In the Mini, the turbocharger cooling pump only runs after the engine is shut down.
BMW is recalling almost 90,000 Mini models equipped with a turbocharged engine because the electric pump that cools the turbo after engine shutdown can fail and catch fire. Models built from 14 November 2006 through January of 2011 are covered by the Mini recall. Previously BMW had trouble with a similar pump used on V8 engines.
The root cause is a circuit board in the Pierburg-supplied pump that can overheat. At least four cases of a burned engine compartment have been reported, BMW said in the require safety defect filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It appears the recall was prompted by a NHTSA request for more information from BMW as part of a preliminary investigation last fall.
BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump free of charge, as is required by NHTSA regulation. The safety recall is expected to begin during February 2012. Owners may contact BMW at 1-866-275-6464.
Owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or http://www.safercar.gov.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
