The 2022 BMW R 18 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 5,048 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN24V7160002024-09-275,048 affected
Defect
BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021-2024 BMW R18 motorcycles. The seal for the reverse gear control unit may deteriorate and allow moisture inside the control unit, which can result in the unit overheating.
Consequence
An overheated reverse gear control unit increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
As an interim remedy, the reverse gear control unit will be disconnected from the electrical system of the motorcycle, free of charge. Dealers will replace the reverse gear control unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 7, 2025 Owners may contact BMW Customer Service at 1-800-525-7417.
Complaints by component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
1fires
Total complaints9
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“A fire started near the reverse mechanism and battery when it was started.”
“The contact owns a 2022 bmw r 18. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v884000 (exterior lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”
“I bought a 2022 bmw r18b motorcycle in 2023. There are 3 models of this motorcycle. R18 is plain without a fairing or smart controls. The r18 transcontinental is top of line with fairing computer, navigation, phone pairing. The r18b which is my motorcycle is basically the same as transcontinental…”
“Adaptive headlight does not work and the low beam reflector is completely loose. With the reflector loose the headlight will occasionally blind oncoming traffic, point to the sky or side of the road. It is unsafe to ride unless riding with high beams, which is not safe for oncoming traffic.”
“While on a multi-state trip I noticed that two pieces of the headlight have come loose inside the lens distorting the beam. On september 19, 2023 I took the bike in for a warranty claim and it was approved. Now two weeks later the dealer is still unable to give me a time frame for replacement due…”
“The adaptive headlight assembly had a sudden and unexpected catastrophic internal failure leading to complete loss of low beam headlight. Bmw r18 transcontinental. An appointment has been made with local bmw motorcycle dealer.”
“Motorcycle is equipped with an adaptive headlight. The main reflector that is a part of the moving adaptive headlight has broken off inside the headlight assembly and is obstructing the headlight beam pattern. It also does not allow the headlight to aim properly. The broken reflector is not…”
“Pieces of headlight reflector are breaking off inside the headlight housing. This causes the beam of light to completely miss the road. Also the adaptive function of headlight will stick to one side periodically meaning all light is pointing left or right of the roadway when going straight.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2022 BMW R 18 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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