NHTSA campaign 97V237000

BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE Recall 97V-237: BMW/IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS

  • Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

NHTSA recall 97V237000 was reported by BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE on December 31, 1997, with 2,000 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the BMW R1100 and BMW R850 for model years 1995–1997 (try.vin imports model years 1995 and later). Owners were notified on February 27, 1998, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 97V237000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

BMW VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign
97V237000 (also written 97V-237 or 97V237)
Filed by
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
Report received
Potentially affected
2,000 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component
Electrical System — Wiring
Owners notified

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 97V237000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

BMW

  • BMW R850

    • 1996, 1997 · Vehicles built October 1, 1994 – August 30, 1996 (per NHTSA)
  • BMW R1100

    • 1995, 1996, 1997 · Vehicles built October 1, 1994 – August 30, 1996 (per NHTSA)
All BMW recalls

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 97V237000.

Defect description

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MOTORCYCLES. A SHEET METAL PLATE MOUNTED TO THE FRONT OF THE FRAME BELOW THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CAN CAUSE THE WIRING HARNESS TO BE STRETCHED TOO TIGHT AS THE HANDLEBARS ARE TURNED FULLY TO ONE SIDE. IN ADDITION, THE WIRING HARNESS IS ATTACHED TO ANOTHER HARNESS WITH A CABLE TIE THAT IS PLACED TOO FAR FORWARD LIMITING THE HANDLEBAR MOVEMENT.

Safety consequence

THE HARNESS WIRES CAN BE DAMAGED OR COULD BREAK OR PULL OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. IF THE HARNESS WIRES WERE DAMAGED BUT NOT BROKEN OR DISCONNECTED, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COULD BE AFFECTED WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS BEING DRIVEN. HESITATION, MISFIRING, OR "CUTTING OUT" COULD OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL RELOCATE THE WIRE TIE CONNECTING THE TWO WIRING HARNESSES TO A POINT FURTHER BACK FROM THE ORIGINAL LOCATION SO THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS HAS SUFFICIENT FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT. ALSO IF THE WIRING HARNESS IS FOUND TO BE DAMAGED, THE IGNITION SWITCH (WITH HARNESS) WILL BE REPLACED.

Notes

OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BY LATE FEBRUARY 1998.OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR MOTORCYCLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BMW AT 1-800-831-1117, OPTION #5.ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-800-424-9393.

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 97V237000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.