Press Examiner reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has required a recall of 35,000 MINIs sold in the U.S. because: .
. . . some of those vehicles were improperly constructed and provide less protection for occupants during collisions than is required by law. An additional 4,130 MINI hatchbacks are being recalled in Canada. NHTSA documents indicate that the models involved in the recall weren’t built with enough material to reduce the effect of side-impact collisions.
The agency initially found the standard Cooper Hardtop to be compliant, however a slight variance caused the sportier S trim to fail.
The recall includes certain Cooper and Cooper S Hardtop two-door cars from 2014 and 2015, as well as the 2015 John Cooper Works Hardtop two-door. BMW is not aware of any injuries linked to this issue. Owners of these models will be notified by MINI and the company’s dealers will be installing the additional energy absorption material, between the rear seat interior side panels and the exterior body, free of charge.
The MINI recall should begin September 12, 2015.
MINI Coopers recalled for second time after tests show rear passengers aren’t protected in a crash. Owners can call Mini at 866-825-1525 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 888-327-4236 for more information.
Today’s recall is an expansion of a previous recall filed in December, which covered 3,085 Cooper two-door hardtop cars from the 2014 model year. However, there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the defect.
