After crash testing by NHTSA, BMW is recalling 2014-2015 Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S Hardtop 2-door cars and 2015 Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop 2-door models because they do not meet the side-impact performance requirements for the rear seat passengers. The Mini Cooper models fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, “Side Impact Protection.”
On July 1 and 2, 2015, NHTSA conducted FMVSS 214 compliance tests involving a Model Year 2015 Mini 2 Door Hardtop, Cooper model and a Model Year 2015 Mini 2 Door Hardtop, Cooper S model. The test results for the Cooper model vehicle met the requirements in FMVSS 214 Section 7.2.6(b). However, the Cooper S model vehicle exceeded the specified maximum T12 acceleration value (82g) by 0.94g.
After a BMW review, 2014-15 Mini 2-door Hardtop vehicles in the Cooper, Cooper S models and Model Year 2015 John Cooper Works models, the German automaker conceded they may not fully conform to FMVSS 214.
In the required NHTSA filing BMW said that additional energy absorption material between the rear interior side panels and the exterior vehicle body will be installed. Vehicles produced prior to May 15, 2014 will be further modified by adding a small foam patch between the rear interior side panels and the exterior vehicle body.
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.
