed Oct 21, 2025
Fire reported

A fire started near the reverse mechanism and battery when it was started.

NHTSA ID
11694777
Incident
Oct 18, 2025
Exterior lighting
Filed Apr 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 BMW R 18. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V884000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11580654
Incident
Apr 2, 2024
Exterior lighting
Filed Mar 21, 2024

I bought a 2022 BMW R18B motorcycle in 2023. There are 3 models of this motorcycle. R18 is plain without a fairing or smart controls. The R18 Transcontinental is top of line with fairing computer, navigation, phone pairing. The R18B which is my motorcycle is basically the same as Transcontinental except it does not have top case and rack for mounting top case. Here is the safety problem with the R18B. The Transcontinental has running and brake light built into top case. Directional signals are mounted on saddlebags. they also do braking. but on the R18B which has no top case there isn't a rear fender mounted running and brake light. Only a license plate light and small reflector. brake and turn are only on bottom of saddlebags. this arrangement results in inadequate brake warning for vehicle traffic behind motorcycle. BMW should supply the R18B with a sizeable fender mounted running and brake light.

NHTSA ID
11578707
Incident
Mar 20, 2024
Exterior lighting
Filed Oct 7, 2023

Adaptive headlight does not work and the low beam reflector is completely loose. With the reflector loose the headlight will occasionally blind oncoming traffic, point to the sky or side of the road. It is unsafe to ride unless riding with high beams, which is not safe for oncoming traffic.

NHTSA ID
11548809
Incident
Sep 20, 2023
Exterior lighting
Filed Oct 4, 2023

While on a multi-state trip I noticed that two pieces of the headlight have come loose inside the lens distorting the beam. On September 19, 2023 I took the bike in for a warranty claim and it was approved. Now two weeks later the dealer is still unable to give me a time frame for replacement due to the number of theses that have failed. I cannot ride the bike for fear of it going out entirely for safety as well as a law violation. I definitely cannot ride it at night for obvious reasons. The bike has 7000 miles now with most of a 3 year/36000 mile warranty remaining.

NHTSA ID
11548286
Incident
Sep 6, 2023
Exterior lighting
Filed Aug 31, 2023

The BMW R18 B motorcycle is equipped with an adaptive headlight, which directs the headlight beam in the direction of the motorcycle's lean angle and handlebar rotation; however, the headlight has failed, where the reflective mirror pieces have fallen apart. The loose reflective pieces creates a dazzling effect in the direction of the light beam; this appears to be a high failure item on the R18 B and Transcontinental models, equipped with the adaptive headlight. I dropped my motorcycle off for service in order to have the headlight failure repaired under warranty in May, where the BMW service center just notified me 4 months later that the headlight has arrived from Germany and is ready to be replaced.

NHTSA ID
11541825
Incident
May 6, 2023
Exterior lighting
Filed Aug 25, 2023

The adaptive headlight assembly had a sudden and unexpected catastrophic internal failure leading to complete loss of low beam headlight. BMW R18 Transcontinental. An appointment has been made with local BMW motorcycle dealer.

NHTSA ID
11540681
Incident
Aug 20, 2023
Exterior lighting
Filed Aug 23, 2023

Pieces of headlight reflector are breaking off inside the headlight housing. This causes the beam of light to completely miss the road. Also the adaptive function of headlight will stick to one side periodically meaning all light is pointing left or right of the roadway when going straight.

NHTSA ID
11540406
Incident
Aug 1, 2023

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.

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 18 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025000—
2024010—
2023010—
2022Viewing910—
2021010—

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.