2019 BMW K1600B

1 recalls, 9 complaints

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

Defect Description

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2017-2020 K 1600 GT and 2018-2020 K 1600 GTL and K 1600 B motorcycles. Certain transmission parts may not have been produced to the appropriate hardness level. This could affect the function of the transmission, possibly causing double engagement... Read more

Consequence

Double gear engagement or transmission damage can cause the rear wheel to lock up, affecting the vehicle stability and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift forks, the selector sleeve of 5th/6th gear and the gear wheel of 6th gear, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk was mailed November 1, 2019. A second letter will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners ... Read more

4,672 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC

Complaint Statistics

9 total complaints

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
STEERING	3
SUSPENSION	3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	1

Incident date: Apr 29, 2020

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC, THE BIKE BEGINS TO WOBBLE AND BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL. I LIST AN INCIDENT DATE OF 04/29/2020 BELOW, BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT IT ON 04/11/2020.

Incident date: Aug 19, 2019

2 ISSUES 1. WHEN REACHING SPEEDS OF 60+ BIKE SHAKES VIOLENTLY DURING HIGH WINDS OR BEHIND TRUCKS. SWITCHING LANES IS EVEN MORE SCARY. TO ENHANCE THIS ISSUE ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS RAISE YOUR WIND SCREEN FULLY AND OPEN UP THE AIR VENTS ON THE SIDES OF THE BIKE. FOR HAVE YOUR PSI ON TIRES AT 40 OR B... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2019

Incident date: Apr 2, 2019

THIS MOTORCYCLE IS UNSTABLE IN ANY WIND CONDITION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT IS SEVERELY BUFFETED SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO CAUSE FEAR EVEN IN AN EXPERIENCED RIDER. I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT, WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE BIKE IS AT THE LIMITS OF THE ENVELOP OF STABILITY AND EXPECT IT TO WOBBLE OR WEAVE INTO DEADLY ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 2, 2019

AT HIGH SPEEDS THE REAR END OF THE MOTORCYCLE SHAKES AND TORQUES LIKE A SNAKE. IT DOES NOT INCREASE WITH WIND. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.

Incident date: Apr 2, 2019

AT HIGH SPEEDS THE REAR END OF THE MOTORCYCLE SHAKES AND TORQUES LIKE A SNAKE. IT DOES NOT INCREASE WITH WIND. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.

Incident date: Apr 2, 2019

AT HIGH SPEEDS THE REAR END OF THE MOTORCYCLE SHAKES AND TORQUES LIKE A SNAKE. IT DOES NOT INCREASE WITH WIND. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA Safety Investigations, BMW K1600B

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

EA, Closed , Model Year: 2018

Steering Oscillation

On October 11, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) 19003 to investigate reports of steering oscillations in model year (MY) 2018-19 BMW K1600 motorcycles. Complainants alleged steering oscillations (wobble and shake) and instability while traveling at hig... hway speeds that were exacerbated while riding in traffic. ODI opened the EA, upgrading its PE19002 investigation, to evaluate the severity and frequency associated with the alleged defect and potential testing options. ODI sent an Information Request containing several technical questions about testing and simulation that BMW conducted during development and production of the subject vehicles. BMW provided responsive details that were reviewed and analyzed by engineers both in ODI and at NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC). BMW provided documentation that confirmed that during the design phase, it had conducted extensive testing and simulations to evaluate and quantify the aerodynamic (wind) loads and overall stability. BMW continues to research aerodynamic improvements that can help reduce effects from turbulent air. In the meantime, to mitigate undesirable effects from aerodynamic loads and other vehicle dynamic forces at excessively high speed, BMW limited the K1600 Grand America variant to approximately 100mph. All produced vehicles of this variant have this speed limitation.Recently, a peer motorcycle was recalled under NHTSA recall number 23V836 for high-speed stability concerns. Like BMW's design for the K1600 Grand America, the recall remedy involved applying a speed restriction. VRTC, in coordination with ODI, mailed out questionnaires to 98 owners of K1600 motorcycles in the State of Ohio. Questions relevant to the investigation included: time of ownership, accumulated mileage, how owners handled potential issues, service received for potential issues, and any crashes of the subject vehicles. VRTC received 44 responses to the questionnaires from owners of the subject vehicles. Of the 44 questionnaire responses, 10 owners responded that they had experienced some form of motorcycle instability, which was relevant to this EA. Of those 10 owners, all were able to safely adjust to the instability without a vehicle crash or injury. At this time, no crashes or injuries have been associated with allegations of steering oscillation or instability. This includes 24 complaints that relate to this issue in MY 2018-19 BMW K1600 motorcycles, which ODI reviewed during NHTSA’s PE19002 and EA19003 investigations. ODI also reviewed complaints about the subject vehicles, which BMW provided to ODI in the form of Field Reports, Consumer Complaints, and Warranty Claims. ODI reviewed a combined 41 unique complaints (removing duplicate complaints) that alleged instability, and none of the complainants indicated an associated vehicle crash or injury. The oscillation occurs during high highway speed (well beyond any US-speed limit), and NHTSA received reports that the operators can adjust their speed to regain full control of their motorcycles without a known crash or injury.Based on the available information, NHTSA is closing this investigation without further action. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.Read more

BMW K1600B - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the BMW K1600B across all model years (2018, 2020).

3 Total Recalls

63 Total Complaints

1 Investigations

0 Reported Crashes

0 Reported Fires

0 Reported Deaths

BMW K1600B - Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2020	1	0	View
2019 (current)	1	9
2018	1	54	View

Other BMW Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
X5	223	4,349	View
X3	155	2,661	View
330I	122	1,050	View
X6	110	293	View
328I	108	3,743	View
M3	95	550	View
325I	83	1,809	View
Z4	83	1,439	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2019 BMW K1600B

Complaint Statistics

Top Reported Components

NHTSA Safety Investigations, BMW K1600B

BMW K1600B - All Years Overview

BMW K1600B - Year by Year

Other BMW Models