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. 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.

Chris Cimino
Edmonds WA

(Before anyone starts flaming, I am NOT an attorney, I am NOT suing anyone. No, I don't frequent this website which I know somehow lessens my "credibility" as an LT owner.)

Does this mean we're all getting new K1600GTL's as a replacement?

Seriously - that's amazing news.... good work being the "boots on the ground", motivating them to open an actual investigation and being the first to report it.

NHSTA search is a little convoluted but here is the text of the complaint, and WEB page for review. Congratulation to Chris for being able to get this going.

By letter dated 11-28-2011, Christopher D. Cimino of Edmunds, WA, requested that NHTSA "open an investigation into the repeated final drive bearing failure and possibly flawed assembly controls of the final drive unit on BMW K1200LT models..." NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this investigation to examine Mr. Cimino's allegations and determine whether a safety-related defect trend currently exists involving final drive crown gear ball-bearing assembly failures on the subject motorcycles. The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/complaints under the following identification (ODI) number: 10439549

Very interesting, maybe they'll tell BMW to stop making the LT.

CLICK HERE Then just enter the bike info
1999-2005
BMW
K1200LT

My hope is to have NHSTA require BMW recall on all models equipped with the Paralever final drive due to a design, manufacturing or assembly flaw. This may require BMW dealers to inspect units and reassemble, repair or replace affected units, affording an additional 24 month warranty period. It is likely that a recall may only apply to models 10 years old or less, unless NHSTA finds compelling evidence that BMW has been aware of the defect for a long time and not acted in good faith to remedy. The 10 year limit may explain why BMW has officially kept quiet on the topic, hoping to let the clock run out on the greater exposure to models from 1999-2003. If capped at 10 years, most of us (including me) may be out of options, period. I have no idea how a recall might effect any individual owner's claims for monetary reimbursement for prior repairs, although I would suspect that such claims (or that of a class action) could be bolstered by a recall. But, I have no delusions of ever getting reimbursed for the cost of my two final drives repaired out of warranty. Again, no need to flame again about the perils or wastes of legal action.

Personally, I think BMW owners should flood the NHSTA with targeted complaints, referencing Investigation No. (DP 12-001) and the ODI complaint No. (10439549). Robert Young is the Investigator assigned. Bruce York is the assigned Reviewer. Both report to Frank Borris, the Director of Defects Investigation.

Chris Cimino

Excellent work, Chris.

I know my three LT failures are already in the NHTSA database, but I'll make sure they are up-to-date and that they reference the current campaign reference numbers.

I'll also make sure my two GT failures are in as well, just to cover those bases.

the question I have is what took them so long to investigate?

Geeze.

You DO know you're supposed to have oil in those things, right?

Yeah, we've been all over that question for a decade now . . .

The bottom line is that NHTSA stands for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They simply don't care if your vehicle is likely to break down. They do care if your vehicle exhibits a known defect that can significantly increase the risk of a crash.

So saying "my trunk latch broke" doesn't register with them, even though we know it's a known problem with the LT. But saying "my final drive seal went out and dumped oil all over my rear brakes" or "my final drive bearing failed making the rear wheel loose and unstable" does register as a critical safety defect.

The main difference here is that Chris was able to highlight the safety aspect of these failures, and he was able to bring additional pressure to bear through his local congressman who has a vested interest in traffic safety issues.

And now we have not only a specific ODI # and Campaign # to register these failures under, but we also have specific names of NHTSA officials to contact in order to highlight just how pervasive of a problem this is.

Again, good on Chris for pulling all this together.

I figure I just put too many miles on them . . .

General disorganization of data, I guess. the complaints were spread over 18 different component categories, with numerous model classification input errors. They would have the VIN for an LT, but identify the model as F650 or M3! No way an algorythm looking for a pattern would have picked it up. I just went through every (every) complaint filed for anything BMW (m/c or car) for models since 1996 and built a data base of complaints filed, component identified, model (by complaint data and by VIN) and essentially drew them a road map of what they had already received.

By the way, the complaints made for interesting reading. One LT owner filed a complaint claiming the LT was unsafe because it was susceptible to crosswinds (duh!). My favorite was the rider who complained that since the LT has reverse, it should have backup lights!

and then go Beeep-Beeep-Beeep!!!

Ummmm, guilty as charged.

BMW Light Truck back up alarm - YouTube

Bingo. While I realize that having oil leak out onto the rear tire or brake sounds like a safety concern, the proof's in the pudding. I have yet to hear of one, single incident or accident relating to the final drive issue. Anyone else?

Would you rather someone actually die before anyone takes notice? Would that help?

