Aston Martin is recalling most of the cars it has built since 2007 after discovering a Chinese sub-supplier was using counterfeit plastic material in the construction of the accelerator pedal assembly. In total 17,590 cars are affected, including all of its left-hand drive models built since November 2007 and all right-hand drive models built since May 2012, which is approximately 75 per cent of all vehicles built in that period. The recently introduced Vanquish is not subject to the recall.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Aston Martin found that Shenzhen Kexiang Mould Tool Co Limited, a Chinese subcontractor that moulds the affected accelerator pedal arms, was using counterfeit plastic material, weaker than that specified by the manufacturer.
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According to Aston Martin, should this defective structure fail "...the engine will return to idle and the driver will be unable to maintain or increase engine speed, increasing the risk of a crash" though it is keen to stress that there are no reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue and that the recall comes after an internal investigation started after one of its dealers reported the assembly breaking during remedial work for a separate issue.