United States safety regulators imposed a fine against German car manufacturer BMW. The $40 million penalty was incurred due to BMW's slow response in fixing its cars under the Mini brand which failed crash tests performed by safety regulators.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Dec. 21 that BMW did not send accurate recall information to the agency.
In a consent order signed by BMW, the company must pay $10 million in cash and spend an additional $10 million in imposing protocols in order to comply with safety regulations. An additional $20 million in fines will be paid by BMW in case the company does not comply or commit to other safety regulations, according to The Washington Post.
In previous negotiations, the NHTSA said that BMW agreed to abide the stipulations and will make sure that it will not commit the same violations in the future.
In a statement acquired by Reuters, NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said, "The requirement to launch recalls and inform customers in a timely fashion when a safety defect or noncompliance is discovered is fundamental to our system for protecting the traveling public."
Earlier this month, the NHTSA also imposed a $70 million fine against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles after the company failed to accurately disclose vehicle crash deaths and related injury reports. In July, Fiat Chrysler paid $70 million in order to resolve allegations that the company mishandled at least 24 recall campaigns that cover more than 11 million vehicles.
The NHTSA has been vigilant in keeping auto makers in tabs. The agency fined Honda Motor $70 in January after the Japanese auto maker failed to disclose injury and death reports.