Chinese Counterfeit Issue Forces Aston Martin to Recall 17,590 Cars [Updated]

We learn from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA that Aston Martin has been forced to announce the recalling of 5,001 cars in North America on the grounds of them having had improper accelerator pedal assemblies installed and in particular, units made out of a counterfeit material, from a Chinese supplier.

The affected models sold in the US are the 2008 – 2014 DB9 and V8 Vantage, 2009 – 2012 DBS, 2010 – 2012 Rapide S, 2011 – 2012 V12 Vantage, 2011 – 2014 Vantage S and the 2012 Virage.

The recall was originally planned for fewer cars (under 700) in which the gas pedal arm was said to be prone to breaking, but it was ultimately discovered that far more are actually involved.

This has an inherent risk of crashing associated with it, “if the accelerator pedal arm breaks, the engine will return to idle and the driver will be unable to maintain or increase engine speed, increasing the risk of a crash.”

Aston Martin will begin the recall campaign after February 7 and all owners of affected models are informed that this current recall supersedes the older one that involved the lower number of vehicles.

Update: Along with the 5,001 cars in North America, Aston Martin’s recall also affects a further 12,589 models worldwide, placing the total to 17,590 vehicles

By Andrei Nedelea

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