BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 BMW G650GS motorcycles manufactured March 8, 2013, to October 12, 2015, and 2013-2015 BMW G650GS Sertao motorcycles manufactured March 8, 2013, to May 23, 2014. The affected motorcycles may stall during operation due to an engine control unit (ECU) software issue.
Consequence: If the engine stalls during operation, it increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the ECU software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 18, 2016. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V-537. Motorcycles that were repaired under that recall need to have their software updated again as part of this campaign.
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
33.3%Usable mileage1 / 3 records
100.0%Valid incident date3 / 3 records
100.0%Valid filing date3 / 3 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates3 / 3 records
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
Component complaint heatmap
Component
2013
2014
2015
Electrical System
0Unavailable
No examples available for this selection.
266.7%ODI 11021573 · 3,000 mi
ENGINE STILL DIES WHEN YOU PULL THE CLUTCH LEVER IN. I HAVE HAD TWO BMW SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGNS PERFORMED (16V-689 AND 15V-537) ON THIS MOTORCYCLE FOR THIS ISSUE, AND IT IS STILL NO OPERATING CORRECTLY OR SAFELY. I COULD GET INJURED OR KILLED BY THE BIKE STALLING. THE BIKE STALLS WHEN MOVING AT ANY SPEED, GENERALLY STALLS WHEN SLOWING, AND PULLING THE CLUTCH LEVER, COMING TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT, ROUND ABOUT, STOP SIGN, OR JUST COMING TO A STOP, HOT OR COLD.
PROBLEM ONE: MOTORCYCLE GETS OVERHEAT VERY EASY AND THE FAN STARTS TO OPERATE SOON THEN ANTICIPATE, BLOWS THE HOT AIR INTO THE DRIVERS RIGHT SIDE LEG, MAKING VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO OPERATE IN TRAFFIC. TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT COMFORTABLE, DRIVER MUST OPEN THE LEG FAIR AWAY FROM THE NORMAL SEAT POSITION AND FAIR AWAY FROM THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL. THESE IS NOT A SAFE WAY TO RIDE AND MUST BE FIX. THERE IS A LOT COMPLAINS ABOUT THIS SITUATION IN THE BMW FORUMS AND BMW KEEP SAYS IT'S "NORMAL". PROBLEM 2: THE KICKSTAND POSITION IN THESE MODEL WAS ADAPTED …
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
Component failure mileage distribution
Component
Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)
Median
Usable records
Examples
Electrical System
Too few reports for a range
3,000 mi
1 (sparse)
ODI 11021573 · 3,000 mi
ENGINE STILL DIES WHEN YOU PULL THE CLUTCH LEVER IN. I HAVE HAD TWO BMW SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGNS PERFORMED (16V-689 AND 15V-537) ON THIS MOTORCYCLE FOR THIS ISSUE, AND IT IS STILL NO OPERATING CORRECTLY OR SAFELY. I COULD GET INJURED OR KILLED BY THE BIKE STALLING. THE BIKE STALLS WHEN MOVING AT ANY SPEED, GENERALLY STALLS WHEN SLOWING, AND PULLING THE CLUTCH LEVER, COMING TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT, ROUND ABOUT, STOP SIGN, OR JUST COMING TO A STOP, HOT OR COLD.
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month
Complaints
Campaigns announced
Examples
2024-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2024-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-10
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-11
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2025-12
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-01
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-02
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-03
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-04
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-05
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-06
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-07
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-08
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-09
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)
0
None
No examples available for this selection.
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2014: 1 complaints · 2015: 0 complaints
Equal observation windows
Model year
Through age 0
Through age 1
Through age 2
2014
0
1
1
2015
0
0
0
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year
Incident dates used
Filing date fallbacks
Excluded dates
2014
3
0
0
2015
0
0
0
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
Component co-occurrence matrix
Component
Electrical System
Engine
Electrical System
—
0
Engine
0
—
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
2 patterns with matching reports.
Stalling or loss of power
2 mentions · 66.7% of complaints
Median mileage: 3,000 mi (1 usable records).
ODI 11021573 · 3,000 mi
ENGINE STILL DIES WHEN YOU PULL THE CLUTCH LEVER IN. I HAVE HAD TWO BMW SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGNS PERFORMED (16V-689 AND 15V-537) ON THIS MOTORCYCLE FOR THIS ISSUE, AND IT IS STILL NO OPERATING CORRECTLY OR SAFELY. I COULD GET INJURED OR KILLED BY THE BIKE STALLING. THE BIKE STALLS WHEN MOVING AT ANY SPEED, GENERALLY STALLS WHEN SLOWING, AND PULLING THE CLUTCH LEVER, COMING TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT, ROUND ABOUT, STOP SIGN, OR JUST COMING TO A STOP, HOT OR COLD.
AFTER THE SECOND BMW RECALL, I PICK UP THE MOTORCYCLE ON 01/05/18. AND STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, THE MOTORCYCLE CAN'T MAINTAIN IDLE OR STALL BEFORE A COMPLETE STOP. BMW DEALER DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT, SINCE THIS IS A POSSIBLE SOFTWARE/FUEL MAP PROBLEM. IT'S NOT SAFE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE SPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC SITUATIONS.
Matching rule\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b
Brake response concerns
1 mentions · 33.3% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
ODI 11040830
PROBLEM ONE: MOTORCYCLE GETS OVERHEAT VERY EASY AND THE FAN STARTS TO OPERATE SOON THEN ANTICIPATE, BLOWS THE HOT AIR INTO THE DRIVERS RIGHT SIDE LEG, MAKING VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO OPERATE IN TRAFFIC. TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT COMFORTABLE, DRIVER MUST OPEN THE LEG FAIR AWAY FROM THE NORMAL SEAT POSITION AND FAIR AWAY FROM THE REAR BRAKE PEDAL. THESE IS NOT A SAFE WAY TO RIDE AND MUST BE FIX. THERE IS A LOT COMPLAINS ABOUT THIS SITUATION IN THE BMW FORUMS AND BMW KEEP SAYS IT'S "NORMAL". PROBLEM 2: THE KICKSTAND POSITION IN THESE MODEL WAS ADAPTED …