2019 BMW K1600b

Routine

Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension. It has been recalled 3 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Steering3
000
Unknown or Other1
000
Suspension1
000
Fuel/Propulsion System1
000
Electronic Stability Control (esc)1
000

3 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Power Train › Manual Transmission › Seals/Gaskets26V214000
Filed Apr 2, 20269,160 vehiclesBmw Of North America, Llc

Defect. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2017-2025 K 1600 GT, GTL, B and 2018-2025 Grand America vehicles. The seal for the reverse gear control unit may deteriorate and allow moisture inside the control unit, which can result in the unit overheating.

Risk. An overheated reverse gear control unit increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the reverse gear control unit, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed May 28, 2026. A second letter will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 25, 2026.

Suspension › Rear22V023000
Filed Jan 21, 20225,063 vehiclesBmw Of North America, Llc

Defect. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 K1600 GT, K1600 GTL, and K1600 B motorcycles. The link strut connecting the rear suspension to the frame may have insufficient strength, which can cause the link strut to become damaged.

Risk. A damaged link strut can cause the rear of the motorcycle to contact the rear wheel, affecting riding stability and control, and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will replace the rear link strut, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters to inform owners of the safety risk were mailed on March 11, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed June 21, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Power Train › Manual Transmission19V692000
Filed Oct 1, 20194,672 vehiclesBmw Of North America, Llc

Defect. BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2017-2020 K 1600 GT and 2018-2020 K 1600 GTL and K 1600 B motorcycles. Certain transmission parts may not have been produced to the appropriate hardness level. This could affect the function of the transmission, possibly causing double engagement of two gears and/or the damage of transmission parts.

Risk. Double gear engagement or transmission damage can cause the rear wheel to lock up, affecting the vehicle stability and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift forks, the selector sleeve of 5th/6th gear and the gear wheel of 6th gear, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk was mailed November 1, 2019. A second letter will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Suspension
Filed Sep 16, 2026NJ

I started to get speed wobble / death wobble in my front end at all speeds from 25 miles an hour to 80 mph. Also the suspension bottoms out on small bumps. I checked my air pressure in the tire, that was fine. Then noticed a small leak coming from the front shock which is indicative of a failed shock. I believe this is a known problem on these motorcycles.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jul 27, 2026MO

The fuel pump failed in a way that it soaked my left leg with fuel while riding the motorcycle. My safety was at risk from major burns if the fuel had ignited on the exhaust. No warning lights came on.

Steering
Filed Jul 22, 2021TX

I'm a recent owner of this motorcycle and have experienced a consistent feeling of what motorcyclists refer to as a "Death wobble" or at a minimum the beginnings of one. It happens during interstate highway speeds and predominantly during heavy traffic and it's magnified even more while approaching and passing tractor-trailers. I've been riding motorcycles both competitively as well as for personal use for well over 40 years and have NEVER experienced this phenomenon with any other motorcycle I've owned, well over 30 different models at this point. The only times I have experienced this type of behavior from a motorcycle was during High-speed racing and, as with this bike, I've been able to correct it by SLOWLY reducing speeds. However, With this bike it's during normal highway speeds (usually around 70+) while approaching traffic. Semi-trailers seem to be the worst culprits, but it happens with regular vehicles as well. Any disturbance in the bike's slipstream seems to cause the wobble. The bike never really loses control but it feels like [XXX] (to put it bluntly) and it forces you to either backoff or try and get around the traffic as quickly as possible. If it is a windy day, the problem is exponentially exacerbated to the point that is truly unsafe to ride. Again, I have NEVER experienced this with any other motorcycle, not even a BMW GT650 Scooter handled traffic as bad as this bike. I feel as there is some sort of defect with the design of the bike that causes this "wo

Unknown or Other
Filed Apr 30, 20201,100 milesOK

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC, THE BIKE BEGINS TO WOBBLE AND BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL. I LIST AN INCIDENT DATE OF 04/29/2020 BELOW, BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT IT ON 04/11/2020.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Dec 12, 20191,700 milesNY

