NHTSA Investigates Engine Fire Reports in 36,000 Mini Cooper S Models

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) announced that it has opened a preliminary investigation on the Mini Cooper S from the 2007-2008MY for engine fires.In a posting on its website, the NHTSA said it received 12 complaints of engine compartment fire in the affected models.
Eight owners allege that the fire in the engine compartment started while the cars were parked and the ignition key removed, while five complaints said that the Minis were engulfed in flames and the incidents resulted in total vehicle loss.
If the NHTSA’s investigation results in a vehicle recall, it will affect approximately 36,000 cars that have been sold in the U.S. So far, there are no injuries or fatalities related to the fires.

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Epic Launch Fail: $2.7 Million Luxury Boat from China Sinks as it Touches the Water…

Carscoop has as much to do about boats as these people have about building and/or launching them, nevertheless, a fail is a fail and we couldn't help ourselves from sharing this transportation-related epic flop that was caught on camera.

Named "SS Jiugang", the luxury vessel is a 17 million RMB (US$2.7 million) project financed byChina's Jiugang Group and built by the Lanzhou Ministry of Transportation.
As with any maiden voyage, government and company officials organized a special event to roll out the boat into the Yellow River, complete with champagne bottles, fireworks and…plenty of cameras. You can only imagine what happened when the boat begun to sink as it touched the water…
Chinese media quoted transportation officials as saying that the accident was a result of "improper handling from the operators who miscalculated the water level causing the rear half to sink".
The "SS Jiugang" was hauled back for repairs and will launch at a later date – hopefully, without any hitches…

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