Recall: 2013 R1200GS NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V154000

NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V154000

Dated: APR 19, 2013 BMW is recalling certain model year 2013 R1200 GS motorcycles manufactured January 9, 2013, through February 8, 2013. Due to an insufficient torque of a locking bolt, the front fork tube may loosen.

Isn't this NHTSA finally getting around to documenting what was reported about 6 weeks ago (and repaired before any bikes were delivered to customers)?

Yes, sort of. Transport Canada and BMW did a recall in March for the same item. BMW's position at the time was they would be making changes to bikes in production and in the future to deal with it while dealers would repair bikes already shipped. NHTSA and BMW are formalizing this for the US with this recall. This makes a difference in who pays and how. Posting it documents it for the forum.

marchyman said:

Isn't this NHTSA finally getting around to documenting what was reported about 6 weeks ago (and repaired before any bikes were delivered to customers)?

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The recall process is time consuming despite the fact that safety issues are involved. There are federal regulations involved and I guess all the i's must be dotted and the t's crossed but it sure can take a while before folks know about it.

Vehicle recalls are a lot like drug recalls- they get published on govt lists, have specific rules that have to be followed including results reporting, and chew up internal resources. So firms try to avoid them by taking actions that allow them to be called something else, avoiding the feds. The euphemism in the pharma industry is "field correction" - means send the firm's sales reps to pull that drug from accounts rather than sending the required written notifications to the trade and having them return it, among other things. I guess the vehicle industry euphemisms might include "service campaign" and good will coverage for repairs..
In certain situations the feds by law can force a recall or apply so much legal pressure that a firm will do a recall even if it doesn't want to. For drugs, this is all about any risk at all, no matter how remote, of user safety being endangered by whatever error happened and can be triggered even by lack of documentation that absolutely proves the item in question was properly made- does not require, for example, any lab proof that the manufactured item is actually defective and in fact more often than not, it isn't in any meaningful way.
You really don't want the feds having to apply pressure this way- at that point they can move to serious fines. So far they've been pretty easy on the vehicle makers with nothing any worse than (IIRC) the approx $30 million Toyota got fined (peanuts to the big boys. THe big deal to them was having their chairman called to testify to Congress, a major loss of face by Japanese customs where execs are expected to make public apologies for recalls). By comparison, fines in pharma have been far larger- some recalls have been estimated to cost firms on the order of $500 million. That's enough to get anyone's attention and enough to cause serious firm reorganization in certain cases while the alleged responsible parties (sometimes the wrong ones) are replaced.
The legal repercussions including civil suits in the US are the major repercussions for manufacturers, not the defect itself...

Recalls

I have been following the recalls for my GSW arrives in a NJ port tomorrow. They (Touring Sport Greenville SC) assure me all recalls have been taken care of before the bike was shipped. I ordered it a month ago.

smross44 said:

I have been following the recalls for my GSW arrives in a NJ port tomorrow. They (Touring Sport Greenville SC) assure me all recalls have been taken care of before the bike was shipped. I ordered it a month ago.

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Super easy to verify at the dealership. Service can run the VIN (the last 7 characters actually) and the report will show recalls should any be applicable.

Recalls

billy walker said:

Super easy to verify at the dealership. Service can run the VIN (the last 7 characters actually) and the report will show recalls should any be applicable.

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Thank you!

This is why I'm waiting a model year...I'm tired of being a test pilot. Might as well let them get all the recalls, fixes, upgrades, etc., out of the way first.

Wet Head

I chickened out Gents. My wet head has been held up now or over a month in Customs??
I bought the last GS '12 they had on the floor Friday I could not pass up the deal they gave me....plus then I had money left over for goodies. It just stinks that I drove it home then it has been raining (dumping) every since.
Oh well....at least I know what I have... the last of a bullet proof machine.

S

smross44 said:

I chickened out Gents. My wet head has been held up now or over a month in Customs??
I bought the last GS '12 they had on the floor Friday I could not pass up the deal they gave me....plus then I had money left over for goodies. It just stinks that I drove it home then it has been raining (dumping) every since.
Oh well....at least I know what I have... the last of a bullet proof machine.

S

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Don't worry. It will still run in the rain. Riding in the rain is better than no riding at all.