Problem: 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.
Risk: An overheated reverse gear control unit increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the reverse gear control unit, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed May 28, 2026. A second letter will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 25, 2026.
Suspension › Rear
NHTSA recall 22V023000 · Jan 21, 2022 · 5,063 vehicles
Problem: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 K1600 GT, K1600 GTL, and K1600 B motorcycles. The link strut connecting the rear suspension to the frame may have insufficient strength, which can cause the link strut to become damaged.
Risk: A damaged link strut can cause the rear of the motorcycle to contact the rear wheel, affecting riding stability and control, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear link strut, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters to inform owners of the safety risk were mailed on March 11, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed June 21, 2022. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Power train › Manual transmission
NHTSA recall 19V692000 · Oct 1, 2019 · 4,672 vehicles
Problem: 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 of two gears and/or the damage of transmission parts.
Risk: Double gear engagement or transmission damage can cause the rear wheel to lock up, affecting the vehicle stability and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift forks, the selector sleeve of 5th/6th gear and the gear wheel of 6th gear, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk was mailed November 1, 2019. A second letter will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
What owners report
Problem area
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Typical mileage*
Steering
1
0
0
0
—
Unknown or other
1
0
0
0
—
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
May 14, 2021Steering At highway speeds when approaching any large vehicle the motorcycle oscillates to the point of loss of control. This occurs at distances up to 300 yards. In brisk cross winds on open road the same condition exists, but is multiplied in close proximity to other vehicles. I had the bike inspected and serviced by a BMW dealer and nothing mechanical was found. My background is in aviation, and in my 30 years experience this acts and feels like an aerodynamic instability issue. I have been riding for 40 years and outside of "tank slap," when racing I have never experienced anything like this on a road bike under normal riding conditions. There are many forum posts with the same concerns, but no…
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.