Aston Martin hit by Daimler steering-column recall

[January 22, 2018]  PARIS (Reuters) - Aston Martin has become the latest carmaker to be caught up in a major recall of faulty Daimler steering-column components that can cause unintended airbag deployments.

The logo of British car manufacturer Aston Martin is seen in a service station of Swiss Emil Frey AG in Safenwil, Switzerland May 31, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

The British sports car maker is recalling all 3,873 DB11 coupes built since late 2015, when production of the flagship model began, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Aston Martin spokesman Kevin Watters confirmed the recall when contacted by Reuters and said repairs would be carried out to "address an issue with the DB11 steering column upper".

Daimler last year recalled more than 1 million Mercedes-Benz cars fitted with steering-column parts also supplied to Aston and Nissan <7201.T>. The Japanese carmaker's Infiniti brand recalled 17,500 affected vehicles.

The issue is unrelated to a global recall of faulty Takata <TKTDQ.PK> airbag inflators that have been blamed for 20 deaths.

Inadequate grounding in the Daimler units leaves their circuitry vulnerable to electrostatic charges that can trigger unintended airbag deployments, according to earlier warnings.

Mercedes reported "a handful of instances where drivers suffered minor abrasions or bruises" as a result of the problem. No Aston Martin customers have reported any such incidents to date, the company said, adding the necessary repair work would be carried out free of charge in less than two hours.

(Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Mark Potter)

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.