Do you ever leave the mechanic and realize that they turned your automatic headlights off after you’ve been driving around in the dark, and people have been honking at you for miles? Well, BMW just did something similar to its motorcycle riders, except that they’ll have even less warning.
BMW Motorrad is recalling approximately 270 S 1000 R and 484 S 1000 XR motorcycles (all from the 2020-2023 model years) in the U.S. due to a settings glitch that may have reverted a rider assistance setting to off without warning.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue affects the “Dynamic Pro” mode, a customizable riding aid included within the Riding Modes Pro feature.
Read: 2021 BMW S 1000 R Debuts With New Looks And Modern Tech
Through it, owners of the motorcycles can personalize a “front wheel lift-off assistant” setting, which applies the traction control to reduce engine torque if the motorcycle recognizes that the front wheel is off the ground.
The setting is normally remembered from ride to ride, but following a software update installed by dealers, all settings in the Dynamic Pro feature revert back to their factory settings—or, in other words, get turned off completely.
The problem is that there is no indication to the owner that this has happened, meaning that the motorcycle may not behave as the rider is expecting. That, NHTSA says, could increase the risk of a crash and, indeed, may have led to accidents in Europe.
BMW says it first became aware of this glitch following an accident in France involving a 2022 BMW S 1000 XR. A similar incident was reported in Turkey, and then another in Belgium later the same year.
To remedy the situation, BMW is issuing a voluntary recall, and will start getting in touch with American owners on March 28. In a letter, it will alert owners to the possible change in Dynamic Pro settings, and will indicate that they can simply change the settings back to their preferred levels on their own.
It will, however, also ask owners to return to the dealer so that the motorcycle can be inspected and that service records can be updated.
