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NHTSA Opens Investgation

5_19

New member
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [IBDone] NHSTA Opens Investgation into BMW Final Drive Failures
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 07:46:00 -0800
From: Chris <chris.cimino@comcast.net>
To: 'IBDone list' <ibdone@ibdone.org>



(IF SOMEONE COULD PLEASE CROSSPOST THIS LD RIDERS AND OTHER SITES, I WOULD
REALLY APPRECIATE IT)



After over 145 individual complaints filed between April 2001 and August
2011, the NHSTA has finally opened its first official investigation into the
failure of crown gear bearings on BMW models equipped with the Paralever
style final drive. NHSTA investigation DP12001 opened 1/20/12 is centered
on 1999-2005 K1200LTs for now. But, if the findings are what we all believe
they will be, the scope of the investigation should be expanded. I found
the only way to get NHSTA to listen and focus was to pepper its director,
David Strickland, with repeat letters as well as inquiries from WA Senator
Patty Murray who chairs the subcommittee over funding for the NHSTA. If
you have had a final drive failure on your Paralever equipped BMW, and have
NOT already reported it to the NHSTA, I urge you do it now.

You will need your VIN, (est.) date of failure and mileage. State your
model as well. While they should be able to identify from VIN, their data
was wrong 50% of the time. Specify if gear oil leaked.

www.safercar.gov

or call (888) 327-4236

or mail to:

NHSTA

Office of Defects Investigation (NVS-210)

West Building

1200 New Jersey Ave SE

Washington DC 20590



In your complaint, select "Power Train" as the component and reference that
you have had the same failure as described in ODI No. 10439549, and
currently being investigated under Campaign DP12001.



Send an email to your Congressman and US Senator to follow up on your behalf
as well.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for posting,....it's about bloody well time!

Will zap my FD failure info to NHTSA as well as a correspondence to my WI Senator & Congressman.

This is not about attacking BMW - it's about them not taking responsibility for flawed engineering they've known about for years and have still not resolved (failures have occurred in current models).

:nono
 
Last edited:
If you go to the NHTSA ODI web site you can see the correspondence that resulted in this investigation. The author did an outstanding job clearly stating his case.

Other serious problems exist that are NOT currently under investigation by the Feds. These include the fuel pump flange leaks and rear wheel flange cracks. Individuals with those defects need to send a defect petition to NHTSA similar to the one that initiated this investigation.
 
The link to NHSTA website is safecar.gov not .org
How do I get my 08 RT into this. Its on the 3rd drive in less than 12k miles.

Dave Jenkins
2008 R1200rt
1983 R80rt
 
Pretty much the same question as above. This seems limited to the K bike when the issue crosses all the shaft drive models.
 
well well well -- i dont see where corporate bmw stepped up to the plate..... no suprise there................ gives a whole new approach to customer service,,,, now you will attacked by the diehards for a "phoney" mechanical issue.....
 
well well well -- i dont see where corporate bmw stepped up to the plate..... no suprise there................ gives a whole new approach to customer service,,,, now you will attacked by the diehards for a "phoney" mechanical issue.....

In all fairness, some BMW owners just don't seem to get what all the fuss is about, simply becuase they have not sufferred thru a ruined trip or financial kick in the teeth as too many already have. They deserve a voice in the debate.

Others play the numbers game, claiming that the percentage of affected owners is too low to get excited about it, even though corporate BMW confiscates the defective evidence and makes sure that those numbers remain a mystery. Sort of like concluding that "Since the odds of being a murder victim are quite remote, why the need for improving homocide laws on the books?!"

Others are just very, very loyal to the brand, and bristle at anyone breaking ranks and saying something nasty in BMW's direction, even if the intent is to 'improve the breed.'

And some just enjoy a good cup of Kool-Aid from time to time.

And like Kool-Aid, the MOA comes in many flavors. :dunno
 
The link to NHSTA website is safecar.gov not .org
How do I get my 08 RT into this. Its on the 3rd drive in less than 12k miles.

