Total Complaints
61 filings
BMW K1600b · model year
61 NHTSA complaints, and 2 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. 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 verdict
The 2018 BMW K1600b posts above-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
The 2018BMWK1600b carries 61 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 2018 K1600b is power train with 20 filings, followed by steering (10) and suspension (7). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 2018 K1600b. 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.
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
Total Complaints
61 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 20 |
| STEERING | 10 |
| SUSPENSION | 7 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 |
| ENGINE | 4 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:SEALS/GASKETS
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.
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
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
The contact owns a 2018 BMW K-1600 B Motorcycle. The contact stated that the fuel pump was leaking. The motorcycle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was related to the fuel pump. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V060000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed there was no open recall associated with the VIN. The motorcycle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 8,600.
Mileage: 8,600
2018 BMW K1600** To whom it may concern My name is [XXX] and I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2018 BMW K1600 motorcycle VIN [XXX] . My motorcycle has a serious and dangerous stability problem that happens at normal highway speeds. While riding at about sixty miles per hour and higher the motorcycle begins to wobble and feel unstable. The front end becomes light and the handlebars feel like they want to move on their own. The back of the motorcycle moves from side to side as if the rear is shifting under me. At times it feels like the bike is sliding or going out from underneath me even though the road is straight and smooth. This is a very unsafe feeling and it can happen at any time on the highway. This instability becomes worse when passing large trucks or riding in crosswind. The movement is not caused by rider input. The bike has correct tire pressure and has no suspension or frame modifications. This issue appears linked to the design or mechanical components of the
When I drive my motorcycle on the highway with 70 mph +/- 5 miles, the bike is unstable, the steering bar is shaking, and it is hard to keep the bike in the lane. I complained to the dealer, they balanced the wheel, tested the bike, but the problem has not been solved.
When I drive my motorcycle on the highway with 70 mph +/- 5 miles, the bike is unstable, the steering bar is shaking, and it is hard to keep the bike in the lane. I complained to the dealer, they balanced the wheel, tested the bike, but the problem has not been solved.
When I drive my motorcycle on the highway with 70 mph +/- 5 miles, the bike is unstable, the steering bar is shaking, and it is hard to keep the bike in the lane. I complained to the dealer, they balanced the wheel, tested the bike, but the problem has not been solved.
The motorcycle (BMW K1600 Grand America) goes into "Limp Mode" with the engine warning light where the motorcycle has no power until stopped, shutdown, and restarted. This happened to my motorcycle 4 times. Each time the BMW service cannot find any indication stored in the onboard computer. Also, there have been many reported issues of this in the BMW motorcycle forums. This issue is extremely dangerous because the last time this issue occurred, I was on a highway traveling at 70MPH in the left lane and suddenly lost power. Another time this occurred was during rush hour traffic. Both occurrences are very troubling.
THE MOTORCYCLE WILL RANDOMLY GO INTO WHAT BMW CALLS "LIMP MODE" AND THE OPERATOR WILL LOSE ALL THROTTLE CONTROL. POTENTIALLY FATAL IF IT HAPPENS IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE HEAVY TRAFFIC ON AN INTERSTATE, AT NIGHT WITH NOWHERE TO PULL OVER LIKE IT DID WITH ME. THIS HA HAPPENED TWICE SO FAR WITH NO FIX IN SIGHT
Mileage: 7,500
THE BIKE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER NOW MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT, THE SPEEDO IS STILL OFF TO THIS DAY BY 4 MILES AN HOUR, THE BIKE A PULL TO THE LEFT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED YET. ON OCCASION THE BIKE WILL GET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND JUST LOOSE ALL POWER AND THROTTLE RESPONSE. WHY IN TRAFFIC. AND NOW EVER SINCE THE POWER TRAIN RECALL AND REPLACEMENT, THE BIKE HAS AN UNREPAIRABLE OIL LEAK. IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER NOW FOR OVER 3 MONTHS ALMOST 4 MONTHS, AUGUST 6TH TILL PRESENT.
THE BIKE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER NOW MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT, THE SPEEDO IS STILL OFF TO THIS DAY BY 4 MILES AN HOUR, THE BIKE A PULL TO THE LEFT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED YET. ON OCCASION THE BIKE WILL GET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND JUST LOOSE ALL POWER AND THROTTLE RESPONSE. WHY IN TRAFFIC. AND NOW EVER SINCE THE POWER TRAIN RECALL AND REPLACEMENT, THE BIKE HAS AN UNREPAIRABLE OIL LEAK. IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER NOW FOR OVER 3 MONTHS ALMOST 4 MONTHS, AUGUST 6TH TILL PRESENT.
