I was riding my motorcycle on a major highway when the motorcycle suddenly stalled. It was a scary moment since I noticed the vehicles behind me slamming there brakes, trying to avoid hitting me!. The fuel light was flashing and warning (yellow triangle) on. I called my bmw dealer for repair appointment and the tech. Said that it's a common problem in this models with a fuel sensor failure and it's not under warranty by bmw. After talking to several bmw owners and reading some forums, I learned that this model equipped with a fuel sensor strip that happens to fail often. Some r1200gs owners had to change it 3-7 times, but bmw of north america want admit there faulty part!. Hope you can get involved in this high risk matter.
2008 BMW R1200 GS fuel system complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 24 of 24, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Running out of gas due to faulty fuel strip sensor which prevents determining fuel level in gas tank. Danger is being rear ended by on coming vehicles. This is the 7th bmw fuel sensor strip that has failed for my wife and I in the years from 2005 to 2014. There have been 2 on two 2005 k1200ses, 1 on a 2006 k1200s, 3 on two 2008 k1200ses, and 1 on a 2008 r1200gs fuel level strips that have failed.
Engine stopped at highway speed. Fuel gauge not working. Dropped bike.
I smelled gas and found gas leaking from the fuel pump attached to the gas tank. I found cracks on the periphery of the fuel quick-disconnect port.
High pressure fuel leak at hose connection to fuel pump housing. Plastic fitting cracked and cracks in boss on fuel pump housing. Noticed fuel puddle on floor while motorcycle was idling.
Fuel tank is leaking at the plastic flanges where the fuel pump resides. This appears to be a recurring problem for this model year and others.
While cruising at moderate speed on paved surface road first noticed strong gasoline smell, followed in few minutes by soaking of the left leg of the pants with gasoline, and then observed gasoline dripping on the left cylinder head. Stopped, removed left sided cowling to inspect fuel lines and noted steady stream of fuel leaking from fuel pump housing when engine running.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw r1200 motorcycle. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages was approximately 26,200.
Fuel pump flange, a plastic part, on the gasoline tank, had a number of cracks. I found the problem through discussions with other motorcyclists. I feel that if I had not checked for the known problem (among the bmw motorcycling community) fuel would have leaked and posed a serious fire problem and possible injury to myself, possibly fatal.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 bmw r1200 gs motorcycle. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact noticed that the final drive unit and drive shaft were leaking a small amount of oil. The rear wheel began to wobble excessively. The vehicle was towed an authorized dealer who replaced one wheel bearing and the seal. The failure recurred and the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where they replaced the final drive unit and the drive shaft. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 36,700. Updated 09/11/12*lj the consumer stated there was an odor of fuel. The technician discovered fuel leaking from the top of the fuel tank. The fuel pump and relay were replaced. Updated 09/11/12
While riding my motorcycle, I noticed fuel leaking from the front bottom left side of the fuel tank. Fuel was spraying on to my left leg soaking it in fuel. The location of the spray was directly on top of the front left cylinder and exhaust pipe. The potential for a fire was real. After taking it to the dealer ( gulf coast bmw in houston ), they told me that this was a common failure and showed me a sample of the failed part. I was then forced to buy a complete fuel pump assembly as bmw did not sell the fuel pump flange that failed. The flange developed a crack that allowed fuel to escape under high pressure. The parts alone cost over 700 dollars. I consider this a safety issue common to the r series twin cylinder engines. What's worse is that they replaced the failed part with exactly the same thing so now I am waiting for this part to fail again. This is something that could have easily ended tragically. I am worried for the safety of many other riders out there using this motorcycle and thus I am filing this formal complaint. I have notified bmw about this and they just thanked me for informing them - with no further action or relief for having to purchase an entire assembly for which an individual part failed.
Fuel gauge sensor strip, fuel gauge does not work or works intermittently, is a well know problem with post 2005 bmw motorcycles. This is a major safety feature, could possibly run out of gas in heavy traffic and cause an accident or run out of gas in the middle of no where. Bmw needs to recall all bikes with this fuel strip as a preventative measure to ensure the public is out of harms way!!!
A plastic flange on the fuel pump cracked allowing fuel to leak. The flange contains an internal thread that secures one of the fuel lines. Several cracks are visible around the circumference of the flange. Cracks, in my opinion, appear to be related to over-torque at assembly and/or material degradation due to the combined effects of exposure to fuel, time and ambient temperature. The fuel pump is located in the fuel tank that is positioned directly above the engine and exhaust pipe. Fortunately the volume of leaked fuel was small (<1 fl oz) and was contained within a depressed cavity on the top of the pump, otherwise it could have dripped onto the hot engine and exhaust header possibly causing a fire.
2008 bmw gs motorcycle ran out gas while at a stop light. Gas gage showed a range of 50 miles left in the tank before empty. This has been repaired twice because of the fuel strip in the tank fails to read the fuel level. I have been lucky, and have not had this happen while in motion on the freeway or highway putting me in danger from other vehicles due to sudden loss of fuel to the engine.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2008 BMW R1200 GS?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history