BMW of North America is recalling 4,630 R 18 cruisers because the seal on the optional reverse gear control unit can deteriorate and let moisture inside, and the company’s remedy covers motorcycles that already went through a repair for exactly this fault. The bikes were first recalled in 2024 under campaign 24V716. The new campaign, 26V658000, replaces the unit itself.
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For an owner who took an R 18 to a dealer in 2025 and rode home believing the matter closed, the second notice carries an uncomfortable message. NHTSA’s record says it directly: motorcycles “previously repaired need the new repair completed.” The fix applied the first time did not remove the reason the recall existed, and the cure now on offer is a new part rather than a workaround.
A seal, moisture and a reverse gear controller
The R 18 is BMW’s large-displacement cruiser, and some were sold with an optional reverse gear, a feature meant for backing a heavy bike out of a parking space. According to the campaign record, 4,630 motorcycles from model years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 are potentially affected. BMW reported that the seal for the reverse gear control unit “may deteriorate and allow moisture inside the control unit.” NHTSA files the problem under power train, manual transmission, seals and gaskets.
The consequence BMW gave is overheating. An overheated reverse gear control unit, the filing says, increases the risk of a fire. The record does not describe the chain of events between wet electronics and heat, only the two ends of it: water gets in past a worn seal, and the unit can run hot. Nothing in the record puts a number on incidents, injuries or crashes, and it lists no park-it or park-outside instruction for riders, so the campaign treats the risk as one to be corrected at a dealer rather than one that demands the bike stay parked.
What 24V716 did, and why it was not enough
The first campaign was received by NHTSA on Sept. 26, 2024, and covered 5,048 R 18 motorcycles across the same four model years. According to the record for 24V716, BMW’s interim remedy did not touch the leaking seal. Dealers disconnected the reverse gear control unit from the motorcycle’s electrical system, then installed an electrical relay between the battery and the unit. Owner letters for that campaign were mailed on April 7, 2025.
That arrangement isolated the part rather than replacing it. The current filing does not say why BMW decided the relay approach needed a replacement, and it does not say how many of the 4,630 bikes received the 2025 repair. What it does say is that the earlier work must be redone. A rider whose bike is on both lists should expect a second dealer visit instead of the first.
The unit counts differ: 5,048 motorcycles in 2024 and 4,630 now, a difference of 418. The filing does not explain the gap, so it cannot be read as 418 bikes that were cleared of the problem; BMW would have to say how the affected population was redrawn. What the two records share is the same model, the same four model years and the same component, which is why the second campaign states outright that earlier repairs must be redone.
The new remedy and when letters arrive
Under the NHTSA entry for 26V658000, dealers will replace the reverse gear control unit free of charge. BMW customer service can be reached at 1-800-525-7417. The report was received on Oct. 7, 2026, and owner letters are expected to be mailed on Nov. 27, 2026, which leaves a gap of several weeks between the public filing and the first notices. The dataset row for the campaign, in the NHTSA listing of reports received from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7, shows the same count and the same note about the earlier recall.
Riders in the gap have one clear piece of information: the reverse gear is the only function involved. The record describes the fault as confined to the reverse gear control unit, so a bike without the option is outside the campaign, and the record limits the recall to R 18 models fitted with reverse gear. Anyone unsure whether a bike has the option can check it against the original window sticker or ask a BMW Motorrad dealer, and the earlier campaign has its own entry on NHTSA’s page for 24V716, where the interim remedy is described. A rider who remembers a dealer disconnecting the reverse unit and fitting a relay has the repair that now has to be redone.
BMW’s earlier letter, mailed in April 2025, described a stopgap that disconnected the unit and fitted a relay. The one due in November 2026 describes a part swap, free of charge, performed by dealers on a unit that the company now says has to come out. Riders who ignored the first notice because they seldom use the reverse gear are still covered, and the new notice applies to them as well as to owners whose bikes were already touched.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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