Best and worst BMW K1300 S years to buy
Every model year, judged against the others.
Gathering every model year from NHTSA. The first look at a model can take a little while.
Every model year, judged against the others.
Gathering every model year from NHTSA. The first look at a model can take a little while.
Skip 2009.
None of the judged years of the K1300 S came out Worthy.
Pass years first, then the Maybe years with the most owner complaints against a typical year at the same age.
From owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Only years old enough to judge. Still have any car inspected.
Worthy years with the fewest owner complaints against a typical year at the same age, none right next to a Maybe or Pass year. A year with few sales can look the same.
None of the judged years of the K1300 S came out Worthy.
Judged years that came out Maybe or Pass: more complaints than a typical year, more about costly parts, or inside a run of problem years.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
Each year’s owner complaints, held up against a typical year of the K1300 S at the same age. Popular cars collect more complaints just by selling more, so a year is never compared with another model. The typical year leaves out years that were high themselves, so a run of bad years cannot set its own bar.
Tap a year to open it. Bars are owner complaints filed with NHTSA: unverified, and not adjusted for how many were sold. The three small marks by a year show how sure its verdict is: three for high, one for low. How sure is the verdict?
SourceNHTSA’s complaint and recall datasets. Each year’s page links its own NHTSA record. NHTSA, checked Nov 3, 2026.
10× a typical year
54 vs 3 typical, counted as 5
Most named: Engine
“Do not drive” and “park outside” are NHTSA’s own warnings on a recall, until it is fixed.
Scroll the table sideways to see more.
| Year | Verdict | Owner complaints | Recalls | Top problem area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Not judged | 2 | 0 | Fuel system |
| 2011 | Not judged | 3 | 1 | Electrical |
| 2010 | Not judged | 4 | 2 | Fuel system |
| 2009 | Pass | 56 | 4 | Engine |
SourceNHTSA’s complaint and recall datasets. Each year’s page links its own NHTSA record. NHTSA, checked Nov 3, 2026.