Steering Oscillation

What NHTSA is examining

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened investigation PE19-002 on March 25, 2019. This investigation was opened based on six consumer complaints alleging 2018 and 2019 BMW K-1600 motorcycles were unstable at highway speeds and that the instability was exacerbated while in traffic.ODI opened the PE to determine the severity and frequency associated with the alleged defect.In response to an ODI Information Request (IR) letter, BMW submitted a total of 20 complaints, 15 field reports and 5 warranty claims. Although the subject vehicles of the investigation include 2018 and 2019 model years, all the complaints, warranty and field reports submitted by BMW were on the 2018 MY bikes.BMW stated in its response that it did not have any complaints, warranty or field reports for the 2019 MY K 1600 series. Since opening the PE, ODI has received an additional six consumer complaints related to this investigation.In July 2019, ODI met with BMW at its New Jersey facility to see a presentation and then follow (in a trailing vehicle) a BMW rider on a subject bike. The purpose of the trailing exercise was to observe how the motorcycle handled on various road types and traffic conditions. During this demonstration the ODI investigator witnessed some instability or ?wobble? that was aggravated when passing large trucks. There were, however, no lane departures experienced by the subject vehicle?s rider during the trailing event. The ODI investigator was unable to fully determine the…

Vehicles under investigation