BMW has agreed to pay $3 million for not telling about the safety defects
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, (BMW) the largest premium German automaker in the world, is fined of $3 million for not telling about the safety defects earlier and in its full form. The company has to pay the fine to U.S. government, after the reports of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“It’s critical to the safety of the driving public that defects and recalls are reported in short order,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA expects all manufacturers to address automotive safety issues quickly and in a forthright manner.”
In a statement to Drive On, BMW said, “BMW issued 16 recalls in the U.S. in 2010 covering a range of BMW cars, SAVs and motorcycles. The vehicles involved included 1 Series, 5 Series, 5 Series Gran Turismo, 6 Series, 7 Series and X5 and X6. A number of motorcycle models were also recalled. In all but one case where NHTSA claimed that BMW filed late were related to motorcycles.”
SAV is BMW’s reference to crossover utility vehicles.
NHTSA has reported that it had examined 16 recalls – of motorcycles and autos – from 2010 and “found evidence of a number of instances where the automaker failed to report safety defects to the agency in accordance with federal law.”
NHTSA said, “As part of today’s settlement, BMW of North America, LLC and its parent company Bayerische Motoren Werke AG agreed to make internal changes to its recall decision-making process to ensure timely reporting to consumers and the federal government in the future.”
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