BMW is facing a massive $40 million fine for failing to recall the 2014 and 2015 Mini Coopers in a timely manner. BMW has agreed to pay the fines and change the way it reports future safety problems. BMW will be forced to pay $10 million directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today and must spend an additional $10 million on technologies to help the automaker detect safety problems in the future. The remaining $20 million is being held in case BMW fails to comply with the NHTSA's requests.

The NHTSA claims that BMW didn't act quickly enough to fix specific Mini Coopers that failed a crash test. In October 2014, BMW claimed it had mislabeled the Mini Coopers' weight and stated that the hatchback would pass the crash test when conducted at the proper weight rating. BMW promised to place side-impact protection on the vehicles, but failed to do so according to the NHTSA. As per NHTSA's request, BMW must submit a monthly report to NHTSA and create a plan to stop BMW dealerships from selling new cars with unrepaired safety defects. NHTSA's Consent Order will stay in place for two years, while the agency has the ability to extend the oversight for an additional year.