Or have you forgotten about our Portugese friend that put his LT down in a corner and ended up in the hospital for a couple of weeks? There was definite oil on his rear wheel and tire, but when he eventually got out of the hospital and found his bike at the local dealer, the rear wheel was mysteriously clean - too clean, in fact.

And I also remember a story about a couple that went down in the US and suffered serious injuries on a bike with a failed rear drive. Do they not count just because you didn't see it in person?

So yes, it can happen.

And that's the whole point of the NHTSA - not to sit back and wait until death and mayhem occur, but to act on potentially serious safety hazards and force the manufacturers to step up and solve the problems for all affected vehicles - whether or not that particular vehicle has had an injury accident or not.

The bottom line is that gear oil on the brakes is very bad, and gear oil on the rear tire is very bad, and in typical NHTSA parlance, both conditions "could cause a significant loss of braking ability and/or traction, thus significantly increasing the risk of a crash."

That's the real problem here, and that's what the NHTSA has the power to do something about.

Hell, you're not even riding a BMW anymore, so why do you even care?

I haven't.
I guess you could say, that the noise that comes with the FD failure, that it makes us slow down and even stop BEFORE an accident happens.
So thus it's NOT a safety issue.
I refiled again anyway for my 2 failures using a link above.
I don't expect any real satisfaction from NHSTA.
I just think BMW should admit that they may have goofed on some assemblies of the FD. At least I'd feel a little better. LOL

I even took my FD failure out of my sig line here.

Amazing work Chris!!!

Best from Tucson
Bob

That we haven't heard of anyone having an accident that was directly attributed to a FD failure MAYBE an indication that no one has been hurt as a result of this problem, but it is wrong to conclude that it is not a safety issue. While most riders do sense a problem before catastropic oil leak onto the rear brake and tire, but others do not; I know of several cases where there was oil on the wheel before the rider first became aware of the problem. People have been injured riding K1200LTs, we just haven't heard of an injury that was directly attributed to a FD failure; you can't conclude that it hasn't happened.

It is just a matter of luck as to when that oil leak occurs. Imagine oil reaching your rear tire just at the apex of a turn or just at the moment of a panic stop. The ABS would certainly help with stability in the case of a panic stop, but stopping distance would be reduced increasing the risk of collision. In the case of oil reaching the tire at the apex of a turn, I can imagine a low-side crash happening very unexpectedly.

I agree that the prospects of any real redress coming from NTSA or BMW to those who have experienced failures in the past is low, but at least finally NTSA is aware that there is a problem.

According to the NHTSA database, 3 owners reported the component failure resulted in a crash, with 5 injuries. (I am currently researching lawsuits brought against BMW to see if any were related to FD failure, but it's slow going.) 46 of the 145 NHTSA complaints filed referenced gear oil on wheel. 13 of these were misclassified under brake component failure as the complaints referenced loss of braking. Thankfully, we don't have to actually prove the risk of crash from oil leaking on the wheel as BMW recalled (2006) R1200GS-HP and (2007) R1200S models in 2006 due to an improperly installed o-ring in the final drive unit that could result in oil leaking to the rear brake disc. That recall campaign reportedly affected less than 720 units total. But, it established precedent as to the risk associated with the gear lube leakage.

Chris Cimino

Wow Ken. Maybe you missed those last two words of my post. I simply asked if anyone has ever heard of an accident due to a failure. Doesn't that OBVIOUSLY imply that I have not.

Are things stressful at home ... work ... or do you just need a hug? DAG!

It seems like a couple of years ago there was a post from a couple who went down due to catastrophic final drive failure and it was posted on this site.........I've looked through the archives and haven't found it but I do believe it would support what Ken was alluding to.

This is hardly substantiated by my foggy memory but my computer has crashed since then and that may have some bearing on the account...........just saying...................

$00.02........

I am curious if it can be found........?..........

Prolly Jim and Judy Schuyler. Post is here.

And that is exactly the type of safety concern that gets the NHTSA interested in such a problem.

But we do have two direct cases where serious injuries were sustained as a result of FD failure: Jim and Judy Schuyler (Jim_Schuyler) in September 2008 on an '00 LT out of NY, and Filipe Ferreira (cyberphysicist) in June 2003 on an '02 LT out of Portugal.

And that describes Filipe's scenario exactly, based on what I remember about his original post from the old site.

And that in itself is a huge step forward . . .

And I gave you two direct cases, both of which have been confirmed by other posters here. C'mon, Joe, you've been around here and the old site long enough to have known about those. Unless you simply forgot. Don't they say that memory is the second thing to go . . .

Dick, are you a librarian?? Your search skills are epic!

It's a curse, I tell ya!!

Short term memory is shot, butt long term is hangin' in there!!!

