The Used Car Index

2020 BMW R 1250 GS problems

NHTSA lists 8 complaints for the 2020 BMW R 1250 GS, 0 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as BMW R 1250 GS.

At a glance

Complaints
8
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
5
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
18,534
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
14

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
SERVICE BRAKES787.5%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC112.5%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULICFLUID1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
fluid or fuel leak450.0%1.00
loss of control337.5%0.87
mechanical failure112.5%1.00
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate8100.0%0.85

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 8 tagged complaints of 8 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

5 recalls.

23V011000

Date: 2023-01-18. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2023 R1250GS, R1250GS Adventure, and R1250RTP motorcycles. In certain engine operating and riding conditions, the gearbox input shaft may become damaged or break, possibly resulting in a blocked rear wheel.

Consequence: A damaged gearbox input shaft or a blocked rear wheel can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the engine control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 22, 2023. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V476000

Date: 2020-08-13. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 R 1250 GS, GS Adventure and R 1250 RT, 2020 S 1000 RR and S 1000 XR motorcycles. The front brake calipers may leak brake fluid when parked. As such, these motorcycles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 122, "Motorcycle Brake Systems."

Consequence: Overtime, a leaking front brake caliper can reduce the amount of brake fluid in the reservoir. Low volume could affect brake performance, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the front brake calipers with an improved version, free of charge. BMW issued owners an interim notification on October 12, 2020. As of January 19, 2021, a remedy was still not available. The recall began March 8, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V166000

Date: 2020-03-19. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018-2020 RnineT Scrambler and RnineT, 2020 R1250R and R1250RS, 2019-2020 Rnine T Pure, R1250GS,R1250GS Adventure and R1250RT and 2018 RnineT Racer motorcycles. The brake fluid reservoir cap may not clearly state the required type of brake fluid and the process for filling the reservoir, possibly leading to an improper maintenance procedure. A (excerpt)

Consequence: Improper brake system maintenance could affect braking performance and increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake fluid reservoir cap, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V165000

Date: 2020-03-19. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 R1250GS and R1250RT motorcycles. The pivot pin that connects the final drive to the swing arm may be damaged, causing the connection between the final drive and swing arm to loosen.

Consequence: A loose connection between the final drive and swing arm will reduce stability and control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the pivot pin, free of charge. The motorcycles are not with owners at this time. The recall began April 28, 2020. Please contact BMW customer service number 1-800-525-7417.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V146000

Date: 2020-03-12. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

Defect: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 F900R, F900XR, S1000RR, F750GS, F850GS, F850GS Adventure, R1250GS, R1250GS Adventure, R1250RS, R1250R, RnineT, RnineT Pure and RnineT Scrambler and 2019-2020 S1000R motorcycles. The brake light may flash instead of remain steady during emergency braking. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicl (excerpt)

Consequence: A flashing brake light can cause confusion to other drivers on the road, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: BMW will notify owner, and dealers will reprogram the emergency stop signal function, free of charge. The recall began May 11, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

0 investigations; 0 open.

Manufacturer communications

14 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5
EQUIPMENT3
POWER TRAIN3
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY2
STRUCTURE2
ENGINE1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
SERVICE BRAKES1

11006753

Date: 2024-08-31. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Driveshaft Maintenance Schedule Change

10249027

Date: 2024-01-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

The 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 A A?A A A A discharged batteryA A?A A A A compl

10242536

Date: 2023-08-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Vehicle goes into emergency operation mode and a warning light illuminates on the instrument cluster.

10236237

Date: 2023-04-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Multiple 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.

10236239

Date: 2023-04-24. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

LED headlights were temporarily unavailable from the Factory and some R 1250 GS and R 1250 GSAdventure units were built with the halogen headlight in order to ensure safe use.

10235207

Date: 2023-03-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT, STRUCTURE.

Frame and mounting parts

10228448

Date: 2022-11-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.

BMW 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.

10218351

Date: 2022-07-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Multiple 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.

10214997

Date: 2022-05-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

BATTERY EMPTY DESPITE CHARGER.

10211897

Date: 2022-03-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

The motorcycle will not start. The vehicle battery is empty even though the battery charger was permanently connected to the 12V power socket.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
R 1250 GS8

Same model, other years

All model years | All BMW models

Other BMW models, 2020

Sources

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