What breaks most · 2004 to 2015 model years
BMW R 1200 RT problems by year
Owners have filed 77 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW R 1200 RT across model years 2004 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2007 for fuel system complaints, 2006 for fuel system complaints and 2009 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2004, 2010 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 2006, 2009
- Fewest complaints: 2004, 2010, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 772004 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 200720 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 10 fires · 1 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 22kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 19Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (4) | |
| 17 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (9) | |
| 20 | 0 | 3 | Fuel system (8) | |
| 6 | 0 | 3 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 12 | 0 | 3 | Fuel system (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Suspension (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (1) |
What fails on the 2007 BMW R 1200 RT
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 40% |
8 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 30% |
6 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 15% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 5% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Fuel pump assembly started leaking and fuel started running down the left side of the motorcycle. The pump assembly was leaking badly and the bike could not be operated. Ref:pe12-036.
-
The plastic flange on the top of the fuel pump /hose coupler area was found to have one radial crack which possibly could have resulted in leaking fuel under pressure from the fuel pump. The possibility exists for leaking fuel to drip onto the top of the hot engine and result in a fire.
-
Fuel strip failed, going from approximately 150 miles to empty to --- miles to empty immediately. Fuel strip was replaced 5 times in total before i sold the motorcycle 6/15/13 with ~7,500 miles on the bike.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which BMW R 1200 RT years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2007, 2006, 2009 carry the most filings on the BMW R 1200 RT. The 2007 alone has 20 complaints, led by fuel system.
What is the most common BMW R 1200 RT problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is fuel system with 8 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW R 1200 RT problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW R 1200 RT complaints that include mileage is about 22,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.