BMW hit with $40 million U.S. penalty for safety lapses

By David Shepardson

Dec 21 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators on Monday fined BMW $10 million, part of a $40 million civil settlement over the German automaker's safety lapses.

The fine is the second paid by BMW since 2012 and the latest in a series of civil penalties imposed on major automakers by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Under the settlement, BMW admitted it did not comply with minimum crash protection standards, failed to notify owners of recalls in a timely fashion and failed to provide accurate information about its recalls to NHTSA.

The NHTSA fined BMW $3 million in 2012 for similar problems.

The settlement ends a NHTSA investigation into whether the company failed to issue a recall within five days of learning that its 2014 and 2015 Mini Cooper models failed to meet regulatory minimums for side-impact crash protection.

The $40 million settlement includes a $10 million fine, a requirement that the company spend at least $10 million meeting the order's performance obligations, and $20 million in deferred penalties if the company fails to comply with the order or commits other safety violations.

BMW has agreed to retain a government-approved independent safety consultant and disclose updated procedures to NHTSA.

Earlier this month, the agency fined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV $70 million for failing to disclose vehicle crash death and injury reports.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)