NHTSA Investigation PE20002

Brake fluid leak at front brake caliper

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) on April 1st, 2020 to investigate six consumer complaint allegations of brake fluid leaking from the front brake calipers on their 2019-2020 model year (MY) BMW R1250 motorcycles. At the closing date of this investigation, the number of ODI complaints has risen to fourteen.During the investigation, ODI contacted several consumers to validate and confirm their complaints.ODI learned from these conversations that the subject motorcycles were leaving brake fluid puddles on or near the front tires. One consumer forwarded pictures of a subject motorcycle leaking brake fluid on a BMW dealer showroom floor. In response to an ODI Information Request (IR) letter, BMW supplied ODI with 139 dealer field reports. Many of them also described leaking brake calipers that failed at 0 to 4 miles shown on the bike odometer. ODI was also able to gather pictures from BMW related to the field reports and they too showed calipers leaking brake fluid. BMW disclosed in the IR response that they switched to a Hayes designed and manufactured front caliper starting with MY 2019 of the subject motorcycles. The previous model years used Brembo manufactured calipers. ODI analyzed warranty claims and production data provided by BMW. ODI found that 1,169 vehicles were repaired for front brake caliper leaks. A total of 838 subject vehicles were repaired before the date of first sale.The motorcycles, found to be leaking and serviced prior to the date of first sale, appeared to be in violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 122 for ?Motorcycle Brake Systems?, under Section 5.2.3. The FMVSS requires that ?during all tests and on their completion, there shall be no friction material detachment and no leakage of brake fluid. Discussions between the NHTSA Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance and BMW resulted in the manufacturer recalling MY 2019-2020 R1250 GS, GS Adventure and R1250 RT, 2020 S1000 RR and S1000 XR motorcycles for front brake calipers leaking when parked, failing to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 122, Motorcycle Brake Systems.As part of the safety recall, BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the front brake calipers with an improved design free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 6, 2020.Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.This Preliminary Evaluation has been closed with a voluntary safety recall released by the manufacturer (20V-471).The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 11340459, 11319970, 11320627, 11311740, 11319565, 11319858, 11311520, 11308994, 11323486, 11316146, 11319832, 11319554, 11322813, 11308930.

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.