Dave Jenkins
2008 R1200rt
1983 R80rt

From the OP:

NHSTA investigation DP12001 opened 1/20/12 is centered
on 1999-2005 K1200LTs for now.
But, if the findings are what we all believe
they will be, the scope of the investigation should be expanded. I found
the only way to get NHSTA to listen and focus was to pepper its director,
David Strickland, with repeat letters as well as inquiries from WA Senator
Patty Murray who chairs the subcommittee over funding for the NHSTA. If
you have had a final drive failure on your Paralever equipped BMW, and have
NOT already reported it to the NHSTA, I urge you do it now.


Year - model - VIN - and particulars of the failure.

select "Power Train" as the component and reference that
you have had the same failure as described in ODI No. 10439549, and
currently being investigated under Campaign DP12001.
 
The link to NHSTA website is safecar.gov not .org
How do I get my 08 RT into this. Its on the 3rd drive in less than 12k miles.

Dave Jenkins
2008 R1200rt
1983 R80rt

Dave - I too found the link under "safercar.org" to not be that user-friendly. What I did instead is compose a letter to NHTSA (this is the correct order of the letters for this abbreviation, by the way), and snail mail a copy to them and both my state senator and Senator Murray, who chairs the subcommittee for NHTSA's funding.

Here is what I sent - you could use it as a pattern if you wish - simply copy and paste it into your computer and insert your personal data where applicable.

Good Luck! :deal



TO: NHTSA 02/06/12

The purpose of this correspondence is to report to the NHTSA my experience with a defective final drive on my BMW motorcycle. Investigation DP12001 was opened on 01/20/12, and I realize that for now, its scope is being confined to 1999-2005 K1200LT models of the BMW motorcycle line.

However, hundreds of BMW owners with the 2005-2011 models of the R1200RT, R1200GS and R1200GSA versions have also suffered catastrophic and expensive failure of the final drives (as described in ODI No. 10439549), without apology, responsibility or explanation from Corporate BMW. In fact, the defective units are spirited away to Germany, and the reason(s) for the failure remain unacknowledged.

On 08/20/10 my final drive on my 2005 R12200RT (VIN:000000000000) suffered a failure (super-heating from the crown gear bearing and some oil leakage), despite all appropriate factory maintenance being adhered to and only 49,736 miles on it. The cost of documented repairs exceeded $2,000 (of which BMW only offered ‘hush money’ of $500, labeled “Customer Good Will Cash”).

Please consider expanding your investigation to include these additional models, as the problem is more widespread that what you are currently looking into, and quite frustrating to American consumers of this product, not to mention very unsafe should it occur while in motion and/or result in a fire from leaking gear oil being ignited (which has occurred!).

Should you wish to contact me for further information, please do not hesitate to do so.

Sincerely,


cc: U.S. Senator Patty Murray (WA)
U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (WI)
 
Wow Kevin!

Your letter reads like it was written by a Havard trained lawyer. A very good letter; succinct and covers the relevant points. Guess all that time sitting in court rooms rubbed off on you.
 
It is a good letter, Kevin, but it'd be better if it connected the mechanical failure with danger or risk to the operator - that's what NHTSA looks for.

For instance, you might add " This powertrain failure, mechanically identical to that reported in ODI No. 10439549, caused a release of oil onto the rear tire and loss of vehicle stability. The loss of stability resulted both from the release of oil and the mechanical failure of the bearing. Either failure could easily have led to a crash causing the operator and passenger's injury or death."

I also think it'd be useful to include an express statement that the same powertrain (I keep using that word because it's a word/concept that NHTSA uses) design is used on other BMW models. We all know this, but NHTSA won't unless we say so, perhaps repeatedly.
 
All good suggestions. Each of you who feel so inclined should craft a letter that you feel informs the NHTSA of a situation that has gone on way too long.

BMW has had many chances to address this issue, and yet the failures continue, despite the 'band-aids' of less fluid (180 ml), more frequent changes and relocated drain plugs.

I don't lose sleep over my current model, but I do occasionally dream of an R1200RT that is water-cooled, has a belt drive, a standard non-ESA shock and a fuel system float - in Wedgewood Blue as well! :thumb
 
Ditto on what David suggested. I have a friend who used to work for NHTSA - and what gets their attention is - injury or the chance of injury. A mechanical failure doesn't concern them (or fall within the scope of their charter) unless it can be shown to possibly have a chance of causing injury.

