Electric Mini Coopers recalled in Australia over major fire risk

Australia has issued a recall notice for the Mini Cooper SE. Photo / Ted Baghurst

More than 1400 luxury electric vehicles are being recalled in Australia amid warnings their batteries could short-circuit and catch fire while being driven.

The federal transport department issued a recall on Tuesday for Mini Cooper SE electric cars sold in Australia between 2020 and 2023.

The warning follows a recall of more than 140,000 Mini Cooper vehicles issued by manufacturer BMW worldwide earlier this month.

The recall comes two weeks after BMW recalled 140,000 electric Mini Cooper vehicles worldwide.

The transport department warned the software defect that affected 1408 cars in Australia had the potential to “increase the risk of serious injury or death to vehicle occupants”.

”The high-voltage battery management software has insufficient protections for short-circuit events,” it said.

”As a result, if a short-circuit occurs, it could lead to a vehicle fire while driving or parked.

The faulty software could be remedied with a software update and owners should contact a local Mini dealer urgently to have it installed, the transport department said.

The Australian recall comes two weeks after BMW recalled more than 140,000 electric Mini Cooper vehicles worldwide, including 39,000 in Germany and more than 12,000 in the US.

”A vehicle fire, even when the vehicle is parked, cannot be ruled out,” the company said in a statement.

Despite concerns about electric vehicle safety, Australia has recorded only six electric car fires since 2010, according to EV FireSafe, including one case of arson, two collisions, and three parked near a blaze.

New Zealand situation

A spokeswoman for Mini New Zealand said it was aware of the global recalls affecting the previous Mini Cooper SE generation model produced between June 10, 2020 and December 1, 2022.

“Quality tests have shown 14 vehicles in New Zealand have been part of this recall that showed an error displayed by a check control message. These customers have all been contacted, with seven of them already having had the necessary repairs done to their vehicles. Our dealers are currently liaising with the other seven customers to arrange vehicle checks and repairs, if necessary.

“The safety of BMW Group customers is our highest priority, and we will continue to work closely together with our dealers to manage this campaign.”

The recall only affected the old Mini Cooper (F56) and not the new model (J01), the spokeswoman said.

- Additional reporting by staff reporter.