BMW K1200 R · model year

2003 BMW K1200 R

2 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2003BMWK1200 R carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2003 K1200 R is power train with 1 filings, followed by service brakes (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2003 K1200 R. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

2 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recent Complaints

20140122SERVICE BRAKES

RIDING ON FREEWAY ABS LIGHTS START FLASHING PULL OVER AND TRY TO STOP, NO POWER ASSIST BRAKE LEVER HARD AND BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP. FOUND FLUID WAS LOW ON REAR AND LATER FOUND ABS UNIT TO HAVE LEAK. CONTACTED BMW WAS TOLD BECAUSE BIKE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY WHEN TOLD IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED. *TR

Mileage: 20,109

20130721POWER TRAIN

NOTED A GRINDING FEEL IN THE MOTORCYCLE DURING A RIDE. RETURNED HOME AND FOUND FLUID LEAKING FROM THE FINAL DRIVE ONTO THE REAR BRAKE (WHICH NO LONGER WORKED) AND THE REAR TIRE, WHICH BEGAN TO SLIP WHILE CORNERING. THE LEAK IS A SIGN OF A SEAL FAILURE CAUSED BY THE REAR DRIVE BEARINGS SELF-DESTRUCTING. THESE FAILURES ARE COMMON IN BMWS OF THIS ERA, BOTH MY RS AS WELL AS THE LT AND RT MODELS. BMW KNOWS WELL THIS IS A PROBLEM, AND NEEDS TO BE MADE TO STEP UP AND DO THE REPAIRS, WHICH ARE NOT CHEAP. *TR

Mileage: 34,947

Compare 2003BMWK1200 R to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2003 BMW K1200 R have?
The 2003 BMW K1200 R has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 BMW K1200 R?
The most-complained component for the 2003 BMW K1200 R is POWER TRAIN with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2003 BMW K1200 R safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2003 BMW K1200 R; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.