NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE07-022: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE07-022 on April 19, 2007 and closed it on August 15, 2007. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Mini Cooper and Cooper S for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE07-022 (also written PE07022)
Investigation type: Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
Status: Closed August 15, 2007
Opened: April 19, 2007
Closed: August 15, 2007
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC
Components: Steering — Electric Power Assist System; Steering — Hydraulic Power Assist System; Steering — Hydraulic Power Assist — Hose, Piping, and Connections; Steering — Hydraulic Power Assist — Pump
Vehicles and equipment: Mini Cooper and Cooper S

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE07-022.

try.vin does not copy NHTSA's investigation documents; NHTSA's investigation record lists the ones NHTSA has published.

IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST (IR) LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI), BMW STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS AN INSUFFICIENT SEAL OF THE GROUND CABLE OF THE POWER STEERING PUMP AT ITS ATTACHMENT TO THE CHASSIS.WATER INGRESS CAN OCCUR AND THE WATER CAN TRAVEL ALONG THE POWER STEERING PUMP POWER CABLE AND COME IN CONTACT WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP POWER CABLE CONNECTOR.THE CONNECTOR CAN THEN CORRODE AND A HIGH THERMAL LOAD CONDITION CAN OCCUR.ACCORDING TO BMW, THIS ULTIMATELY COULD RESULT IN A LOCALIZED SMOLDERING CONDITION THAT DOES NOT PROPAGATE. TO CORRECT THE WATER INGRESS ISSUE, BMW IMPLEMENTED CHANGES TO THE WIRE ROUTING, THE POWER STEERINGPUMP CONNECTOR AND THE GROUND EYELET CONNECTION BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND JULY OF 2002. IN A REVIEW OF WARRANTY CLAIM DATA SENT BY BMW, 67 PERCENT OF THE VEHICLES NOTED IN WARRANTY CLAIMS HAD PRODUCTION DATES AFTER AUGUST 1, 2002. ADDITIONALLY, ODI NOTED EIGHT REPORTS OF CONSUMERS WITNESSING FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA07-011) TO FURTHER ASSESS THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY ANDPOTENTIAL SAFETY CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALLEGED DEFECT.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE07-022. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Mini

Mini Cooper
- 2002, 2003
Mini Cooper S
- 2002, 2003

All Mini recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Mini VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE07-022

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.