What breaks most · 2004 to 2018 model years
BMW R1200 GS problems by year
Owners have filed 153 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW R1200 GS across model years 2004 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2007 for fuel system complaints and 2008 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2011, 2004 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 2005, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2011, 2004, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 1532004 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 200537 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 52 fires · 4 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 19kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 55Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 37 | 2 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 4 | 0 | 8 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 26 | 0 | 4 | Fuel system (15) | |
| 18 | 0 | 6 | Fuel system (8) | |
| 18 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (12) | |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 4 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 5 | 0 | 4 | Suspension (3) | |
| 10 | 1 | 4 | Brakes (4) | |
| 12 | 1 | 4 | Suspension (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 4 | Engine (2) | |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | Engine (2) |
What fails on the 2005 BMW R1200 GS
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 30% |
11 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 30% |
11 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 11% |
4 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
4 | 1 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
2 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
Rear wheel moved side to side (bearing about to fail). Second r1200gs i owned with same safety failure, replaced and sold motorcycle at severe loss as two r1200gs rear drive failures on two low mileage r1200gs. Loss of thousands upon thousands of dollars.
-
Fuel started leaking on hot exhaust while riding on the freeway. Further inspection revealed fuel leaking from the fuel pump area. Gas appears to leak continuously and sprays on pants leg.
-
I smelled gas and found gas leaking from the fuel pump attached to the gas tank. I found cracks on the periphery of the fuel quick-disconnect port.
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 6, 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 R1200 GS years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2005, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the BMW R1200 GS. The 2005 alone has 37 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common BMW R1200 GS problem?
On the 2005 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW R1200 GS problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW R1200 GS complaints that include mileage is about 19,000 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.