BMW of North America, LLC is recalling certain 2019-2023 R1250GS

Jan 18, 2023 — Recall Campaign #23V011000

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2023 R1250GS, R1250GS Adventure, and R1250RTP motorcycles. In certain engine operating and riding conditions, the gearbox input shaft may become damaged or break, possibly resulting in a blocked rear wheel.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 18,534 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

23V011000

Manufacturer:	BMW of North America, LLC
Recall date:	January 18, 2023
NHTSA Campaign #:	23V011000
Units affected:	18,534

Description:: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2023 R1250GS, R1250GS Adventure, and R1250RTP motorcycles. In certain engine operating and riding conditions, the gearbox input shaft may become damaged or break, possibly resulting in a blocked rear wheel.
Consequeces:: A damaged gearbox input shaft or a blocked rear wheel can increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective action:: Dealers will update the engine control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Notes:: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Affects the following:

2023 BMW R 1250 GS Complaints
Driving on the Parkway, (65-70mph) my rear wheel without warning locked up and I skidded across 2 a joining lanes, including the fast lane. multiple cars almost rear ended me and other cars nearly rear ending them, which could of caused a major accident. I had just a full service done on the motorcycle by BMW dealership over a month ago, after I received the motorcycle back from the service, I notice the motorcycle was vibrating more than usual, especially at highway speeds. I reported it to the BMW dealership where I got the service done. I was told the nearest date they could book me in for an appointment date to check the motorcycle would be in a few weeks. When my motorcycle was bought in for the appointment I received the motorcycle back 6 days later, I was told there mechanic took my motorcycle for a test drive, he said he did notice some vibrating but felt it wasn't warrant enough for concern. 4 days later the incident occurred. After the incident the motorcycle was towed back to the BMW dealership. After their inspection I was told the Final drive had completely failed. The dealership said they are replacing the whole driveshaft assembly, including the rear tire. I would like to add when I originally received my motorcycle back after they said they couldn't find anything wrong, I asked did they check the driveshaft, I was told yes and it was good! The motorcycle is available for inspection upon request.;
2023 BMW R 1250 RT Complaints
I believe the BMW configuration of the adaptive cruise control following distance selection might result in a rear end collision. I normally set the following distance to the longest setting, which corresponds to a two-second following distance (IMO, the minimum safe distance). I am fairly often caught off-guard by the system because the next time the bike is started, the following distance defaults to the *closest* following distance, and does so WITH NO visual warning in the instrument panel (the following distance is not displayed when cruise is set; it is displayed only after the distance control button on the left grip cluster is pressed). In my case, despite knowing this I still have been surprised to find myself too close to the vehicle in front, and have to rapidly hit the distance setting button to back off. For others without this knowledge, the potential injury concern is someone setting their cruise control with the NOT-DISPLAYED too-short default following distance, and then not having enough reaction time to avoid sudden deceleration of the front vehicle (e.g., set the cruise with the default too-short distance, and shortly thereafter the front driver brakes to avoid an animal before the rider has a chance to figure out why he/she is following closer than he/she intended). This should be easily fixed with a simple software fix: either (i) programming the default cruise following distance to be the longest distance, or better yet, (ii) have the following distance ALWAYS displayed after the cruise on switch is operated (as in my Ford F-150 and Mustang) -- the opposite of BMW's current approach of showing a solid block that HIDES the following distance setting, until the following distance button is manually pressed. IMO, the solid block is both unnecessary and a potential trap for the unwary, and should be removed so that the set distance is ALWAYS visible. I live near DC and can make my motorcycle available for inspection if desired.;