What breaks most · 2005 to 2018 model years
BMW R1200 RT problems by year
Owners have filed 145 safety complaints with NHTSA about the BMW R1200 RT across model years 2005 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2006 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2007 for fuel system complaints and 2008 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2015, 2010 and 2011.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2015, 2010, 2011
- Complaints on file
- 1452005 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 200637 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 11 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 26kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | 3 | Fuel system (9) | |
| 37 | 0 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (13) | |
| 31 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (19) | |
| 23 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (11) | |
| 13 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (7) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (6) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Wheels (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine (2) |
What fails on the 2006 BMW R1200 RT
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 35% |
13 | 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 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 16% |
6 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
3 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 5% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all latches and locks parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure 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.
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While driving southbound on i-79 near pittsburgh at approximately 70 mph the rear universal joint let go. This caused the motorcycle rear wheel to intermittently lock up and release. The universal has no means to lubricate it and no noise or vibration was heard or felt before failure.
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Riding at about 50 mph, my passenger asked to pull over, "we are leaking something". I pulled over and inspected the bike, we were leaking fuel from the fuel pump. Fuel was leaking down the faring & on to my left pant leg and boot. I immediately took the bike in to the bmw motorcycle shop for inspection & repair.
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Fuel pump leaking from a crack in the high pressure output line sprayed gasoline on the inside of the fairing, motor and my leg. The pump sprays gasoline anytime the key is in the on position.
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 RT years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the BMW R1200 RT. The 2006 alone has 37 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common BMW R1200 RT problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 13 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do BMW R1200 RT problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all BMW R1200 RT complaints that include mileage is about 26,000 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.