Mini issues fire-risk recall for models sold in ‘salt-belt’

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Mini issued a recall on older Cooper Hardtop and Clubman models in late May over concerns they may be at risk of catching fire, if sold new or mostly driven in areas where road-salt use in high and can lead to corrosion. Model-year-2007 to -2013 Cooper Hardtops, including the Cooper S and John Cooper Works lines, are affected if equipped with sunroofs, as are model-year-2008 to -2014 Clubman models.

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Mini issues fire-risk recall for models sold in ‘salt-belt’ Back to video

In Canada, the automaker estimates about 21,319 of these models are affected, along with about 98,000 in the U.S. The defect was found out via a prior Canadian recall, and involves road salt working with water leaking from around the sunroof to cause corrosion around the Footwell Control Module (FCM) below the dashboard, which controls lights and power-window functions. The risk posed is that this module, when wet or salty, could short-circuit, which could cause a fire.

The prior Canadian recall, in 2018, was tied to 16 fires, but it wasn’t until January 2023 that Transport Canada put together the sunroof connection, after new complaints came in on the Minis previously repaired to correct the first FCM-fire recall. After looking into it, Mini parent BMW deduced “multiple freeze/thaw cycles can cause the vehicle’s sunroof drain hose to become damaged, loosen, and eventually detach from the drain pipe within the A-pillar, which could allow water to enter the vehicle interior.”

BMW has since logged reports of six incidents of fires tied to the defect in the U.S. The automaker is still working on a fix for the problem, and in the interim suggests owners park their cars outside and away from buildings or other vehicles.