While attempting to pass a car on the highway, the engine suddenly lost power, forcing me into a perilous maneuver to reach the breakdown lane at highway speed. Following vehicle recovery and upon further inspection, I discovered that both plastic throttle body cam pulleys had broken in half, completely disabling throttle control. There were no warning lights or symptoms indicating this failure was imminent. In my research to fix the issue, I found that this problem is more common than I realized and poses a serious safety risk.
2009 BMW R1200 GS: sudden loss of power
5 of the 30 complaints about the 2009 BMW R1200 GS describe sudden loss of power.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 17%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 7 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Sudden loss of power by model year
- 20161
- 20142
- 20122
- 20095
- 20081
What owners say
Throttle cable pulleys made of plastic have cracks. Catastrophic failure will eventually occur with zero warning, causing total loss of power. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was accelerating on the on-ramp to merge in to the slow lane with heavy traffic on the 80 north bound heading home. I had just shifted the motorcycle in to 3rd gear when it lost all power and started slowing down. The next exit was not available to reach safely and my only option was to coast into the side emergency lane. As I was investigating the issue a small plastic pulley form the left side throttle-body fell to the ground. I'm currently contacting bmw motorcycles as this was a serious safety issue that put me in harms way. This plastic piece is under constant tension and in my opinion should never have been make of plastic.
Fuel gauge suddenly failed and gave inaccurate reading. I have had the fuel gauge replaced 4 times, most recently less than one month ago, always by a bmw dealer. That most recent gauge, installed 6/7/2014 by the dealer, failed completely, without warning, on 7/3/14 after less than 250 miles. The fuel gauge failure can lead to sudden unexpected loss of power, if the gauge indicates fuel remaining, while in fact the tank is empty. I am astonished the government has not ordered bmw to find a reliable fix this. Anecdotal indications are thousands of gauges have failed, over approximately a five model year period the defective design was used.
Traveling approx 60 MPH during rush hour in middle lane of three lane divided highway. Fuel gauge showed two bars and display indicated approx 60 miles of range left. Engine suddenly lost power. I was able to get to right shoulder when engine died and would not restart. Was able to push approx 1/4 mile to exit ramp and then to fuel station. Fuel tank was empty. Fuel gauge never showed empty nor did low fuel light come on.
Service bulletins that may apply
- The hill start control operation may be sporadic.
- Ticking noises from the cylinder hood.
- When the throttle is closed, the engine goes into emergency mode.
- Oil leak immediately after replacing cylinder head cover seal set.
- Bmw mc: the engine oil capacity in repair and service data (RSD) for changing oil and oil filter, is too...
- Bmw: crankcase pressure diagnosis and information for all vehicles
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2009 BMW R1200 GS loss of power
Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 2009 BMW R1200 GS?
5 of 30 owner complaints about the 2009 BMW R1200 GS (17%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 2009.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2009 BMW R1200 GS?
There are 0 recalls and 7 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2009 BMW R1200 GS
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