Mini Cooper EV recalled over battery fire risk

More than 12,500 Mini Cooper SE electric cars have been recalled because their high-voltage batteries could short-circuit and catch fire. Obviously, this recall shouldn’t be ignored by owners.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:()}; adpushup.que.push(function() { if (adpushup.config.platform !== “DESKTOP”){ adpushup.triggerAd(“4d84e4c9 -9937-4f84-82c0-c94544ee6f2a”); } else{ adpushup.triggerAd(“6a782b01-facb-45f3-a88f-ddf1b1f97657”); } });

The automaker says a high-voltage battery or high-voltage system failure could cause a short circuit, which could lead to overheating and fire even when the vehicle is not running. Oddly, this doesn’t appear to be a common problem, as the document says battery failure “can occur for a variety of reasons.”

Read: New Mini John Cooper Works E electric version to go on sale this fall

The recall affects 12,535 Mini Cooper SE 2-Door Hardtop vehicles from the 2020-2024 model years. The vehicles were manufactured between March 21, 2019 and January 25, 2024.

window._taboola = window._taboola || (); _taboola.push({ mode: ‘thumbnails-a-mid’, container: ‘taboola-mid-article’, placement: ‘Mid Article’, target_type: ‘mix’ } );

window._taboola = window._taboola || (); _taboola.push({ mode: ‘thumbnails-oc-2×1’, container: ‘taboola-mid-article-thumbnails-organic’, placement: ‘Article mid thumbnail organic’, target_type: ‘mix’ });

BMW was first alerted to the potential problem in October 2023 when a Cooper SE caught fire in the United States. In January of this year, another model caught fire in Germany, and engineering analysis found an isolation fault within the battery. The investigation lasted from April to July, until the decision to recall was made on August 8. BMW has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem.

Owners will receive recall notifications starting in October. Fortunately, no mechanical fix is ​​required as the problem can be fixed via a software update. This will include a diagnostic feature that detects faults in the high-voltage battery and can automatically discharge the battery below 30%.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:()}; adpushup.que.push(function() { if (adpushup.config.platform !== “DESKTOP”){ adpushup.triggerAd(“5646c171 -cb6e-4e2c-8440-49013ca72758”); } else{ adpushup.triggerAd(“e7c4c913-3924-4b2d-9279-6c00984dd130”); } });