AI Damage2012 BMW R1200 GS: common problems
Owners of the 2012 BMW R1200 GS filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel/propulsion system and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 10
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 40% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 30% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 20% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 10% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 10% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 10% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 4 complaints (40% of all).
- Powertrain: 3 complaints (30% of all).
- Engine: 2 complaints (20% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (10% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (10% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 10 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The contact was informed that the flange for the fuel pump fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V060000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included.
Several times the bike threw an error message about "engine controller fault" and lost power, going into "limp-home" mode. All occurrences were while the bike was being operated at highway speeds, sometimes in the middle of a corner.
Fuel pump failure: on or about september 5th, 2019 I was riding my bmw r 1200gs on highway us-60 in arizona east of mesa arizona. I pulled over at us-60 and idaho road to check my cell phone and as I looked down I could see a puddle of gas leaking out of the underside of my bmw.
Spray leak from fuel pump, quick connector on the flange broke and had a strong spray of fuel leaking on the hot engine and my clothes, this happend on the freeway while riding at 70mph. There is a recall on this bikes up to 2011, mine is 2012.
Fuel pump starting leaking while engine is running. This is a known problem for this model, but not for my model year 2012. Obviously, the defect wasn't corrected on my bike, causing a dangerous situation. I am planning on bringing the motorcycle to the shop tomorrow for remediation.
I changed lanes into the fast lane under slight acceleration and the engine lost power completely. I could not restart the bike and so tried to get into the slow lane as there was no room on the inside shoulder.
I noticed the missing pannier only upon arriving my destination. I'm extremely disappointed this has happened as I was very happy with my touratech set, and was using it on a daily basis. I cannot imagine what could have caused this detachment during a regular eventless bike ride.
Braking started to feel soft and slow, I noticed that fluid had started to leak from final drive area. Took to dealer (ride west bmw, seattle), for warranty repair.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 10,921 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 30% most complained about).
On average one model year of the R1200 GS has 16 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 10, below average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
- R1200 GS 20044 sources
- R1200 GS 200551 sources
- R1200 GS 20069 sources
- R1200 GS 200742 sources
- R1200 GS 200832 sources
- R1200 GS 200930 sources
- R1200 GS 20108 sources
- R1200 GS 20117 sources
- R1200 GS 201312 sources
- R1200 GS 201414 sources
- R1200 GS 201510 sources
- R1200 GS 201630 sources
- R1200 GS 201716 sources
- R1200 GS 201817 sources
- R1200 GS 201914 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 BMW R1200 GS?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel/propulsion system, powertrain, engine. Total complaints: 10. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (50%), loss of power / limp mode (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2012 BMW R1200 GS?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2012 BMW R1200 GS from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2012 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.