Other things that are important:

1. Keep the comments to ONE case, and use the same fault description (ie - Powertrain failure.) It is more impressive to them if there are multiple complaints of the failure of the same component in the same vehicle subsystem.

2. Don't go paranoid or conspiracy theory in the description. Making BMW out as the evil empire might be satisfying to you, but if anything, it makes your complaint less likely to be thought of as serious.

3. Don't cut and paste a form complaint. It looks to them just like what it is - an Internet campaign. They're looking for actual incidents from owners, and form letter complaints just don't work well.

4. Don't send a complaint about "I know a guy who had this failure.." To be effective - it has to be first-hand. And lots of complaints about "I know a guy.." or "I heard that.." will give the appearance of an Internet campaign.

And I'll emphasize again - INJURY or the potential for INJURY is what gets attention. If someone lost control due to a rear-drive failure and suffered an injury, that starts to get their attention.

Good luck with it..
 
And I'll emphasize again - INJURY or the potential for INJURY is what gets attention. If someone lost control due to a rear-drive failure and suffered an injury, that starts to get their attention.

Yes, SAFETY is in their name.

Good to remember when thinking "consumerism" that the guvmint only has TWO concerns: safety and emissions. Anything else and it's just you and your dealer.
 
"Federal law requires automakers to tell NHTSA within five business days after determining there is a safety problem or other matter that means vehicles don't comply with the laws."

Hmmm.... The one recall I had to take care of (brake lines) while owning my bike came about six months after the same campaign was made public in Germany.
 
Thank you for posting,....it's about bloody well time!

Will zap my FD failure info to NHTSA as well as a correspondence to my WI Senator & Congressman.

This is not about attacking BMW - it's about them not taking responsibility for flawed engineering they've known about for years and have still not resolved (failures have occurred in current models).

:nono

Wow Kevin!

Your letter reads like it was written by a Havard trained lawyer. A very good letter; succinct and covers the relevant points. Guess all that time sitting in court rooms rubbed off on you.

If you go to the NHTSA ODI web site you can see the correspondence that resulted in this investigation. The author did an outstanding job clearly stating his case.

Other serious problems exist that are NOT currently under investigation by the Feds. These include the fuel pump flange leaks and rear wheel flange cracks. Individuals with those defects need to send a defect petition to NHTSA similar to the one that initiated this investigation.

I am pleased to read the OP but he makes one error in the summation. The NHTSA opened their inquiry with the first letter in 2001. The status of that inquiry changed.

Kevin your letter and the follow up suggestions have great merit. I have been fortunate not to have the problem to date. I have been told as such I don't have 'standing' as such. I am surprised by two things. That in eleven years there are only 145 letters referred to. ( I believe more will be relieved in a follow up pending update) The second that for all the grousing by various people on the forum you all are just getting around to sending in a letter.

I wish the MOA had lobbied and monitored the NHTSA inquiry. I wish BMW would have come up with a solution. I wish all the grousers had written sooner. There seems to be plenty of us to look at and say 'It's about time' too.
 
And a copy to BMW?

And how about sending copies of whatever you send to the NHTSA to BMW USA and BMW headquarters in Germany? As well as replies, if any, from the NHTSA?
 
For purpose of comparison:

Just yesterday there was an AP news release in my local newspaper stating that NHTSA had opened an investigation of over 800,000 2007 Toyota Camrys and RAV4s for potential fire in the driver's door. No injuries. No recall yet. Seems a window control switch could catch fire, but get this: they had received 6 (yes, six) complaints out of 800,000 vehicles and that was enough to trigger an investigation. Seems like Toyota is under the gun, BMW motorcycles are not.

pete
 
For purpose of comparison:

Just yesterday there was an AP news release in my local newspaper stating that NHTSA had opened an investigation of over 800,000 2007 Toyota Camrys and RAV4s for potential fire in the driver's door. No injuries. No recall yet. Seems a window control switch could catch fire, but get this: they had received 6 (yes, six) complaints out of 800,000 vehicles and that was enough to trigger an investigation. Seems like Toyota is under the gun, BMW motorcycles are not.

pete

That may soon change. :whistle
 
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