2012 BMW R 1200 GS
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › BMW › R 1200 GS › 2012
These records cover every 2012 BMW R 1200 GS. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
2 recalls name the 2012 BMW R 1200 GS. Newest first.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2011-2014 S 1000 RR/R/ HP4, R 1200 GS/GS Adventure/R/RT, K 1300 S, K 1600 GT/GTL/GTL Exclusive and 2014 R nine T motorcycles. The fuel pump, and auxiliary fuel pump in certain models, may crack and leak fuel during vehicle operation.
Risk and remedy
Risk
A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, may result in a fire.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain accessory turn signals manufactured for 2006-2017 R1200GS, 2007-2008 and 2010-2017 R1200GS Adventure, 2017 F700GS and F800GS, 2013-2017 F800GT, 2015-2016 F800R, 2014-2017 F800GS Adventure, 2014-2016 S1000R, 2015-2017 R1200R, 2016-2017 R1200RS, and 2010-2017 S1000RR motorcycles. As designed, these…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If other drivers cannot easily see the turn signals, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the turn signals, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2017. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Owner complaints
10 complaints1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Fuel system, gasoline
The contact owns a 2012 BMW R 1200 GS. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed in the rear-view mirror that there was fluid leaking from the motorcycle onto the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the flange for…
The contact owns a 2012 BMW R 1200 GS. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed in the rear-view mirror that there was fluid leaking from the motorcycle onto the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the flange for the fuel pump fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V060000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
- Engine
Several times the bike threw an error message about "engine controller fault" and lost power, going into "limp-home" mode. all occurrences were while the bike was being operated at highway speeds, sometimes in the middle of a corner. the bike was unrideable in limp-home mode so was navigated out…
Several times the bike threw an error message about "engine controller fault" and lost power, going into "limp-home" mode. all occurrences were while the bike was being operated at highway speeds, sometimes in the middle of a corner. the bike was unrideable in limp-home mode so was navigated out of traffic and shut down at roadside. after a brief wait the bike was started again and ran normally.the issue was reported to the dealer at the 12K service and an updated flash was applied to the ecu, but the bike has since not been ridden so I do not know if the issue has been resolved. I am uploading with this filing a pdf file containing the results of an obd scan I ran on the vehicle before taking it in for the 12K service, and you can see in that pdf the error codes that were reported at each occurrence.
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel pump failure: on or about september 5TH, 2019 I was riding my BMW r 1200gs on highway US-60 in arizona east of mesa arizona. I pulled over at US-60 and idaho road to check my cell phone and as I looked down I could see a puddle of gas leaking out of the underside of my BMW. I promptly…
Fuel pump failure: on or about september 5TH, 2019 I was riding my BMW r 1200gs on highway US-60 in arizona east of mesa arizona. I pulled over at US-60 and idaho road to check my cell phone and as I looked down I could see a puddle of gas leaking out of the underside of my BMW. I promptly turned the bike off and looked to see if there was any obvious damage. there was no visible damage to the naked eye. I pushed my bike to as safe place ( chevron gas station and parked it on the side of the station. Then had a friend with a trailer and pickup drive out to meet me and put bike on trailer and took home. took bike home to my garage, looked for way to fix leak. It was beyond my capability, so later that week I took the BMW r 1200 GS to independent shop to fix leak. The mechanic "collin" at the time stated "this happens all the time with BMW fuel pumps." I called local dealer 844-866-2677 and they stated " some 2012 BMW r 1200 GS have bad fuel pumps, but not yours after I gave them the vin. my mechanic fixed the motorcycle fuel pump leak for $771.91
- Fuel/propulsion system
Spray leak from fuel pump, quick connector on the flange broke and had a strong spray of fuel leaking on the hot engine and my clothes, this happend on the freeway while riding at 70mph. There IS a recall on this bikes up to 2011, mine IS 2012.
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel pump flange has a vertical crack on the inside of the boss, where the threads are.
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel pump starting leaking while engine IS running. this IS a known problem for this model, but not for my model year 2012. obviously, the defect wasn't corrected on my bike, causing a dangerous situation. I am planning on bringing the motorcycle to the shop tomorrow for remediation.
