Total Complaints
1 filings
BMW R100RS · model year
1978 BMW R100RS
1 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1978BMWR100RS carries 1 consumer safety complaint 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.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1978 R100RS is wheels with 1 filings. Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 34 investigation files overlapping the 1978 R100RS. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| WHEELS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20141204WHEELS
I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO REQUEST HELP ON THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE A 1978 R100RS BMW MOTORCYCLE (NOT LISTED IN YOUR DATA BASE, SO I CHOSE THE R100 9999 ENTRY FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU.) VIN [XXX] I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THESE MOTORCYCLES, HAVING OWNED 5 BMWS. THIS BIKE WAS KNOWN TO HAVE A RECALLED FRONT WHEEL (MAG WHEEL COULD FRACTURE). WHEN I BOUGHT THIS BIKE, I ASSUMED IT HAD BEEN REPLACED. IT HAD NOT. WHEN I CONTACTED BMW CORPORATE IN NEW JERSEY THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE WHEEL, AS HAD BEEN THE CASE DURING THE RECALL. IS IT TRUE THAT THEY WERE RELEASED FROM THE RECALL? A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THESE OLD BMWS ARE STILL ON THE ROAD. THEY ARE OF INCREASING VALUE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE RIDDEN. I CAN'T BELIEVE BMW WOULD BE RELEASED FROM ITS REQUIREMENT TO MAKE GOOD ON A DEFECTIVE PART WHICH COULD CAUSE SERIOUS, EVEN FATAL, ACCIDENTS. IS THIS TRUE? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Mileage: 45,000
Compare 1978BMWR100RS to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1978 BMW R100RS have?▼
The 1978 BMW R100RS has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1978 BMW R100RS?▼
The most-complained component for the 1978 BMW R100RS is WHEELS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1978 BMW R100RS 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 as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.