Recall slows Aston Martin

ASTON Martin may build some of the fastest and most desirable cars on the planet, but the British sportscar-maker is recalling more than half its entire model line-up in Australia after discovering a fault that could cause the vehicles to go too slow.

The recall relates to an issue with the throttle pedal arm which could potentially break, causing the throttle to return to the idle position.

According to a notice on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s automotive recalls website, if this occurs, a “loss of function and the inability to influence or maintain engine speed will occur, posing a potential traffic hazard”.

This could leave Aston drivers stuck in traffic, but it is believed the driver may tap the throttle lightly to avoid a traffic jam.

The fault in locally sold cars is a part of a wider global recall of 16,825 vehicles for the same mechanical issue that was announced by Aston Martin in November last year. It is understood that there have been no instances of this occurring in Australia.

Around 150 examples of models including the V8 and V12 Vantage and Vantage S, DB9, Virage, V12 Zagato and the four-door Rapide and Rapide S sold between November 2007 and December 2013 are included in the local recall.

Newer Aston models including the Vanquish and Vanquish Volante are not affected.

The British marque’s Australian management has contacted owners and asked them to book in to their local Aston dealership, where the fix will take approximately one hour at no charge to the customer.

Aston Martin issued a recall in October 2012 for an issue with incorrect software in the tyre pressure system, while in May last year the company recalled about 90 cars due to a fault that meant the accelerator pedal in some models could snap off.

Last year, Aston Martin sold 99 vehicles in Australia, an increase of 5.3 per cent from the 94 vehicles it sold in 2012. VFACTS sales figures do not break Aston sales up by model, but it revealed the figure was made up of 90 coupes and nine convertibles.