2004 BMW R1150 RT
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › BMW › R1150 RT › 2004
These records cover every 2004 BMW R1150 RT. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 2004 BMW R1150 RT. Newest first.
On certain motorcycles, an incorrect sealing ring was mounted to the piston of the rear brake master cylinder.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If only the rear brake were applied during riding, insufficient braking pressure would be available to slow the motorcycle, which could increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the rear brake master cylinder. the recall began july 16, 2004. owners should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.
Owner complaints
18 complaints1 involved a crash
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Service brakes
Total brake failure .i could not stop the motorcycle.i went rite through an intersection,thank god there was no vehicles driving through the intersection at the same time.
- Fuel/propulsion system
My motorcycle kept losing fuel. I never leave it low on gas, but on numerous occasions went to ride it and the tank was empty. Since then I found a youtube video showing how to replace what BMW never should have installed, saying this IS common in ca because BMW did not use metal quick disconnects…
My motorcycle kept losing fuel. I never leave it low on gas, but on numerous occasions went to ride it and the tank was empty. Since then I found a youtube video showing how to replace what BMW never should have installed, saying this IS common in ca because BMW did not use metal quick disconnects on the fuel lines; our gas eats the plastic. At least 10 gallons of gas disappeared over 4 months last summer. This IS a major fire hazard and I am lucky to be alive, I guess. It also IS not cheap to fix. The parts are around $100. BMW should fix this, or pay for parts so I can do it.
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel line quick disconnects on both supply and return failed causing fuel leak on to engine and exhaust. extreme fire potential. quick disconnect seals and components are insufficient to handle exposure to raw fuel, it IS a poor design and bmwna should recall r1150rt's due to this failure and fire risk. *tr
- Power train · Power train › Driveline › Differential unit
The rear tire became oil covered and slick because of a failed oil seal in the final drive. The oil seal had failed as results of the final drive bearing failure. these failures caused an unsafe condition as there was excessive movement in the rear wheel and the rear tire was oil soaked from the…
The rear tire became oil covered and slick because of a failed oil seal in the final drive. The oil seal had failed as results of the final drive bearing failure. these failures caused an unsafe condition as there was excessive movement in the rear wheel and the rear tire was oil soaked from the seal failure. The failure gave little advanced warning as road and tire noise changes and sound similar. I have had two final drive failures on the same motorcycle, the first 06/04/2006 at 33,095 miles at 25 mph and the second 07/13/2012 at 74,341 miles at 65 mph on the interstate system.
- Power train
TL* the contact owns a 2004 BMW r1150rt motorcycle. The contact stated that the final drive assembly failed. the failure caused the rear end to severely knock. The contact stated that oil spilled out from the vehicle as well. The contact was told by the dealer that there was a 3-6 month back order…
TL* the contact owns a 2004 BMW r1150rt motorcycle. The contact stated that the final drive assembly failed. the failure caused the rear end to severely knock. The contact stated that oil spilled out from the vehicle as well. The contact was told by the dealer that there was a 3-6 month back order on the part that was needed to correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 17,000.
- Power train
Final drive, crown gear bearing failed. No early warning of oil leakage, just went suddenly when on cross country trip while in co. Failed catastrophically causing the rear wheel to wobble significantly, the oil seal to fail and rear lube oil leaked all over rear wheel. (have picture) same failure as described in odi no. 10439549, and currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. *kb
- Power train
Failure of final drive crown gear bearing. The bearing shattered causing the seal to be damaged with oil loss. *kb
- Power train
Motorcycle final drive gear bearing failure. gear oil leaking from final drive. *kb
- Power train
On I-5 southbound in bellingham wa, left lane at 60mph. Up shifted transmission and heard grinding noise, on clutch release. Managed to get to right road shoulder and push bike to next exit. Found clutch disk splines stripped and transmission input shaft splines very worn. There was no warning of problem until the splines stripped. Upon research of this problem, found it was a common problem of the BMW r1150rt. *Tr
- Power train
Lost transmission splines and clutch disk splines going down the road shifting between 2ND and 3RD gear. lost all drive to rear wheel and had to coast to side of road, thankfully traffic was light. *tr
- Tires
Shinko raven 009 size 120/70 ZR 17 developed blisters around 75% of the circumferance of the tread. the blisters range from 1 to 2 inches in size and are evenly spaced along the tread on the left side of the center line of the tire. fortunately the tire did not fail before the problem was discovered and there was no crash. Approx 12,500 miles on the tire. *tt
