2008 BMW K1200 GT Complaints

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR FAILURE. RAN OUT OF FUEL WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON INTERSTATE 90 WESTBOUND NEAR MITCHELL, SD. FUEL GAUGE SHOWED 1/8 TANK OF FUEL. NO WARNING ISSUED BY MOTORCYCLE TO RIDER. BIKE JUST SUDDENLY SLOWED IN TRAFFIC. THIS IS 3RD TIME FOR THIS FAILURE.

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR FAILURE. RAN OUT OF FUEL WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON INTERSTATE 90 EASTBOUND IN NY MILEPOST 460.5. FUEL GAUGE SHOWED 1/4 TANK OF FUEL. NO WARNING ISSUED BY MOTORCYCLE TO RIDER. BIKE JUST SUDDENLY SLOWED IN TRAFFIC. THIS IS 4TH TIME FOR THIS FAILURE (HAD IT REPAIRED BY BMW ON AUG 5, 2015)

ABS FAILED WITH NO WARNINGS, TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. I BELEIVE THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT FAILIURE. HAPPEND ON MY BROTHERS BIKE AS WELL 2 MONTHS LATER. LESS THEN 30K MILES AND JUST PAST 3 YEARS... HAPPENED DURING RIDE ON FREEWAY ON FIRST USE OF BRAKE. I HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE. BMW CLAIMED IT IS NOT SIGNIFICANT AND NOT A PROBLEM.

7/19/11 SINGLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT, 5-10 MPH, WHEN GAS CAP CAME OPEN AND FUEL DUMPED ALL OVER VICTIM AND MOTORCYCLE. RIDER 2ND AND 3RD DEGREE BURNS OVER 40% OF HIS BODY, ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN AMPUTATION OF BOTH LEGS. PREVIOUS TO THE ACCIDENT, DRIVER TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES TO REPORT GAS CAP WOULD COME OPEN WHILE DRIVING BIKE DOWN THE ROAD. DEALERSHIP NEVER FIXED GAS CAP.

REAR DRIVE BEARINGS AND WHEEL SIDE SEAL FAILED GEAR LUBE ON REAR BRAKE PADS AND REAR BRAKES QUIT WORKING. TIRE TREAD CONTAMINATED WITH LUBE MAKING GREATLY REDUCED TRACTION. NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE ON STOPPING DUE TO CHANGE IN THE VEHICLE DYNAMICS AND LOSS OF REAR WHEEL TRACTION AS THE FAILURE DID NOT CAUSE ANY INDICATION THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED UNTIL STOPPING. THE REAR DRIVE WAS SERVICED BY THE DEALER WITHIN THE LAST 4 MONTHS MARCH 2015 AT 11,400 MILES OR SO. I HAVE NEVER HAD A FAILURE ON SUCH A MAJOR SAFETY RELATED COMPONENT SUCH AS THIS ON ANY VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED AT SUCH A RELATIVELY LOW TOTAL VEHICLE MILEAGE LEVEL.

THE ABS BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE MOTORCYCLE TO MY AUTHORIZED BMW DEALER IN LONG BEACH, CA. THEY SAID THAT THE ABS BRAKE MODULE HAD FAILED; HOWEVER THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE FAULTY UNIT. I SENT IT OUT TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY AND THEY REPAIRED THE UNIT AT MY COST. I THEN HAD THE UNIT REINSTALLED BY MY BMW DEALER AT MY COST. *TR

