Defect Investigation Detail

MINI / COOPER S / 2002

Components - Details
NHTSA Action Number: PE07022 Vehicale/Equipment Name: MINI
Vehicale/Equipment Model: COOPER S Vehicale/Equipment Year: 2002
Component Name: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM Manufacturer's Name: BMW of North America, LLC
Date Opened: Apr, 19 2007 Date Closed: Aug, 15 2007
Subject: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE Summary: 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.