Based on what I could decipher from their website, 15 more BMW owners have registered complaints with the NHTSA citing final drive failures (as of 2/8). 7 were LTs. I've also talked to the investigator assigned. He is an avid rider and MSF coach. He also tempered expectations to say it may be 4 months before the investigation is completed. But, hey we've been dealing with the issue for over 10 years. So, what's another season? In the meantime, if you haven't registered your complaint with NHTSA, please do so now.

You will need your VIN, (est.) date of failure and mileage. State your model as well. 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

Be sure to 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.

Please forward to every website, chatroom or bathroom wall you can think of.

Chris Cimino

AWESOME job, Chris. Goodonya.

Well, thankfully we'll have the NHSTA tell us what we already knew.

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I'm afraid that you've got it backwards there.

It's about us telling the NHTSA what we already know - that there is a design/manufacturing issue with the final drives that could lead to a potentially catastrophic failure and needs to be addressed.

We as individuals have had little luck in getting this addressed on a global basis, although BMW has stepped up in many individual cases, but not all.

The NHTSA has the power to force BMW to address the issues on all potentially affected units based on safety considerations, all the way back to the beginning of the issue.

That's what's different here, and that's why this is an opportunity for some real change.

Chris doesn't sound quite as optimistic as you.

Nothing is guaranteed here at all, but at least this is a positive step forward.

+1

I am optimistic that an investigation will surface what BMW knows about the issue, warts and all. All I want is for the manufacturer to definitively say "here's the problem, and here's how to definitively fix it." I believe thousands of owners have logged tens of thousands of miles with no adverse FD issues, except maybe just the arrogance that because they haven't been affected, the problem must not be real. Why the difference? Is there a rider wear pattern? Frequent 2 up and loaded? Aggressive? Too much gravel? Too much oil? Wrong oil? Or, is it just units built by Heir Billy Bob on Fridays, like a 1970's Buick? Just frickin tell us, whatever that is. Hell, we'll probably pay it just so we can regain confidence in reliability. I absolutely love my LT. Since riding one in the '99 Iron Butt Rally, I believe it to be the absolute best 2 up high speed, GT touring bike on the planet for me and my wife. (No, I don't care to debate with you. That's like arguing which is better, blondes, brunettes or reds. Really??) And, absolutely hate the idea of having to buy a Wing. I have too much invested in BMW T-shirts to change marques now.

All of the knowledge and expertise we have collectively developed on the issue is great. But, no one knows how long it takes to go from "flakes in the oil" to "stranded on side of road" failure, in the dark, in the rain, on US 50 100 miles from Fallon NV. I am not some prissy, whiny Beemer bitch who gives a crap about "BMW prestige" or bought because the Kool Aid tasted good. I ride the damn thing, maintain it and (try) to keep it clean. And, if I can scrape together 7 days in a row to make the IBA Pizza Party in Daytona, I don't want to have to wonder if I'll make it or drop another $500 in repairs. That's 6300 miles in gas money!

Not specific to our issue, but does speak to the BMW "culture" I think.

http://www.auto-power-girl.com/cars-news/2012/02/13/bmw/7033/nhtsa_drops_a_$3_million_dollar_fine_on_bmw_for_un timely_reporting_of_recalls.html

Ok, so I bought my 2002 1200LT used 2 years ago. How would I know if I have the Paralever style final drive? Sorry if this sounds dumb, but it's the first I've heard of it.

I presume you mean the BMW Corporate culture, not BMW owner culture? That is what I got from reading the article you referenced.

Correct. BMW Corporate culture.

All LT s have the same type rear drive. But don't worry too much about a rear drive failure. You are in the most affected window of time but it depends on your mileage and what day of the week your final drive was assembled at the factory.

Sorry, I don't agree with you.

All that suffered the failure should be getting K1600LT's, or K1800LT's. GTL is not enough to cover the pain.

BJ

How about a dealershipt less than 2 hours away? I'd be happy with that!

Great job, Chris, for getting this ball a-rollin'!

Anybody hear of any updates on this matter?

Just added mine. Riding around with a 2006 final drive on my 2003 now.

I have been staying in touch with the NHSTA investigator assigned to the matter. As of 7/6, he estimated another 2-3 weeks to their final report. I have marked 7/31 to follow up. Whatever the outcome, I'm sure the new round of debate will start.

Chris Cimino

Chris,
It has been three weeks since your last posted follow-up date. Anything new to share?

I am new to the BMW1200 community...I have a 2003.....How might I know if I have the Paralever style final drive? Thanks

Looks like a K1200Lt in your photo, all Lt's have that final drive.

Randy,

Yours is on the outter edge of the common failure years. Not saying it won't but chances are good you will be alright. You can always come back over (riding this time) and we can do a pre-emptive rebuild or just do a preload check.