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Aston Martin recall : counterfeit Chinese part used in three in four cars built since 2007

British luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin is recalling three quarters of the vehicles it has produced since late 2007 after learning a Chinese sub-supplier has been providing counterfeit plastic for one of its parts.


The recall affects 17,590 Aston Martins around the world, including (with the exception of the Vanquish) every left-hand-drive model made since November 2007 and all right-hand-drive cars since May 2012. Approximately 75 per cent of the vehicles built by Aston Martin over this period were fitted with the defective component.

A total of 156 vehicles delivered to Australia (119 customer cars and 37 in the supply chain) have been recalled, spanning the DB9, DBS, Rapide, Vantage, Virage, and Zagato nameplates.

The recall relates to the accelerator pedal arms produced by Chinese part supplier Shenzhen Kexiang Mould Tool Co. Ltd., which was found to be using a counterfeit plastic material supplied by Synthetic Plastic Raw Material Co. Ltd.

The official recall notice published on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) website explains there is a risk of the throttle pedal arm breaking in vehicles equipped with the defective part.

“If the throttle pedal arm breaks, the throttle will return to the idle position,” the recall notice reads.

“Loss of function and the inability to influence or maintain engine speed will occur, posing a potential traffic hazard.”

An Aston Martin spokeswoman told Reuters the company was aware of 22 failed parts in its vehicles but no accidents or injuries relating to the defect.

More than 40 per cent of the affected vehicles were sold in Europe, and more than a quarter in the US.

Aston Martin is now sourcing the plastic material for the accelerator pedal arms from a DuPont distributor, and has strengthened its quality control measures to supervise production of the part.

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