Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 BMW R1200 GS Adventure, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Fuel/propulsion system5
- Service brakes3
- Electrical system2
- Power train2
- Engine1
- Equipment adaptive/mobility1
- Seats1
- Structure1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Recalls
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2009-2011 K1300 (S, GT), 2010-2011 S1000 RR, 2005-2011 R1200 (GS, GS Adventure, R, RT, S, ST), 2006-2010 HP2 (Enduro, Megamoto, Sport), 2005-2008 K1200 (R, R Sport, S, GT), and 2012 K1600 (GT, GTL) motorcycles that were repaired under recall 13V-617 with the support ring remedy and where the fuel pump was not replaced at a later date. This recall involves the fuel pump, and also the auxiliary fuel pump as applicable. The affected motorcycles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, possibly resulting in a fuel leak while the engine is running.
BMW IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2008 R1200 GS AND R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLES. IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS, SUCH AS HIGH GENERATOR SPEEDS COMBINED WITH LARGE DEMANDS FOR ELECTRICAL CURRENT, SPURIOUS SIGNALS COULD EMERGE WITHIN THE MOTORCYCLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, IT COULD AFFECT THE PRESSURE SENSOR SIGNALS OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) CONTROL UNIT. IF THIS HAPPENED, THE ABS COULD SWITCH OFF; HOWEVER, IN SUCH A SITUATION, A WARNING LAMP WOULD ILLUMINATE. NORMAL BRAKING WOULD STILL BE AVAILABLE TO SLOW AND STOP THE MOTORCYCLE.
BMW IS RECALLING 46 MY 2008 R1200 R, R1200 GS, AND R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLES. DUE TO A MATERIAL DEFECT IN THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT OF THE TRANSMISSION, THE SHAFT COULD BREAK. IF THIS OCCURRED, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO SEIZE.
BMW IS RECALLING 4,922 MY 2007-2008 R1200R, MY 2006-2007 R1200 GS, MY 2007 R1200 ST, AND MY 2008 R1200 GS ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLES. DUE TO THE CURRENT ROUTING OF THE FRONT BRAKE LINES, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT DURING RIDING, THE BRAKE LINES COULD BE UNDER STRAIN. IF THE VIBRATION/STRAIN IS SIGNIFICANT, THE BRAKE LINES COULD SPLIT AND START TO DEVELOP A LEAK. IF THE LEAK BECAME SIGNIFICANT, BRAKE FLUID COULD ESCAPE. IF THIS HAPPENED, THE LEVEL OF FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR OF THE FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM COULD DROP.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What BMW told its dealers about the 2008 BMW R1200 GS Adventure: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10249027 | The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle discharged battery complaints. |
| 10245433 | BMW Motorrad USA has become aware of a potential durability issue with the film type fuel level sender Fuel Strip equipped on certain model year 2005 to 2013 R and K series motorcycles. |
| 10236237 | Multiple factors may cause the driveshaft to become damaged; among them are corrosion in certain parts ofthe driveshaft, and wear and tear exacerbated by certain climatic conditions. |
| 10228448 | BMW Motorrad is aware of a number of cases in which the screw connections of the Paralever link and/or the rear brake caliper have loosened in customer vehicles while driving. |
| 10205109 | Stress corrosion cracks may occur on the studs of certain milled footrests from the BMW Motorrad special accessories catalog for the GS models. |
| 10200500 | The hill start control operation may be sporadic. |
| 10200499 | Service distance cannot be set in miles in ISTA for TFT-type instrument clusters |
| 10200269 | The bike does not shut down with a short press of the keyless ride button. The keyless Ride button must be pressed for several seconds to shut the bike down |
| 10194316 | The complaint of leaking telescopic forks is the top warranty claim in many current models, |
| 10182619 | Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle "discharged battery" complaints. In order to properly repair the vehicle the first time in the workshop, it is very important that the diagnostic test plans are performed to completion, with all results taken into consideration. Without performing the energy diagnosis test plan, the root caus |
| 10165274 | Ticking noises from the cylinder hood. |
| 10165251 | Ticking noises from the cylinder hood. |
| 10160232 | During the course of quality analysis, it was determined by BMW Motorrad that in the production period from February 2018 to end of June 2018, cross-spoked wheels with reduced spoke tension have been produced. |
| 10159164 | Which charger should be used to charge the Li-ion HP and/or M batteries. |
| 10151430 | Shift assist does not function after performing SIB 23 001 15 (017) DME software upgrade. This is due to a progrm fault in ISTA/p version 3.56.0. |
| 10151238 | BMW Motorrad has determined in the course of quality observation that in a few cases clutch fluid may leak between the clutch slave cylinder and the braided stainless steel clutch line. The cause is a burr in the clutch slave cylinder which may damage the gasket of the clutch line. A vehicle with high mileage can show signs of gradual impairment of the clutch function. The separating action of the clutch can worsen gradually over a period of time. |
| 10149289 | Heated handlebar grips intermittently not working |
| 10149288 | Navigator V maintains a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone for a short period. |
| 10149276 | During the course of the quality analysis carried out by BMW Motorrad, it has been determined that for the R 1200 models with the gearshift assistant (SA X222A) OE, a few faulty gearshift assistants have been installed in the production period from 09/02/2016 to 09/05/2016. Over the service life of the vehicle, there can be impairment of functions up to a loss of function of the gearshift assistants. In the case of a loss of function, a gear change (without the gearshift assistant) is possible only with the actuation of the clutch lever. |
| 10149274 | Customer complains about an operating failure on the left or right multifunction switch. |
| 10149205 | It is not possible to calibrate the ESA suspension strut. |
| 10148015 | Seat locking barrel - repair kit not permitted. After the seat lock cylinder has been replaced with a repair kit, the cylinder does not always stay securely installed. |
| 10147996 | ESA spring strut cannot be calibrated / additional models added |
| 10147963 | The rear SAF (Dynamic ESA) spring strut is able to twist by a few degrees. |
| 10147804 | After activation of the alarm system, the turn indicators remain on for 1 minute with integration levels higher than k001-15-03-510. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Fuel Leak - Motorycle
Fuel Leak - Motorcycle
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation