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Vehicle safety record

2003 BMW K1200LT Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 21 complaints about the 2003 BMW K1200LT with NHTSA, most often about the transmission & drivetrain (13) and the fuel system (6). Those complaints describe 2 crashes, 2 fires and 2 injuries. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 2002 has 37 and the 2004 has 4.

NHTSA data checked

DMore problems than a typical K1200LT year, for its age

#198 most complained-about 2003 vehicle

Complaints
21
Recalls
0
Crashes
2
Fires
2
Injuries
2
Deaths
0

Most common 2003 BMW K1200LT problems

Share of all 21 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 2003 BMW K1200LT

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2003 BMW K1200LT. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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21 complaints about the 2003 BMW K1200LT

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Transmission & drivetrain

Clutch plate cracked. Had to replace all parts to the final drive

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 11407107
Transmission & drivetrain

Drive shaft had break, dangerous. Caused the final drive gears to break, dangerous. On the road.

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 11407105
Fuel systemFire

2003 Bmw k1200ltc touring motorcycle, went up in massive flames and a subsequent explosion, while parked and engine running / idling for approximately 3 minutes. Fire dept. Arrived 10 minutes later, and battelled the flamed for 7 more minutes to extinguish it. Luckily no personal injury, but some property damage as a result. Initial white smoke, and flames observed at the fuel-rail above the engine front, left hand side.

Filed Incident Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11406760
SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainBrakes

Brake lines leaking and replaced. $1002. In repairs. Final drive leaking and all gear damaged.

Filed Incident Suspension · Power train · Service brakesNHTSA 11406630
Electrical systemEngine & coolingFuel systemFire

2003 Bmw k1200lt burned to ashes on 12-08-2020. Caught fire while parked after running for a few minutes. Smoke from front. Flames in the lower front left of engine. Recent services- feb 2020, included replacing quick connect fuel lines with new metal upgrades, after fuel leak detected. 42K miles. Huge fire. Extreme danger warning.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11382726
Fuel system

While riding, fuel began pouring out over my right foot. It turned out that the fuel line quick disconnects (used for removing the fuel tank) deteriorated because they are plastic (the plastic part has been discontinued--the replacement part is now metal). My dealer replaced the disconnects with the new, metal part. *Tr

Filed Incident Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 10604805
Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

The final drive differential failed, locked up the rear tire, cause catastrophic loss of control, ejection from the motorcycle at highway speed, and total loss of the machine. The rider suffered moderate injuries, mostly abrasions and bruises, and broken bones. The tire pressures and final drive fluid level had been checked that day, and were correct. A $10,000 machine was totaled because of a cheap part that is a known defect, has occurred over and over, and bmw has not been ordered to fix this safety issue! *Tr

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10521267
Transmission & drivetrain

Felt a strange vibration. Exited the road at the next exit about a mile down the road. Upon slowing below 20 mph, the vibration increased. Braking was diminished and used down shifting. Pulled over into a parking lot and inspected the motorcycle. Found oil running from the final drive down the brake rotor and rim/tire. Called for a tow truck to take it to the local bmw dealer. Dealer said the final drive bearings had failed and the entire final drive needed to be replaced. Since there was a known issue with the pre-2004 final drives, the dealer replaced with a final drive from a 2006. *Tr

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10464362
Transmission & drivetrain

Tl* the contact owns 2003 bmw k1200 lt motorcycle. The contact was driving 70 mph when the rear wheel bearings caused the vehicle seize. The contact noticed oil leaking from the final drive unit onto the rear wheel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the bearings, o-rings, and rear wheel shaft was replaced. The contact had not experienced any further issues with the vehicle since the repair. The failure mileage was 30,876.

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10446859
Transmission & drivetrain

Bmw k1200lt 2003 motorcyle I purchased used with 8700 miles on the bike. At 18646 having all the maintenance done by the dealer, I experienced a rumbling sound traveling on an interstate at 65 mph. I pulled over thinking it might be a bad tire and noticed oil dripping on the rear tire/rim. Oil on the rear brakes did hamper my slowing down. Bmw repaired the final drive saying the outside bearing failed causing the oil seal to fail. At 25,423 miles the final drive failed again. This is a high priced bike and I was...

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surprised at this mechanical failure which I believe now that it wasn't assembled correctly and during the repair no change on the new bearing was done so it failed a second time. I finally purchased a used final drive to continue riding. I now have 129,025 on the bike and the used final drive is still performing ok so the issue was with the original drive on this bike. A new final drive wasn't in my budget. I wonder what would have happened had I been in a hard curve when this failure occurred. Not good, I'd say. Bmw can/should do better during assembly. *Kb

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10446654
Transmission & drivetrain

I had the same failure as described in odi no. 10439549, And currently being investigated under campaign dp12001. While doing 70 mph on the kentucky parkway I felt a severe vibration and slight wobble in the rear wheel of the motorcycle. I slowed to the shoulder and stopped. After checking the rear tire I found a lot of gear oil on the tire, rim, and rear drive. I was extremely lucky that I did not lose traction and crash. *Kb

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10446588
Fuel system

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 bmw k1200lt. The contact stated that the motorcycle has quick release fuel lines that are made out of plastic and they break easily. If the motorcycle was being driven and they break, gas would leak onto the driver and it could cause a fire. The dealer stated that this happens from time to time and they would replace them. The dealer stated that there were two lines, one male and one female and that it needs to be made known when the motorcycle is purchased that the lines should be replaced. The motorcycle was repaired. The failure mileage was 21740 and the current mileage was 21740. Updated 2/22/11 *cn updated 11/28/2011 *ln

Filed Incident Fuel system, gasolineNHTSA 10353369
Fuel system

Fuel smell from right side of vehicle when running. Fuel spray on my right boot. Removed side fairing, started engine and noticed fuel spraying from plastic fuel line connector. Replaced plastic connector with brass.*Tr

Filed Incident Fuel system, gasolineNHTSA 10263902
Transmission & drivetrain

Final drive failure on 2003 bmw k1200lt motorcycle. Loss of hypoid fluid caused loss of control on motorcycle. Was able to stay upright. *Tr

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10217729
Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

2003 Bmw k1200lt motorcycle final drive bearing failure. *Jb

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10167806
SuspensionTransmission & drivetrain

Bmw 0703 k1200ltc motorcycle rear end failed at less than 19,000 miles creating a hazard to my safety. However by hearing the gear noise in time I was able to stop the bike before the rear seal allowed oil out of the rear end. So it had to be a bearing failure in my opinion. At this time no repairs have been made yet. *Nm

Filed Incident Suspension · Power trainNHTSA 10167135
Fuel system

I am the owner of a 2003 bmw k1200lte motorcycle that just experienced a massive fuel leak under pressure due to a cracked plastic quick disconnect fitting on a fuel line that was under pressure. This caused spraying fuel to soak my right shoe and run down over the hot engine. There was a bulletin from bmw to have the quick disconnects, o-rings, and clamps checked. I had this done by the dealership just a few months ago. The bulletin however doesn't provide for replacing the defective parts with an upgraded...

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part. There have now been many instances of this happening on this model bike. You can go to the www.Bmwlt.Com website forum and search for fuel leak to get an idea of some of the instances. One bike burned to the ground, but bmw states that it was struck by lightning....I wonder about that. The rider was killed. I feel it my duty to report this and hope that a recall and redesign of the part can prevent anyone from dying. A side note to this is the possibility of the vast amount of fuel getting on the rear tire and causing a crash due to slippage. Ron kellenbenz 18123 cr 1275 tyler, tx 75703 903 839-5132 [email protected]. *Jb

Filed Incident Fuel system, gasolineNHTSA 10158846
Transmission & drivetrain

REAR DRIVE BEARING FAILED. *NM

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10150393
Transmission & drivetrain

FAILED SHIFTER ON MOTORCYCLE. *NM

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10095651
Other & unknown

The shift linkage broke on my 2003 bmw k1200lt motorcycle. Please note that model is k1200lt - your drop down menu below does not include this choice!! *Ph

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10030982
Other & unknown

Note- actual model not available in your database. Model is: 2003 bmw k1200lt custom motorcycle shift linkage failed causing inability to shift gears. Linkage broke where short threaded rod connect ball joint to shifter arm. Motorcycle stranded and required tow. This is a known common defect in this model and this failure occurs often.

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10025370

BMW K1200LT: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
20061000Transmission & drivetrainA
20044010Fuel systemA
200321022Transmission & drivetrainD
200237011Transmission & drivetrainD
All K1200LT years

2003 BMW K1200LT vs rivals

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2003 BMW K1200LT

Does the 2003 BMW K1200LT have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2003 BMW K1200LT right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What are the most common problems with the 2003 BMW K1200LT?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the transmission & drivetrain (13), fuel system (6), suspension (2).

How many complaints has the 2003 BMW K1200LT had?

21 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on July 3, 2003 and the latest on April 8, 2021. Of these, 2 describe a crash and 2 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2003 BMW K1200LT a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 34 out of 100 (grade D: more problems than a typical BMW K1200LT year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which BMW K1200LT years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 2003 BMW K1200LT has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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