According to the NHTSA, BMW of North America has recalled somd 2014-2015 MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops and 2015 JCW hardtops to address an issue with side impact performance requirements for the rear passengers after these models failed to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 214 by exceeding the specified maximum […] More...
This was discussed and announced SEVERAL MONTHS AGO....remember the folks on whiteroof radio talking about it...why now? So here we are... Months later...Chrysler/FIAT gets a big fine for being slow to fix recalled cars...and BAM!! Mini makes an announcement and says the fix us coming!!! Why didn't they announce it months ago...imo.. The answer is simple. PR...by making an announcement in the "shadow" of a competitor's larger announcement and fine...they tried to minimize the " impact " of the bad PR...they hoped the news organizations would say this is a small recall, and not cover it...the equivalent of an abouncent on a Friday before a long weekend.... I understand the car failed the tests by a TINY amount, and the fix is minor...but an F is an F. Go MINI.... Yet again you prove you don't give a RATS AZZ about your customers. They are more concerned about PERCEPTION than about YOUR ACTUAL SAFETY.
I get the idea that Mini thought it better get things moving before it got slapped with 150M fine (or so) for not taking action within an appropriate time frame.
Naww..just wonder WHY it took so long for them to announce it...MINI spent YEARS saying they were the SAFE small car...now a potential unsafe condition occurs...and they try to handle it on "the down low"... It's not like there has never been a recall on a gen3 MINI.... It has been "known" there would be a recall for months... The timing is suspicious IMO. Why tell owners who are not involved with MINI sites their car is potentially unsafe... Just hide it, till a you can announce it, so the news is buried under a bigger recall... How many owners have had their kids in the back for the last 4-6 months, no worries, even though MINI had said this would happen very quietly.... Why not just have an announcement MONTHS AGO... Naww...they kept it quiet...and did not do anything till their hand was forced IMO ...thecfearcof a fine perhaps, with being able to bury it after a bigger recall by a competitor? Am I soured on MINI? Not exactly...jaded, maybe. Just seems to be much less of a proactive company... Even the new cars, in which they designed start to finish, 100% these basic issues pop up... Makes one wonder IMO. Dealing with basic competency here... The ability to make a safe, reliable car....
This is an additional recall. Several models were recalled months ago but the recall was expanded to include additional models after internal testing done by BMW found a few other models deficient in foam as well. Not the end of the world.