Earlier, it was Volkswagen, Toyota, Porsche, BMW and Nissan. But now it appears no car is safe, as British luxury automobile manufacturer Rolls-Royce joins the list of recalling manufacturers.
In a letter issued by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Rolls-Royce (owned by BMW) announced it was recalling a single Ghost, manufactured in 2014, because of an issue with the airbags.
“Rolls BMW of North America is recalling one model year 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost manufactured on January 23, 2014,” the letter read.
“The affected vehicle has thorax air bags fitted to both front seats that may fail to meet the side impact performance requirements for the front seat occupants. As such, this vehicle may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, ‘Side Impact Protection’.”
A Rolls-Royce dealer “will replace the driver-side and passenger-side thorax air bag modules, free of charge”, the letter adds (which is the least they can do, seeing as the car costs nearly $300,000).
According to the Financial Times, which first reported the story, the affected car had left its factory in Goodwood, East Sussex, in January 2014 but its North American owner had not yet taken delivery.
The issue “was due to the incorrect labeling on one of the airbags”, a Rolls spokesman told the FT.
Rolls-Royce, which sold 4,000 cars last year, officially unveiled the Ghost in 2009. The 2014 model boasts a 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, and can reach from 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds.