BMW Recalls Some R 18s Over Potential Fire Risk From Optional Reverse Gear

Deterioration of seals on the unit could allow moisture to collect inside, corroding electrical contacts and causing a fire risk.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Oct 21, at 7:17am ET

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BMW of North America is recalling certain 2021 through 2024 R 18 motorcycles that were fitted with the optional reverse gear from the factory. Seals on the reverse gear units could potentially deteriorate over time, which could in turn allow moisture inside the unit. This moisture could corrode electrical contacts, increasing the risk of overheating and fire.

If you're an R 18 owner and you're thinking that this sounds familiar, that's because there was a related recall in 2024. That recall also noted the potential for an overheating issue with the optional reverse gear, and attempted to fix it by installing a protective relay. However, as you'll read in the report for this most recent recall, that fix was apparently not sufficient to completely prevent the issue it attempted to address. So if you have an R 18 that was already serviced for the 2024 recall, you'll still need to have this recall service performed as well.

Approximately 4,630 individual R 18s in the North American market are affected by this recall, according to BMW of North America's records. That represents approximately 1% of the population. The affected motorcycles were produced between September 9, 2020 and July 15, 2024.

According to the chronology of this problem, BMW first received notification of a thermal event that it traced back to this issue in April 2025, in what the firm describes as a "tropical non-US market." Additional reports followed, located in other non-US markets where "hot and humid climatic conditions" are the norm. One further incident reported in the US was also observed.

BMW notes that there is a protective relay built into the reverse gear unit, but that it may not be sufficient to prevent overheating and thermal events in all cases, such as the ones reported. Therefore, on September 30, 2026, BMW made the decision to conduct a recall to completely replace the reverse gear unit with an improved version on affected motorcycles. As of October 7, 2026, BMW states that it has not received reports of injuries or accidents related to this issue.

As for any rider warnings that could occur prior to any thermal event, BMW states that riders may notice the reverse function not working properly. It does not list further details about specifics of any malfunction.

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BMW of North America plans to notify its dealer network about this issue on October 14, 2026. It also plans to send letters to registered owners of affected R 18s via First Class Mail on November 27, 2026. Owners will be instructed to schedule a recall service with their local authorized BMW dealer, which will be performed at no charge to the customer. During this service, the entire reverse gear unit will be removed and replaced with an improved unit.

Owners of affected bikes who may already have paid to have this repair performed will be eligible for reimbursement, provided they have sufficient documentation to back their claims. Owners may contact BMW of North America's customer service hotline at 1-800-525-7417. Additionally, owners may contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9171) or go to www.nhtsa.gov.