- Engine · Equipment adaptive/mobility · Power train
I was travelling safely in the middle lane at speed limit in heavy interstate traffic. I changed lanes into the fast lane under slight acceleration and the engine lost power completely. I could not restart the bike and so tried to get into the slow lane as there was no room on the inside shoulder.…
I was travelling safely in the middle lane at speed limit in heavy interstate traffic. I changed lanes into the fast lane under slight acceleration and the engine lost power completely. I could not restart the bike and so tried to get into the slow lane as there was no room on the inside shoulder. In trying to move saftely to the shoulder I was nearly struck by three different vehicles, one semi trailer and two passenger cars that were travelling at nearly twice my rate of speed due to my loss of power. After pulling to the side, I strained myself trying to come to a safe stop prior to the entrance to a highway exit lane, worried that I may be struck. I called the dealer for the vehicle and with minimal troubleshooting it was determined that the fuel strip (gauge) for the fuel level had failed and was falsely displaying a 185 mile range. In fact the tank was empty. This gauge had already been replaced for being faulty by the dealer and they saw this in their records which immediately led them to the failure. This IS a known failure amoung many BMW enthusiasts on several BMW motorcyle models. BMW claims there ar enot emough complaints to warrant a recall. I would be happy to supply a large number of complaints in hard copy to counter their misconception and or lack of accountability. This IS similar to recalls on vehicles with defective camshaft sensors causing engine power fail and should be valued as the same on a two wheeled vehicle with far less protection in such instances. Upon inquiry BMW mottorad has made no effort in responding to any progress they have made in rectifying the issue other than quietly acknowleding it by going back to mechanical fuel gauges with nearly nil failure rates. Do we have to wait until someone dies or will the nhtsa take action ? I hope it IS not one of your family members!
- Structure
I own a touratech zega pro aluminium pannier set on my BMW r1200gs 2012 bike for a couple of years on march 3RD 2014, during a routine bike ride on a highway, the right hand side 45L pannier became detached and fell off the bike, although I have regularly checked the bike & panniers before riding.…
I own a touratech zega pro aluminium pannier set on my BMW r1200gs 2012 bike for a couple of years on march 3RD 2014, during a routine bike ride on a highway, the right hand side 45L pannier became detached and fell off the bike, although I have regularly checked the bike & panniers before riding. I noticed the missing pannier only upon arriving my destination. I'm extremely disappointed this has happened as I was very happy with my touratech set, and was using it on a daily basis. I cannot imagine what could have caused this detachment during a regular eventless bike ride. I can assure you no faulty use of thet attachment since I have not detached the zega pro case from the motorcycle for over 2 years. the case was used and checked by myself daily, as well as before the specific ride of the incident, and did not apear to be unstable or faulty. I do think this IS something touratech should look at, as this has obviously serious safety implications. I think touratech should take some responsability of such a serious incident that may have ended much more seriously. *tr
- Power train
Braking started to feel soft and slow, I noticed that fluid had started to leak from final drive area. Took to dealer (ride west BMW, seattle), for warranty repair. Dealer verified final drive failure.to the best of my knowledge, these were the replaced items: crown bearings, sealing o-ring, support ring, outer-axle support bearing, housing cover seal, axle sealing ring, circlip, brake pads. *tr
- Power train · Suspension
BMW motorrad USA customer relations and services po box 1227 westwood, nj 07675-1227 dear sir: I have recently had a very serious issue with my new 2012 r1200gs adventure. I brought my motorcycle to my dealer for the 600 mile break-in service and mentioned to service manager that I have…
BMW motorrad USA customer relations and services po box 1227 westwood, nj 07675-1227 dear sir: I have recently had a very serious issue with my new 2012 r1200gs adventure. I brought my motorcycle to my dealer for the 600 mile break-in service and mentioned to service manager that I have been feeling a wobble through the handlebars when cornering and when driving over uneven pavement. when I arrived to pick up the motorcycle the dealer was happy to report that they were able to fix the wobble. it was a problem with the left forward suspension needle bearing in the final drive unit. I asked if it was unusual for a bearing to fail so quickly. imagine my surprise when they informed me that the bearing was not even installed at the factory, it was missing from the final drive unit! the entire left side was being supported only by the bearing dust cap! this was causing the rear wheel to move side to side causing the instability. my dealer, adventure BMW of chesapeake virginia, did a great and professional job of quickly finding the problem and replaced the entire final drive unit under warranty since the bearing surface was severely scored and would not accept the missing needle bearing. I also credit adventure BMW for their efforts and with directly preventing a possibly life threatening accident if the bearing dust cap had failed while riding. I have been riding motorcycles since 1974 with the last 15 years on bmws. I have put over 100,000 miles on my last 3 bmws and I am an everyday rider using the bmws as the primary vehicle for my transportation. I had chosen BMW for their quality and reliability but I am now questioning my decision and your manufacturing quality controls and wonder every time I ride what else IS missing on the motorcycle, maybe one of the piston rings or a circlip retainer in the transmission.
