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NHTSA expands new Takata probe to 4 more automakers

DETROIT — The U.S. government's highway safety agency has launched an investigation into four additional automakers that have a potentially deadly type of Takata air bag inflator in their vehicles but have yet to recall them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted Thursday that it is investigating Audi, Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi in connection with a Takata recall involving 1.4 million inflators. This brings the total number of manufacturers potentially impacted to five, as BMW was connected to the issue when it was brought to light earlier in December. The inflators made by the now-bankrupt Takata have a distinct and separate problem that can cause them to blow apart a metal canister and spew shrapnel into people's faces and bodies. The problem killed a driver in Australia who was in an older 3-Series BMW, which has already recalled more than 116,000 vehicles. The problem is so dangerous that in some cases BMW has told drivers to park their vehicles until repairs can be made. The safety agency says in documents that Takata didn't provide details on the affected makes, models or model years of vehicles with the defective inflators. So it is telling the companies to recall them promptly. The agency says that based on when the faulty inflators were produced, it's likely that the vehicles to be recalled came from the 1995 through 2000 model years. In letters to all four automakers, NHTSA says they have five business days to notify the agency after finding out about a safety defect. “If your company has not yet gathered enough evidence to make a determination that the subject air bag inflators present an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety, reply with a detailed work plan including the benchmark dates required to make the determination,” the agency wrote in letters to all four automakers dated Wednesday. A Honda spokesman said Thursday it hasn't determined yet whether its vehicles are affected, but a decision should be made soon. Audi, Mitsubishi and Toyota said they are still investigating. NHTSA has told the companies to respond by Jan. 17. On Dec. 4, NHTSA posted documents from Takata and BMW detailing the problems. The documents said the Australian driver was killed, while another Australian driver and a driver in Cyprus were injured. Unlike previous recalls, the Takata non-azide inflators do not use volatile ammonium nitrate to fill the air bags in a crash.

Did BMW drag its feet on Mini recall?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is opening an investigation into BMW's reporting of a recall for 30,456 examples of the 2014-2015 Mini Cooper Hardtop, Cooper S, and the 2015 John Cooper Works. According to the government, "it appears from a review of NHTSA's databases that BMW may have failed to submit recall communications to NHTSA in a timely manner." The automaker issued the recall in July because crash tests showed the models didn't meet side impact requirements for passengers in the back seat. While there were no reported injuries at the time, the company decided to install energy-absorbing material in the space between the rear interior panels and the exterior. However, NHTSA has decided to investigate whether this campaign should have started much earlier, given the evidence the company had. According to the government's report, the Cooper Hardtop failed side-impact tests in 2014, although one of these tests was five-miles-per-hour faster than the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. The agency claims: "In January 2015 BMW verbally committed that it would conduct a service campaign to add padding to the rear side panels of MY 2015 Mini 2 Door Hardtop Cooper models. However, BMW did not initiate the service campaign and failed to inform NHTSA of its failure to do so." A subsequent crash test of an example with this fix showed it to make the vehicle compliant with the rules. Mini spokesperson Mariella Kapsaskis told Autoblog: "Regarding the NHTSA audit query, BMW Group is evaluating the request and will respond to NHTSA as appropriate." INVESTIGATION Subject : BMW Reporting & Timely Recall Execution Date Investigation Opened: SEP 24, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: AQ15004 Component(s): STRUCTURE All Products Associated with this Investigation Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) MINI COOPER 2014-2015 MINI COOPER S 2014-2015 MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS 2015 Details Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: NHTSA is opening this AQ to better understand and evaluate BMW's process(es) for its notification procedures and for timely and efficient execution of its safety recall campaigns. In mid-2014, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) had side impact moving deformable barrier (MDB) tests performed on two model year (MY) 2014 Mini 2 Door Hardtop Coopers. These two tests were performed at a speed 5 mph higher than required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 214, Side impact protection.

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW invests in Zirx, EV charging on National Mall

BMW i Ventures has invested in valet company Zirx. Zirx offers on-demand valet services in urban centers and other areas where parking can pose a challenge to drivers. Drivers use the Zirx app to mark their location, where an agent will pick up the car and park it and, if desired, refuel/recharge, wash or have other maintenance performed on the vehicle in the meantime. "BMW i Ventures provides equity financing to service providers it identifies as having high potential to make urban mobility smarter, more efficient and more flexible," says BMW i Ventures Managing Director Ulrich Quay. "With its combination of service and technology that makes it easier for drivers to park and take care of their cars, ZIRX has the potential to be a central component of on-demand services." Read more in the press release below. Tesla gets more Google searches in China and Norway than any other automaker. While Toyota searches dominate much of the rest of the world, Tesla is enjoying solid favor in Norway. While electric vehicles make up about a quarter of new car sales in the Scandinavian country, Tesla has had trouble getting a foothold in China. Perhaps the Google searches mean Chinese drivers could be warming up to the automaker. Read more from Gas2. Two EV charging stations have been installed at the National Mall in Washington, DC. Installed by the National Park Service, the stations – which cost $2 per hour to use – are located across from the National Museum of American History and from the National Air and Space Museum. "As the National Park Service prepares for its second century of service to the American people, we are committed to providing clean and green energy to promote a healthy environment," says the National Park Service Acting Superintendent Karen Cucurullo. Read more from NBC Washington. BMW i Ventures Makes Strategic Investment in ZIRX New investment helps fuel ZIRX's expansion into new markets and service offerings; company introduces ZIRX Enterprise SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BMW Group today announced a strategic investment in ZIRX under the company's venture capital entity, BMW i Ventures. An innovative on-demand parking and car services company built for drivers, ZIRX eliminates the frustration that drivers face in owning a car and parking in major urban markets like New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C.