High-end British auto manufacturer Aston Martin issued a safety recall today that is expected to impact around 17,000 vehicles. The problem relates to potentially defective accelerator-pedal arms manufactured using a counterfeit plastic material supplied by a Chinese subcontractor. The company said it had received reports of failures in 22 of the accelerator-pedal arms to date, but no accidents related to the defective part had been reported.
James Bond movies are hugely popular in China, so it is somewhat ironic that misdeeds by a Chinese subcontractor are leading to the biggest recall in the history of the iconic “Bond car” manufacturer. A manager at the Chinese subcontractor in question said the matter was under investigation.
Scale of the recall
The safety recall applies to more than 17,000 vehicles, which represents approximately 75% of the total vehicles manufactured by Aston Martin over the last six years. The automaker also announced that the recall applies to all vehicles except Aston Martin’s new Vanquish coupe and Volante models.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that the number of Aston Martins in the U.S. impacted by the recall was 5,001.
An Aston Martin spokesperson said the total cost of the recall is expected to be “small.” A company insider who wished to remain anonymous estimated the cost of the recall at between £700,000 ($1.1 million) and £1 million ($1.55 million).
Company statement
“It is important to note that there have been no reported accidents and that the fix takes less than one hour,” a company spokesperson said earlier today. “That said, customer safety is our primary concern.”
Aston Martin owned by private equity
The Wall Street Journal reports that the British luxury auto maker is currently under the control of Italian private-equity company Investindustrial. The PE firm paid €190 million ($258 million) for a 37.5% stake in the auto maker a little over a year ago.