2 ISSUES 1. WHEN REACHING SPEEDS OF 60+ BIKE SHAKES VIOLENTLY DURING HIGH WINDS OR BEHIND TRUCKS. SWITCHING LANES IS EVEN MORE SCARY. TO ENHANCE THIS ISSUE ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS RAISE YOUR WIND SCREEN FULLY AND OPEN UP THE AIR VENTS ON THE SIDES OF THE BIKE. FOR HAVE YOUR PSI ON TIRES AT 40 OR BELOW. 2. WHEN IN RAIN MODE, WHEN I ACCELERATED PASS THE CAP. THE BIKE VIOLENTED STARTED TO RETARD ITSELF SLOWING THE BIKE DOWN BUT THE ENGINE MAKING A VUT VUT VUT VUT SOUND WHILE DOING IT. I HAD NO THROTTLE RESPOND. WHEN I MAKE TO A FULL STOP AND PUT THE BIKE IN NEUTRAL THE ENGINE WAS STILL MAKING THE SAME NOISE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME OUT. I DID A FULL CYCLE AND AND OFF THE BIKE AND THE BIKE WENT TO NORMAL AGAIN. 3. REAR SPEAKERS BLOW AFTER LONG DISTANCE RIDING AT HIGH VOLUME. THIS HAPPEN TWICE ALREADY. ISSUE OF #2 UPLOAD FAULT CODE SHOWN BY MY GS-911 THERE WERE MORE FAULT CODES BUT I DONT KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD MORE THEN ONE.

Steering
Filed May 20, 2019100 milesID

THIS MOTORCYCLE IS UNSTABLE IN ANY WIND CONDITION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT IS SEVERELY BUFFETED SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO CAUSE FEAR EVEN IN AN EXPERIENCED RIDER. I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT, WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE BIKE IS AT THE LIMITS OF THE ENVELOP OF STABILITY AND EXPECT IT TO WOBBLE OR WEAVE INTO DEADLY OSCILLATIONS. THE DEALERS SHOULD WARN PEOPLE NOT TO BUY THIS MACHINE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING FOR 50 YEARS ON ALL TYPES OF MOTORCYCLES AND THIS IS THE MOST UNSTABLE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN. BMW NEEDS TO BE COMPELLED TO FIND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS CONDITION AND EITHER REMEDY IT IN SOME WAY OR REPLACE IT. THE FIRST TIME I ENTERED AN INTERSTATE IN SLIGHTLY WINDY CONDITIONS WAS THE SECOND DAY I OWNED IT. I COULD ONLY PROCEED TO THE FIRST EXIT AND COULD NOT REMAIN AT THE 80 MPH POSTED SPEED LIMIT DUE TO THE BUFFETING AND WHAT SEEMED LIKE HUNTING FOR STABILITY. THE BIKE IS NOW PARKED IN MY GARAGE WITH 300 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT A HONDA GOLDWING AFTER OPERATING IT IN 40 MPH CROSS WIND - SOMETHING I WOULDN'T DO WITH THE BMW. THE GW WAS STEADY AS CAN BE KIN THE SAME OPERATION. DO WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED BEFORE THE NHTSA DOES SOMETHING? WE NEED ENGINEERING EXPERTS TO EVALUATE THIS DESIGN AND FIND OUT WHY A COMPANY LIKE BMW IS GETTING AWAY WITH THIS.

Steering
Filed Apr 16, 2019100 milesFL

AT HIGH SPEEDS THE REAR END OF THE MOTORCYCLE SHAKES AND TORQUES LIKE A SNAKE. IT DOES NOT INCREASE WITH WIND. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.

7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2018
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20251100Routine
20241200Routine
20232100Routine
20223100Routine
20210100Routine
20201300Routine
2019 — this page7300Routine
201844200Routine
20170100Routine

Compare every K1600b year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Apr 2, 2026. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.