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Half of New Minis Sold in U.S.
Recalled
Tue Jul 30,10:01 AM ET
DETROIT (Reuters) - About half of the fashionable new Mini Cooper
compact cars that have been sold in the United States will be
recalled to fix a transmission problem, federal safety regulators
said on Tuesday.
BMW AG , the maker of the Mini, was also hit with the eighth
recall of its X5 luxury sport utility vehicle, this time for loose
brake pedals.
The Mini, a retro-styled revival of the British classic, has been
a hit in the United States with more than 6,000 sold since March.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( news
- web
sites) said that on 3,531 Mini Coopers with manual
transmissions, the cable connecting the shift lever to the
transmission could detach, leaving the transmission in the last gear
selected and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the cable and install a retaining clip if
necessary. The recall is the first for the model.
BMW will also recall 34,860 X5 SUVs from the 2000 model year to
inspect the brake pedal pivot arm. NHTSA said the pivot arm could
become loose and eventually separate from its bracket, making the
brakes inoperable.
BMW wasn't the only luxury automaker hit with recalls Tuesday.
NHTSA said 2,085 Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars built between 1998 and
May of this year would be recalled to fix a problem with the braking
system that could allow air into the brake lines. Rolls-Royce and
Bentley are owned by Volkswagen AG , but BMW will take over the
Rolls-Royce name and production in January.
Among the other recalls NHTSA announced Tuesday:
-- DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler arm will recall 88,000 1996
Chrysler Sebring cars to replace a throttle cable that can stick.
-- Honda Motor Co. ( news
- web
sites) Ltd. will replace the passenger air bag modules in 403
2001 Acura Integra and Honda Insight cars that could fail to deploy
in a collision.
-- Lotus dealers will be ordered to replace leak-prone fuel tanks
on 546 1991 Lotus Elan sports cars.
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