The saga surrounding BMW’s recall issues has taken another turn now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has gotten involved. Turns out, the German brand does have a lot of problems on its hand, especially in the US where 43,426 of its motorcycles are being called back because of issues that could potentially lead to motorcycle crashes.
According to the NHTSA, BMW’s->ke1398 scooters, specifically its K Series->ke3296 and R Series->ke3450 models, are bearing the brunt of this recall, which specifically involves problems with the rear wheel mounting flange of these bikes. Apparently, these things have the possibility of cracking if the mounted bolts that put them in place are attached with too much torque. In the event this happens, the rear wheel could loosen without the rider knowing about it, increasing the probability of a crash happening and, well, we all know what happens after that.
Of the 43,426 models affected in the US, a little over a quarter of them (11,991 units) are 2005 to 2010 models of the R1200GS. Not to be outdone, 5,238 units of the R1200GS Adventure from 2006 to 2010 are affected, as well as 3,866 units of the K1200S from 2005 to 2008, and 3,057 units of the K1200GT from 2006 to 2008.
Other models affected include the 2006 BMW HP2 Enduro (364 units), 2008-2009 HP2 Megamoto (93 units), 2006-2008 K1200R (1,373 units), 2007 K1200R Sport (488 units), 2009-2010 K1300GT (1,148 units), 2010-2011 K1300R (4 units), 2009-2011 K1300S (1,289 units), 2007-2010 R1200R (1,920 units) 2007 R1200S (477 units), and the 2005-2007 R1200ST (555 units).
The NHTSA’s official recall announcement comes after months of testing and inspection from BMW on certain bikes that have reportedly exhibit these problems. It’s unclear why BMW took this long to formally acquiesce to a recall, but the important things is that some thing is already being done to fix these issues.
As is always the case, I advise anybody owning any of the affected models to contact their local dealerships so that the bike’s can be sorted out and, if necessary, get fixed.
Continue reading to read more about the recall of these BMW models.
Why it matters
In times like this, it's better to be safe than sorry. That's the advice to anybody who has any of the BMW models affected by this recall. It's not unusual for these recalls to happen. Actually, it happens far more frequently than I personally would want.
But this recall is unusual simply because it affects so many models with a lot going all the way back to models from 10 years ago. That's not the kind of thing you take lightly.
It's also been reported that 367,000 units all over the world are affected by this recall. Again, that number is way too big for one particular problem, which leads me to think that this is a production problem that went unnoticed for the better part of six years.
Not only did the affected models add up to this astronomical number, but it also shows a lack of attention-to-detail on BMW's part. I'm not here to lambast or castigate the company for being reckless, but in this particular instance, it's hard to not to feel that way.
Hopefully, BMW sorts this whole mess out quick, fast, and in a hurry. The sheer scale of affected units will make it a little difficult, but that's the price you pay for letting this problem drag on too long without either noticing it, or not doing anything about it when you should've.