THE FINAL DRIVE FAILED CAUSING OIL TO BE THROWN ON THE REAR TIRE WITHOUT WARNING NEARLY CAUSING A CRASH. I AM A LONG TIME MOTORCYCLE RIDER AND BMW OWNER. I INSPECTED MY MOTORCYCLE BEFORE MY RIDE THAT MORNING. I LEFT ON A ONE HUNDRED MILE RIDE. ABOUT 70 MILES INTO THE RIDE IN A LEFT HAND CORNER THE REAR TIRE SLID WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE BIKE UPRIGHT. I STOPPED AND INSPECTED THE MACHINE. I FOUND THAT THE FINAL DRIVE (DIFFERENTIAL) WAS LEAKING OIL HEAVILY. THIS OIL HAS SPREAD TO THE REAR TIRE SURFACE. THE ISSUE HERE IS THAT BMW KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAS NOT RECALLED THE MOTORCYCLE. THEY OF COURSE REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING FINANCIALLY ABOUT THIS KNOWN ISSUE. THE MAIN ISSUE WITH ME IS THAT I WOULD NEVER PUT MY WIFE ON THE BACK OF IT AGAIN. IF SHE HAD BEEN RIDING WITH ME I WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY CRASHED. I AM A MEMBER OF BMWMOA, I HAVE READ COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT ABOUT BMW FINAL DRIVE FAILURES. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL LOOK INTO THIS. I WOULD SUE THE FACTORY BUT I AM SURE NO ATTORNEY WOULD REPRESENT ME BECAUSE I WASN'T HURT. I WONDER HOW MANY BMW RIDERS HAVE BEEN KILLED BECAUSE THIS FAILURE WAS OVERLOOKED OR NOT NOTICED AS A CAUSE OF LOSS OF CONTROL. THE REPAIR WILL COST AROUND ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. BUT AGAIN THE MONEY ISN'T THE ISSUE WITH ME. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE. THE DESIGN CAUSES OIL TO BE THROWN ON THE REAR TIRE. THIS COULD BE A FATAL ERROR. I HAVE TO BELIEVE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THIS FAILURE. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY MORE INFORMATION. UPDATED 5/7/2015 *JS

DRIVING ON FREEWAY, WHEN HAD CAR PULL IN FRONT OF ME. HE DID NOT SEE ME. USING BRAKES HAD ALMOST NO BREAKING POWER, AND LOCKING REAR WHEEL. ABS HAD FAILED. AFTER RESEARCHING FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH BMW. BIKES LOOSE ABS ALL THE TIME, BUT ABS IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY OPTION. ON A MOTORCYCLE ABS CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. *TR

MY BIKE PLACED IN SERVICE FOR ROUTINE RECALL AS SUGGESTED BY BMW AMERICA. THE RECALL WILL BE INITIATED ON THE 8TH 2012. AS INDICATED BY RECALL, BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED & SUSPENSION PART WAS REPLACED AS WELL. AUGUST 8TH 2012 ON AUGUST 9TH 2012 I RODE BIKE TO WORK 12 MILES, AFTER STOPPING FOR GAS AND CONTINUING TO HEAD HOME; WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF 62 MPH A BRAKE FAILURE RED LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASH. I CALLED BMW SPOKE WITH [XXX] OF ISSUE SINCE BRAKE REPAIRS WERE JUST DONE ON BIKE DAY BEFORE. [XXX] STATED THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHY THIS HAPPENED. HE ALSO STATED HOW DO WE KNOW YOU DIDN'T DO IT?? I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE TO THE MANAGER, [XXX]?.. HE STATED THAT HE BELIEVED MY BRAKE ABS PUMP WAS FAILING AS INDICATED IN THE DIAGNOSIS. I QUESTIONED: HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO ASSUME REPAIRS SINCE YOU JUST REPAIRED RECALLS ON BRAKE ISSUES YESTERDAY? [XXX] STATED THAT THESE THINGS HAPPEN. 8,000 MILES WITHOUT A SCRATCH WAS BACK IN SERVICE AFTER A REPAIR RECALL AND NONE OF ANY THESE ISSUES WERE CAUSED BY THEY JUST WORKED ON MY BRAKES THE DAY BEFORE. AFTER SPENDING OVER 30 MINUTES WITH BOB AND MANAGER THEY FELT THAT THEY WOULD AT LEAST CONTACT BMW AND GET THEM TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. [XXX] STATED THE REPAIRS WERE ABOUT $ 2200.00. I LEARNED AUGUST 17, 2012 THAT BMW WOULD NOT STAND BEHIND THE PROPER REPAIRS OF MY BIKE . AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I ALSO LEARNED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE FOR BMW K BIKES AND THE RECALL WAS ISSUED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. I NOW HAVE A MOTORCYCLE THAT IS UNSAFE TO RIDE DO TO "BRAKE FAILURES" AND BMW SERVICE AS WELL AS THEIR MANUFACTURER ARE WILLING TO MAKE GOOD ON THE REPAIRS. I AM REQUESTING THAT BMW OF THE DEALERSHIP BOB'S BMW CORRECT THE ISSUE ON THE BIKE AS PRIOR TO THEIR RECALL OR REPAIRS. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

BMW MOTORCYCLES 2008 K1200GT AND 2000 R110RT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWER TRAIN FINAL DRIVE FAILURE. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED GEAR OIL LEAKED ONTO THE REAR TIRE. *JB