US Fines BMW $40Mln for Failing to Meet Safety Requirements

US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has imposed a $40 million fine on BMW North America for failing to timely recall vehicles that did not meet crash protection standards, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a press release on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — "NHTSA has discovered multiple instances in which BMW failed its obligations to its customers, to the public and to safety," Foxx stated. "The Consent Order NHTSA has issued not only penalizes this misconduct, it requires BMW to take a series of steps to remedy the practices and procedures that led to these violations."

An NHTSA investigation unveiled that the company did not issue a vehicle recall within five days after establishing that 2014 and 2015 Mini Cooper automobiles did not meet requirements for side-impact protection, according to the press release.

BMW has also failed to promptly notify car owners of the recall and did not provide accurate information on the incident to the US authorities.

In 2012, NHTSA fined BMW $3 million for similar violations.