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.
- 10248094Since October 2023, a new maintenance schedule is valid for all K5x models. For the first time, maintenance positions for the cardan shaft (Driveshaft) are included. NOTICE: 1. The new maintenance schedule is not limited to vehicles affected by the SI 33 02 22 (SERVICE ACTION: Swingarm Drain retrofit and Driveshaft Check), but is valid for all K5x models - including retroactively. In case of retroactive validity (model year 2023 and older), affected customers will be informed about the change. This will be in the form of a direct-to-customer letter with a description of the new maintenance schedule, specific owners manual insert, and consumer warranty book insert. 1. For vehicles affected by SI 33 02 22 (SERVICE ACTION: Swingarm Drain retrofit and Driveshaft Check), this service action must be performed first. All conditions described in this bulletin apply after the open Service Action has been completed. No additional communication is required for K5x models model year 2024 and onwards. Those models have the new maintenance schedule in their owners manual.
- 10245433BMW 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.
- 10236237Multiple 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.
- 10228448BMW 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.
- 10218351Multiple factors may cause the driveshaft to become damaged; among them are corrosion in certain parts of the driveshaft, and wear and tear exacerbated by certain climatic conditions.
- 10215025Shipping specific non-deployed vehicle safety devices to lighting resources, llc. This service Information bulletin provides information on shipping "specific" noin-deployed vehicle safety devices that are classified as Dangerous Goods (DG) to Lighting resources, LLC
- 10215024The engine?s intake charge-air duct limited warranty extension to 10 years/120,000 miles applies to ?eligible USspecification
- 10205109Stress corrosion cracks may occur on the studs of certain milled footrests from the BMW Motorrad special accessories catalog for the GS models.
- 10204679BMW Motorrad has ascertained that in isolated cases the fuse for the voltage regulator is not correctly secured in the holder by the threaded fasteners.
- 10204667One of the following situations can occur when connecting to BN2000 motorcycles: 1. The installed control units cannot be found when reading out with ISTA. 2. Control units initially communicate after connecting to the vehicle, but communication later stops.
- 10201170When diagnosing fault codes (0x3A13D7, 0x3A13D9), technicians erroneously condemn the electronic throttle grip, which analyses show is rarely the culprit.
- 10200500The hill start control operation may be sporadic.
- 10200499Service distance cannot be set in miles in ISTA for TFT-type instrument clusters
- 10200496During operation of the rear wheel foot brake lever, the rider feels a soft pressure point or perceptibly longer lever travel
- 10200495BMW Motorrad has ascertained that vehicles fitted with option code 0190 "Enduro ASC + BMW Motorrad has ascertained that vehicles fitted with option code 0190 "Enduro ASC + Riding Modes" can experience functional problems in the Enduro PRO mode. Effective March 06, 2013, BMW Motorrad has a software solution available. Once the coding plug has been fitted and the software update performed, the customer can use all the riding modes
- 10200269The 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
- 10193510Oil leak immediately after replacing cylinder head cover seal set.
- 10165274Ticking noises from the cylinder hood.
- 10165251Ticking noises from the cylinder hood.
- 10160232During 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.
- 10159164Which charger should be used to charge the Li-ion HP and/or M batteries.
- 10151430Shift 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.
- 10151392BMW Motorrad has determiend in th ecourse 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.
- 10151297During programming ith ISTA/P software version3.58.2.001. a programming abort occurred. Afterwards the vehicle is inoperative and can no longer be started. Repeated programming is not possible with this tversion. Software bug.
- 10151295Grinding noises from rear drive - individual cover screws on rear drive are coming undone,screw chafes against the brake disk and makes noises.
- 10151238BMW 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.
- 10150153Swinging arm gaiter to gearbox is split or collapsed.
- 10149289Heated handlebar grips intermittently not working
- 10149288Navigator V maintains a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone for a short period.
- 10149276During 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.
- 10149274Customer complains about an operating failure on the left or right multifunction switch.
- 10149207The cruise control system is not working in the Enduro/Pro mode
- 10149206When the throttle is closed, the engine goes into emergency mode.
- 10149205It is not possible to calibrate the ESA suspension strut.
- 10149204Incorrect road speed indicated.
- 10148016Difficulty retrofitting the gear shift Assistant Pro. Early prodction and incorrect integration level.
- 10148015Seat 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.
- 10147996ESA spring strut cannot be calibrated / additional models added
- 10147963The rear SAF (Dynamic ESA) spring strut is able to twist by a few degrees.
Every BMW R 1200 GS model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.