- Power train › Driveline
Final drive failed on my 2004 BMW r1150rt. Motorcycle has 31,000 miles. *Tr
- Power train
The was no warning that a failure was about to occur. I was traveling at high speed on a limited access highway in downtown atlanta ga when the failure occurred. had I been in a middle lane, this could have been a life endangering situation. luckily I was in the far left lane and coasted to a…
The was no warning that a failure was about to occur. I was traveling at high speed on a limited access highway in downtown atlanta ga when the failure occurred. had I been in a middle lane, this could have been a life endangering situation. luckily I was in the far left lane and coasted to a stop on the left shoulder of the highway. the clutch splines of drive system stripped out at 50,000 miles. according to other owners of the same vehicle, these failures can occur as often as every 10-15k miles but most frequently around 20-25k. I purchased this vehicle with about 28K miles and suspect the previous owner may have had the same issue. I disassembled the vehicle and replaced the clutch parts and the transmission input shaft to fix the problem. this was a costly repair even though I did most of the labor. total cost for me was just over $1200. the only part I have IS the input shaft that I used as a clutch centering tool to install the new clutch. *Tr
- Power train › Manual transmission
Premature failure of the clutch / transmission input shaft splines potentially causing motorcycle to loose forward drive in traffic. failure occurred with 28,210 miles on the odometer. riding slightly up grade at 50 mph. sudden and unexpected failure caused lose of forward drive and being…
Premature failure of the clutch / transmission input shaft splines potentially causing motorcycle to loose forward drive in traffic. failure occurred with 28,210 miles on the odometer. riding slightly up grade at 50 mph. sudden and unexpected failure caused lose of forward drive and being stranded in traffic. this required pushing the motorcycle out of traffic to a safe location and being towed to the repair location. This IS not unpresidented in this series of motorcycles and appears to be related to the misalignment of the engine / transmission interface at the time of manufacture. repair includes the removal and repair of the transmission; which can take as long as 10 hours to complete. repair parts cost about $900 depending on the extent of the damage and identifying the cause. The dealer cost to have this repair runs $2000 plus. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
The fuel pump on my 2004 r1150rt BMW motorcycle failed while I was traveling home from work on an expressway in heavy traffic. I managed to get to the shoulder of the road, but was in danger because of the proximity of the passing high speed traffic. I backed the bike about 1/8 mile to the previous exit and pushed it to a gas station and called for a tow. *tr
- Power train
2004 BMW r1150rt failure of final drive bearing. this IS a common problem, denied by BMW, and could cause a potentially fatal crash if it locked up at speed. out race fails, eventually the bearing retainers fail, and bearing collapses, potentially locking up the rear wheel. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline
2004 BMW r1150rt motorcycle- fuel quick disconnect failed. bike started leaking small drops of fuel. took side fairing off and found the leak coming from the fuel quick disconnect. I disconnected the line and fuel began pouring from the line. the whole idea of a quick disconnect IS for the line…
2004 BMW r1150rt motorcycle- fuel quick disconnect failed. bike started leaking small drops of fuel. took side fairing off and found the leak coming from the fuel quick disconnect. I disconnected the line and fuel began pouring from the line. the whole idea of a quick disconnect IS for the line to not leak when disconnected. called BMW dealer bike shop and they said they have plenty replacements in stock because they fail quite often. *tr
- Power train › Clutch assembly
Clutch failure as a result of misaligned transmission and engine, caused by manufacturer defect. Cost to repair; parts and labor = $2,000.00. *tr
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10249027The 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.
- 10182619Discharged 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 cause of the discharged battery cannot be identified. This increases the chances of a repeat repair.
- 10037025BMW: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty.
- 10033130BMW vehicles: fuel level sensor repairs. Where it IS necessary to replace the right or the left side fuel level sensor due to a failure, the entire pump and housing or delivery unit (suction jet assembly) do not need to be replaced as well. In some cases, epc does not show that the repair kit IS available separately in the illustration, but it IS available in the parts description. All models. No model years listed.
- 10030825BMW motorcycle: engine fuels containing ethanol. BMW motorrad has no objection to the use of si engine fuels containing up to a maximum of 10% ethanol and imposes no warranty restrictions. Ethanol mixtures in proportions higher than 10% can have an adverse effect on performance and can result in damage to components that come into contract with fuel. No warranty claims whatsoever for damage caused in this way will be accepted. No model years listed.
Every BMW R1150 RT model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.