A small number of MINI Hardtop 2-Door Cooper SE vehicles produced for the 2021 through 2023 model years for the US market have been hit with a safety recall. According to BMW of North America, the high-voltage battery housing may not have been improperly manufactured.
The document attached below lists BMW Plant Dingolfing as the supplier of the iffy housing. In addition to battery modules, high-voltage batteries, and electric drive units, Dingolfing also makes a plethora of car models – ranging from the 4 Series to the 8 Series – and the iX electric sport utility vehicle. At press time, almost 18,000 people work at BMW Plant Dingolfing.
October 2023 is when BMW of North America became aware of an event involving a Cooper SE that experienced a thermal event. While the automaker's American division was busy with an engineering analysis of the aforementioned vehicle, the mothership in Munich became aware of a different Cooper SE from the German market with isolation faults within the high-voltage battery pack.
The root cause was identified in March 2024, with BMW determining that thermal events can be triggered by water entering the housing due to isolation faults. An insufficient sealing process leads to the described condition. BMW of North America understands that 128 examples of the Cooper SE may have been produced with insufficient sealing compound around the two halves of the battery housing.
Said vehicles were assembled between June 12, 2020 and November 30, 2022. Dealers have been instructed to test the battery housings for leaks and inspect all suspect housings for isolation faults. In case of water ingress, the 32.6-kWh battery will be repaired rather than replaced.
Photo: MINI
Owner notifications will begin on June 21. In the meantime, owners can easily figure out if their Cooper SE vehicles are recalled or not by running the 17-character vehicle identification number on MINI's recall portal. Alternatively, owners can get in touch with BMW customer service or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline.
Listed on MINI's website with a starting price of $30,900 for the 2024 model year, the Cooper SE features a front-mounted electric motor that puts out 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet (270 Nm) of twist. Capable of hitting 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 6.9 seconds, the 2024 MINI Cooper SE can be charged to 80 percent at 50 kilowatts in as little as 36 minutes.
The driving range, however, will not impress you. 114 miles (183 kilometers) in the combined test cycle puts it well below the Chevrolet Bolt (259 miles or 417 kilometers) and Nissan Leaf (149 or 212 miles/240 or 341 kilometers). Worse still, the rivals are more affordable to boot.
North America still hasn't received the redesigned Cooper E and punchier Cooper SE, which are currently produced in China by a joint venture between the BMW Group and Great Wall Motor. The fossil-fuel 2025 MINI Cooper S, meanwhile, is best described as a heavily updated 2024 model with styling cues from its electric sibs.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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