NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE08-031: EXHAUST PIPE BURNS
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE08-031 on April 28, 2008 and closed it on August 29, 2008, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA08-020, which this investigation's summary cites. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2007 Mini Cooper S for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE08-031 (also written PE08031)
- 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 29, 2008
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- BMW of North America, LLC
- Component
- Engine and Engine Cooling — Exhaust System
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2007 Mini 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 PE08-031.
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON THREE CONSUMER REPORTS.THE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED BEING BURNED ON THEIR LEGS BY THE HOT EXHAUST PIPE TIP WHILE THEY WERE REMOVING CARGO ITEMS FROM THE REAR HATCH AREA OF THEIR VEHICLES.THE MINI COOPER S MODEL HAS DUAL EXHAUST PIPE TIPS THAT ARE LOCATED AT THE CENTER LINE OF THE VEHICLEUNDER THE REAR BUMPER.THE EXHAUST PIPE TIPS EXTEND BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE BUMPER.ODI IS UPGRADING THIS INVESTIGATION TO ENGINEERING ANALYSIS EA08-020 BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY BMW IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S PE08-031 INFORMATION REQUEST LETTER.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE08-031. 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 S
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 PE08-031
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.