78 of the
147 complaints filed about the BMW R 1200 RT
are about the fuel system —
53% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2007.
This vehicle was subject to a recall under bulletin 16 0114. The issue was a fuel pump which cracked at flanges which leaked fuel onto the hot engine, which could cause safety issues with fire. My vehicle listed above, had the fuel pump replaced with 12,505 miles on it under the recall. The replacement fuel pump, which is apparently no better than the original that was replaced under recall, cracked again leaking fuel onto the hot motorcycle engine. This happened with 20,300 miles on the vehicle, which is less than 8000 miles later. BMW is refusing to replace under the recall or a warranty the fuel pump which means I am stuck with the bill. I believe that BMW should be replacing a defective part with a new design and better part not an old design faulty part. I would encourage you to issue another recall on the vehicles in question under bulletin 160114 in the interest of motorist safety.
NHTSA complaint #11681917 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have a 2014 R1200RT that is leaking fuel because of a warped fuel tank. VIN: [XXX] My dealer tells me that this was a problem on my years RT and that this can only be fixed by replacing the fuel tank. I was told that ethanol was probably the culprit in taking this tank down so quickly. I was also told that BMW redesigned the tank to alleviate the problem and that replacing the old tank with the redesigned one would take care of this. BMW Motorrad is not offering to replace this as the warranty is only for 3 years or 36,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11639294 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2005 BMW r1200rt that I have owned since 2016 with little to no issue. Leak from winter storage in the front left side of the engine. It matches a thread of a cracked fuel pump. With your site they submitted the problem under JBN1-18051. Also under a complaint number 10428629. I wish to know if it is a issue that is a recall or something I can submit for BMW to take care of, or if I will need to get fixed myself. I saw that riding with it can result in fuel landing on the ride during transit making it dangerous to ride.
NHTSA complaint #11513782 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The OEM plastic 90° quick discount fitting on top of the fuel pump started spraying fuel. I started smelling fuel on the interstate highway 10 and by the time I could pull over safely off the interstate I was covered with fuel. The fuel was running down on the hot exhaust pipe’s on the front left side of the motorcycle and spraying all over my face and legs. I could have been set on fire and burnt to death because of where the fuel was spraying from. This also could have cost the lives of the people on the interstate had i burst into flames and lost control of the motorcycle. When I called the BMW dealership in Tucson AZ the service tech told me that they had a medal aftermarket 90° fitting that would fix my problem. I replaced the fitting and the fuel leak was fixed. This motorcycle fuel pump was replaced 07/01/2014 at mileage 12,482 because of a fuel leak recall. I’m filling this report because this fitting fail happened without warning 15,700 miles after the fuel flange recall. This must be a common problem for the service tech to know over the phone the fox and have a aftermarket medal part that fixed the fuel leak. The location of this potential leak makes it extremely dangerous hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11495808 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The throttle body has plastic pulleys for the throttle flapper cam. These plastic parts fail. My motorcycle lost power in freeway traffic and I nearly was ran over by traffic when this part failed.
NHTSA complaint #11490555 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW R1200 RT Motorcycle. The contact stated that while starting the motorcycle, fuel was spraying from the fuel line. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the motorcycle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V471000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 37,528.
NHTSA complaint #11485901 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Development of a major fuel leak after starting motorcycle, leak is coming from the high pressure fitting on the fuel pump. Very dangerous as the fuel is dripping on the hot exhaust and pooling on top of the fuel pump. Risk of fire and possibility of fuel getting on pant leg and burning riders leg. I talked to a couple dealers in the Phoenix area and it’s more common than not.
NHTSA complaint #11483260 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The bike is a 2008 BMW R1200RT. The throttle bodies for each cylinder has a plastic cam that is the point of attachment for the throttle cable. That plastic cam broke and completely detached from the bike. I was accelerating to merge into traffic on Interstate 64E at Corydon, IN. Once established in the right lane, the bike suddenly lost power and slowed rapidly while I was approached from the rear by a tractor trailer that had to apply brakes and continuously sounded his horn while abruptly maneuvering to the left lane to avoid me while I was attempting to assess what had just happened. This is a critical safety component and its failure has been documented countless number of times on various owner's group forums for this type of bike. One of which is linked here: https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/topic/91897-throttle-body-more-cracked-cable-camspulleys/ Another: https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?76036-Broken-Throttle-Body-Pulleys-2009-R1200RT/page5 It is apparent the plastic that this throttle body cam is made from deteriorates rapidly causing a significant safety risk. There are aftermarket replacements that are made from aluminum, but they are very expensive. I am asking for a safety recall and that BMW be made to replace these parts with a metal or a material that is less prone to failure.
NHTSA complaint #11460528 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2005 BMW R 1200 RT. The contact stated while starting the motorcycle and it began to stall. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The motorcycle was not drivable. The motorcycle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The motorcycle was repaired. The contact stated that on 7/2021, he noticed fuel leaking from the fuel pump onto the engine. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The motorcycle was not repaired but was pending repairs. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V617000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
NHTSA complaint #11434688 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW R 1200 RT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V471000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer was contacted and informed that the parts were not available. The contact called back the same dealer on two separate occasions and was informed that parts were still unavailable. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11430640 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Throttle body cams broken, no symtoms, could have caused crash from complete power loss to the engine, could have crashed or been hit. Dealer replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11430264 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My forth vehicle with throttle body cams that are cracked and broken on both sides. No symptoms or warning lights of a problem that could have lead to a catastrophic failure, total engine propulsion failure, breakdown. My safety and others were in danger of injury or death. Dealer has confirmed and repaired all vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11430262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW R 1200 RT Motorcycle. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from motorcycle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V471000 (Fuel System. Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer who stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11428477 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2011 BMW R 1200 RT. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V471000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11427749 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 BMW R-1200 RT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 21V060000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11425713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is a two-cylinder engine with an independent throttle body for each cylinder. The throttle is actuated by a cable and pulley which rotate the throttle plate on a shaft. The pulley is attached to the shaft with molded plastic. Upon inspection during service, both plastic moldings (both cylinders) were discovered to be cracked and near failure. Failure of this part will cause that cylinder to go to idle power. If the vehicle is in motion, there will be a sudden loss of power, and high vibration until the throttle is closed. Until repair, the motorcycle will be inoperable. This has become a known defect with this series of motorcycles. I repaired mine using an aftermarket aluminum part created to address this problem. Parts cost was $458.
NHTSA complaint #11423380 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW R 1200. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V060000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. A local dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that they were awaiting parts from the manufacturer vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11422132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 BMW R 1200. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V060000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. A local dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that they were awaiting parts from the manufacturer vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11422132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A fuel leak around at the fuel pump flange. Leaking around the support ring installed by the previous remedy. I contacted a dealer several times, but they have been unable to remedy due to no parts since April 2021. I also contacted CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com and they said "at this time the remedy for the recall: 20V-471 is available; however, the parts are on backorder for all models. We currently don't have an eta we can provide." BMW has failed to prepare sufficient replacement parts and they are unable to remedy for 20V-471 in a timely manner.
NHTSA complaint #11420714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.