THE BIKE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER NOW MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT, THE SPEEDO IS STILL OFF TO THIS DAY BY 4 MILES AN HOUR, THE BIKE A PULL TO THE LEFT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED YET. ON OCCASION THE BIKE WILL GET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND JUST LOOSE ALL POWER AND THROTTLE RESPONSE. WHY IN TRAFFIC. AND NOW EVER SINCE THE POWER TRAIN RECALL AND REPLACEMENT, THE BIKE HAS AN UNREPAIRABLE OIL LEAK. IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER NOW FOR OVER 3 MONTHS ALMOST 4 MONTHS, AUGUST 6TH TILL PRESENT.
NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 19V692 HAS BEEN OPEN SINCE 10/1/19. MANUFACTURER HAS FAILED TO REMEDY THE ISSUE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 BMW K 1600B. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE MOTORCYCLE BECAME UNSTABLE WHILE DRIVING BEHIND A SEMI TRUCK OR WHEN WIND TURBULENCE WAS PRESENT. THE MOTORCYCLE OPERATED AS INTENDED AFTER THE SPEED WAS REDUCED. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A LOCAL DEALER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,500. *BF*JB
Mileage: 75,000
SIDE TO SIDE OSCILLATION WHEN RIDING THE BIKE, WORSENED BY INCREASING SPEED AND ESPECIALLY WHEN TRAVELING BEHIND OR NEXT TO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE LARGER THE VEHICLE THE WORSE THE MOVEMENT. THIS OSCILLATION CAN OCCUR TO THE EXTENT THAT IT CAUSES THE BIKE TO MOVE FROM THE 8NTENDED LINE OF TRAVEL.
Mileage: 100
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 BMW K1600B. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V692000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT REACHED OUT TO INDIAN AND BMW MOTORCYCLES OF TULSA LOCATED AT (1200 W SW EXPY DR, BROKEN ARROW, OK 74012), WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
SEE ATTACHED PDF, ALTHOUGH I DID RETURN THE MOTOR CYCLE TO THE DEALER COMPLAINING ABOUT INSTABILITY WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED ESPECIALLY IN TURBULENT AIR, SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN THIRTY YEARS OF RIDING, THAT ISSUE IS STILL PENDING, BUT FOR NOW THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT COMMUNICATING ANY INTENTIONS RELATED TO THEIR RECALL, VERY FRUSTRATED !!!
Mileage: 4,990
SEE ATTACHED PDF, ALTHOUGH I DID RETURN THE MOTOR CYCLE TO THE DEALER COMPLAINING ABOUT INSTABILITY WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED ESPECIALLY IN TURBULENT AIR, SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN THIRTY YEARS OF RIDING, THAT ISSUE IS STILL PENDING, BUT FOR NOW THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT COMMUNICATING ANY INTENTIONS RELATED TO THEIR RECALL, VERY FRUSTRATED !!!
Mileage: 4,990
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 BMW K1600B. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE MOTORCYCLE, THE MOTORCYCLE STALLED WHILE IN NEUTRAL. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER MAX BMW (1535 JOHN FITCH BLVD, SOUTH WINDSOR CT.) WHO REPLACED THE NEUTRAL POSITION SENSOR HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT LATER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V692000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE LOCAL DEALER THAT THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE RECALL. NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.
Mileage: 15,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 BMW K-1600B. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUBER: 19V692000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED EURO CYCLES OF DAYTONA DEALER, (118 E FAIRVIEW AVE, DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32114) AND WAS INFORMED PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
BMW ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION ON MY K 1600 B MOTORCYCLE ON OCTOBER 17, 2019. AS OF TODAY (FOUR MONTHS LATER) THE COMPANY HAS YET TO DEVELOP A FIX OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM.
FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS OF BMW RECALL CAMPAIGN NO. 19V-692: TRANSMISSION THAT WAS MAILED TO ME, I CALLED BMW MOTORCYCLE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THE MOTORCYCLE WAS PICKED UP AT MY HOME AND TAKEN TO DEALER PIKES PEAK MOTORSPORTS. THAT WAS NOVEMBER 14, 2019. IT HAS NOW BEEN OVER 90 DAYS. STATUS IS STILL "REMEDY UNAVAILABLE". THE MOTORCYCLE IS STILL AT THEIR DEALER. I HAVE CONTACTED BMW CUSTOMER SERVICE (MARK, 800-831-1117, EXT 5811) BY E-MAIL AND PHONE. NO ACTION. I BOUGHT THE MOTORCYCLE ON MAY 18, 2019. IT IS ONLY 9 MONTHS OLD AND OVER 3 OF THOSE MONTHS IT HAS BEEN RECALLED AT THE DEALER DUE TO THE NOTICE OF "INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH". THE MOTORCYCLE IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE AND UNUSABLE. PLEASE HELP ME UNWIND THIS TRANSACTION. BMW NEEDS TO TAKE THEIR UNSAFE MOTORCYCLE THAT THEY CANNOT FIX BACK, AND GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY. THANK YOU
Mileage: 5,000
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 2018 BMW K1600b; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.