- Vehicles
- 2,000
- Built between
- Oct 1994 – Aug 1996
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 27 February 1998
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between October 1994 and August 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1995-1997 BMW R1100Built October 1994 to August 1996
- 1996-1997 BMW R850Built October 1994 to August 1996
What the defect is
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.
What could happen
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.
What gets fixed
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.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtOctober 1994 to August 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA31 December 1997
- Owners notified27 February 1998
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 31 December 1997.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owner notification is expected to begin by late february 1998.OWNERS who take their motorcycles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117, option #5.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.