High speeds and high temperatures loosen the BMW motorcycle connecting rods.
BMW is recalling 2012 S 1000 RR motorcycles because the connecting rod bolts can loosen at high speeds, leading to sudden engine failures. At least 33 engine failures have been reported globally, BMW said in the required filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. No injures have been reported, according to BMW.
The root cause is an anti-corrosion coating used on the bolts, which meant the manufacturing torque specification was too low during engine assembly on the K46. Motorcycles manufactured from September 2011, through 10 April 2012 are affected. Simply put, the connecting rod doesn’t stay connected.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the connecting rod bolts and apply thread locking compound free of charge as required by NHTSA regulation. The latest BMW safety recall is expected to begin during May 2012. Owners can contact BMW customer at 1-800-525-7417.
Owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline At 1-888-327-4236 or http://www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA fined BMW $3 million fine earlier this year, after the German automaker failed to comply with requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act that BMW report safety defects to the federal government in a timely manner.
The BMW penalty is the biggest since Toyota Motor paid almost $50 million in fines because of its cover-up of safety issues ultimately resulted recalls of millions of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in 2009 and 2010 for unintended acceleration.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
