RoadVitals

2004 BMW R1100 S

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.
1
Latest Sep 8, 2014
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.
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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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2004 BMW R1100 S, most frequently naming the fuel system and powertrain (other) categories. 2 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 system150.0%
  • Powertrain (other)150.0%

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

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

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

Fuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Sep 8, 2014

I WAS TRAVELING AT 47MPH AND AS I SHIFTED FROM 4TH TO 5TH GEAR, THE BIKE SUDDENLY LURCHED WITH A BANG AS IT DECELERATED AND I LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THE ENGINE REVVED AS IF THE BIKE WAS IN NEUTRAL WITH THE THROTTLE ENGAGED EVEN THOUGH I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN 5TH GEAR. I TWISTED THE THROTTLE BACK TO ZERO AND TRIED TO SHIFT INTO OTHER GEARS. EVEN THOUGH THE SHIFTER WAS WORKING, THE BIKE WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO ANY GEAR AND WAS MOVING ONLY UNDER IT'S OWN MOMENTUM. THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE WHICH WAS PREVALENT. I COASTED TO A STOP AND TRIED SHIFTING GEARS AGAIN, BUT COULD NOT GET THE BIKE TO ENGAGE. I HEARD LOUD GRINDING NOISES WHEN TRYING TO PUT THE BIKE IN GEAR AND THEN IT WOULD STALL. AFTER BEING TOWED, THE BMW DEALER CONFIRMED CLUTCH SPINE FAILURE AS ROOT CAUSE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS INCIDENTS OF THIS FAILURE DOCUMENTED ON THE INTERNET, ESPECIALLY ON THE R1100S. IN LOOKING AT THE FAILURE ITSELF, ONE CAN SEE THAT THE INPUT SPLINE SHAFT TEETH ARE ABOUT 3/4 SHEARED AS ARE ALL THE SPLINES ON THE CLUTCH MATING PLATE EXCEPT FOR THE ENDS FURTHEST AWAY FROM THE INPUT SHAFT. THIS IS A DESIGN ERROR SINCE THE INPUT SHAFT IS 8-10MM SHORT AND DOES NOT FULLY ENGAGE THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CLUTCH MATING SPLINES. THEREFORE LOAD AND TORQUE ARE NOT EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED AMONGST THE FULL LENGTH OF ALL THE SPINES, WHICH RESULTS IN PREMATURE FAILURE. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT THE INPUT SHAFT WAS NOT CORRECTLY ALIGNED TO THE CHASSIS UPON INITIAL BUILD. THE FACT THAT THE DESIGN DOES NOT FULLY MATE ALL THE SPLINES AND THAT IT WASN'T ALIGNED CORRECTLY WHEN BUILT ARE THE ROOT CAUSE FOR THIS FAILURE AT LESS THAN 34,000 MILES. NOT ONLY IS THIS A COSTLY REPAIR SINCE THE ENTIRE BIKE NEEDS TO BE DIS-ASSEMBLED, IT ALSO HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF CREATING A FATAL SAFETY SITUATION DEPENDING ON IF THE FAIL WERE TO OCCUR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, AROUND A CURVE OR WHEN CARRYING A PASSENGER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10631563
Incident
Aug 29, 2013
Mileage
33,861 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.

B611305

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: 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. In order to properly repair the vehicle the first time in the workshop, it is very important that the diagnostic test plans are performed to completion, with all results taken into consideration. Without performing the energy diagnosis test plan, the root cause of the discharged battery cannot be identified. This increases the chances of a repeat repair.

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 R1100 S by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2004Viewing100—
2003111—
2001111—
2000011—
1999440—

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.