2009 BMW R1200 GS Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 20%of 30 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 12,250miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 BMW R1200 GS, 20% of the 30 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 12,250 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Bike fuel meter does not function. Replaced under warranty 8/12/11 and 8/10/13. Fuel meter relies on sensor strip inside fuel tank. Sensor strip fails without warning. Obvious safety issue if failure causes bike to unknowingly and suddenly run out of fuel while moving.”
NHTSA complaint #10534664, filed 2013-08, 15,329 miles“Fuel gauge frequently indicates plenty of fuel in tank when tank runs empty. Gauge will also occasionally show empty when several gallons of fuel in tanks. ## VIN failed ##”
NHTSA complaint #10504958, filed 2013-03, 12,000 miles“The fuel gauge stopped working and there was a yellow warning light appeared on the display. Prior to the outright failure, the gauge had occasionally shown a false value, showing too much fuel for the miles covered, and then suddenly it would drop to the correct value, indicating almost zero fuel left. The gauge now shows no fuel level at all constantly. The motorcycle was just out of warranty when this occurred. When you purchase a nearly $20k motorcycle, you expect simple things like a fuel gauge sensor to work reliably. Bmw has failed tremendously in this respect.”
NHTSA complaint #10533695, filed 2013-08, 9,800 miles“The Fuel line connector at fuel pump started leaking and spraying fuel onto the hot engine and exhaust pipes causing the Motorcycle to catch on fire! the 2nd fuel pump the recall was not done yet. The best I can tell the owner did not get the 2nd recall or didn't forward it to the next owner. The person who was riding the motorcycle at the time escaped from being burned! He put it out the fire with a fire extinguisher, bike looks totaled, confirmed by the Dealer. I brought the motorcycle to the BMW dealership in Kansas City it has been inspected. but not by the manufacture yet. …”
NHTSA complaint #11534609, filed 2023-07Related service bulletins
- 10249027Jan 11, 2024The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery…
- 10204667Sep 20, 2021One of the following situations can occur when connecting to BN2000 motorcycles: 1. The installed control units cannot be found when reading out with ISTA. 2. Control units…
- 10204679Sep 3, 2021BMW Motorrad has ascertained that in isolated cases the fuse for the voltage regulator is not correctly secured in the holder by the threaded fasteners.
- 10201170Jul 13, 2021When diagnosing fault codes (0x3A13D7, 0x3A13D9), technicians erroneously condemn the electronic throttle grip, which analyses show is rarely the culprit.
- 10201169Jul 1, 2021Vehicle battery not charged despite the battery charger being connected to the on-board socket (manufactured before 2009)Headlights and rear lights light up intermittently…
- 10200269Jun 17, 2021The bike does not shut down with a short press of the keyless ride button. The keyless Ride button must be pressed for several seconds to shut the bike down
- 10200499May 24, 2021Service distance cannot be set in miles in ISTA for TFT-type instrument clusters
- 10182619Oct 1, 2020Discharged Battery Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed: The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has…
- 10159164Mar 1, 2019Which charger should be used to charge the Li-ion HP and/or M batteries.
- 10135001Feb 5, 2018After a few days of beingparked, the battery discharges, off-load current is too high
Electrical system: other model years
Other parts of the 2009 BMW R1200 GS
20 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsEngine
2 complaintsSuspension
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 BMW R1200 GS
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology