1997 BMW R850

Routine

Owners filed 1 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine › gasoline. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails

Component	Reports		Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline	1		0	0	0

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports

Electrical System › Wiring97V237000

Filed Dec 31, 19972,000 vehiclesBayerische Motoren Werke

Defect. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MOTORCYCLES. A SHEET METAL PLATE MOUNTED TO THE FRONT OF THE FRAME BELOW THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CAN CAUSE THE WIRING HARNESS TO BE STRETCHED TOO TIGHT AS THE HANDLEBARS ARE TURNED FULLY TO ONE SIDE. IN ADDITION, THE WIRING HARNESS IS ATTACHED TO ANOTHER HARNESS WITH A CABLE TIE THAT IS PLACED TOO FAR FORWARD LIMITING THE HANDLEBAR MOVEMENT.

Risk. THE HARNESS WIRES CAN BE DAMAGED OR COULD BREAK OR PULL OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. IF THE HARNESS WIRES WERE DAMAGED BUT NOT BROKEN OR DISCONNECTED, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COULD BE AFFECTED WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS BEING DRIVEN. HESITATION, MISFIRING, OR "CUTTING OUT" COULD OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL RELOCATE THE WIRE TIE CONNECTING THE TWO WIRING HARNESSES TO A POINT FURTHER BACK FROM THE ORIGINAL LOCATION SO THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS HAS SUFFICIENT FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT. ALSO IF THE WIRING HARNESS IS FOUND TO BE DAMAGED, THE IGNITION SWITCH (WITH HARNESS) WILL BE REPLACED.

What owners reported

Newest filings

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline

Filed Sep 11, 2002WA

WHEN MAKING A RIGHT TURN MOTORCYCLE CUTS COMPLETELY OFF.*AK

1 of 1 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1997

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Deaths	Assessment
1997 — this page	1	1	0	0	Routine
1996	0	1	0	0	Routine

Compare every R850 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: Dec 31, 1997. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.