BMW North America, MINI's parent company, started looking into the issue in October 2023 after getting reports of battery problems. In January 2024, another incident happened in Germany, leading to this big recall.
The high-voltage batteries in these cars might not have been made the right way. This could cause faults in the battery or electrical system, leading to a short circuit. If that happens, the battery could overheat and even catch fire. The scary part is this could happen even when the car isn't being used.
BMW says they don't know of any injuries or accidents because of this problem. But they're not taking any chances. They'll update the software in all affected cars for free. This update will add a new way to spot battery issues and can lower the battery charge to under 30 percent if needed.
MINI will let owners know about the recall by October 7, 2024. If you see a warning message on your MINI Cooper SE's dashboard, it could be related to this issue.
