Photo by Brent Clanton, News 92 FM
(HOUSTON) – A car caught on fire right outside of the News 92 FM newsroom windows.
It happened Friday afternoon on the Southwest Freeway feeder between Weslayan and Buffalo Speedway.
We’re told the driver was able to escape before the car burst into flames. Firefighters were at the scene within one minute and quickly extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported.
It turns out the car that burned was a Mini Cooper. While we don’t know the year or model, we do know certain Minis were recalled in January 2012 because of an electronic circuit board that could overheat and cause a fire. 235,000 were recalled — 89,000 in the United States.
Here’s the official recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website:
Report Receipt Date: JAN 11, 2012
NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V008000
Component(s): ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s)
- MINI COOPER S2007-2011
- MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN 2008-2011
- MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE 2009-2011
- MINI COOPER S COUNTRYMAN 2011
- MINI JCW 2009-2011
- MINI JCW CLUBMAN 2009
- MINI JCW CONVERTIBLE 2010-2011
Manufacturer: BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC
SUMMARY:
BMW IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2011 MINI COOPER S, 2008-2011 MINI COOPER S CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER S CONVERTIBLE, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW, 2009-2011 MINI COOPER JCW CLUBMAN, 2009-2011 COOPER JCW CONVERTIBLE, AND 2011 COOPER S COUNTRYMAN PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 14, 2006, THROUGH JANUARY 18, 2011. THE ELECTRIC AUXILIARY WATER PUMP THAT COOLS THE TURBOCHARGER HAS AN ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT BOARD THAT CAN MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT.
CONSEQUENCE:
THE CIRCUIT BOARD MAY SMOLDER WHICH COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.
REMEDY:
BMW WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WATER PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN DURING FEBRUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BMW AT 1-866-275-6464.
To find out if you car has been recalled, go to www.safecar.org.
Car Goes Up in Flames Near Southwest Freeway was originally published on news92fm.com
