BMW R1200C Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 43 owner complaints across 6 model years of the BMW R1200C (1998–2003). The most-complained-about year is 1998.

Pick your BMW R1200C model year

• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003

What BMW R1200C owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 43 complaints with NHTSA. The 1998 model year has the most, with 14.

• Power train6
• Exterior lighting: tail lights4
• Engine and engine cooling: engine3
• Exterior lighting: turn signal3
• Seats: recliner3
• Suspension3
• Exterior lighting2
• Power train: driveline2

All BMW R1200C recalls (3)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a BMW R1200C, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

1. Frame and members (structure)

   NHTSA 01V217000 Reported June 26, 2001 3,342 vehicles potentially affected BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

   Vehicle description: motorcycles equipped with chrome-plated frames. Copper residue can remain in the tapped hole where the upper fork bridge attaches to the frame. Moisture can cause corrosion to occur between the copper residue and the aluminum frame. The stress of the connecting bolt attaching the upper fork to the frame could then…

   Remedy: Dealers will ream the hole in the frame head and install a helicoil thread insert and a new bolt. Owner notification began december 13, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…

   Model years: 1998, 1999

2. Motorcycle (seats)

   NHTSA 00V289000 Reported October 2, 2000 1,636 vehicles potentially affected BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

   Vehicle description: motorcycles. The seat backrest can be adjusted to two positions, horizontal or vertical. In the horizontal position, the backrest acts as a seat cushion for a rear passenger. In the vertical position, it is used as a backrest for the driver. It is possible for the leaf spring mounting bracket, if overloaded with the…

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the backrest with one containing the original-design mounting bracket.

   Model years: 2000

3. Service brakes, hydraulic

   NHTSA 97V134000 Reported August 8, 1997 973 vehicles potentially affected BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE

   Vehicle description: motorcycles. The adjusting screw for the pressure point of either the brake or clutch levers may not be sufficiently tight, due to grease contamination of the threads.

   Remedy: Dealers will check the adjustment screws of the front brake and clutch levers for movement. If the screws are tight, no further action will be taken. If a screw is found to be loose, it will be removed, cleaned and…

   Model years: 1998

Other BMW models

• X53,154 complaints
• 328I2,578 complaints
• X32,004 complaints
• 325I1,386 complaints
• Z41,281 complaints
• 3 Series843 complaints
• 528I835 complaints
• 330I815 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.