— Aston Martin is recalling more than 6,000 cars to fix problems with the door locking mechanisms. The recalled vehicles include the following:
- 2010-2015 Aston Martin DB9
- 2010-2012 Aston Martin DBS
- 2010-2016 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
- 2012 Aston Martin Virage
- 2010-2016 Aston Martin Rapide
- 2014-2016 Aston Martin Vanquish
- 2011-2016 Aston Martin V12 Vantage
- 2012-2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato
The affected vehicles are equipped with interior door unlocking mechanisms that may not function when the vehicle has been locked from the outside.
When the full locking system is employed, the interior operations for unlocking the door locking mechanism are disengaged, which makes the locking system an effective anti-theft measure. However, if the doors cannot be opened by an occupant from inside the vehicle, they may be trapped inside.
Aston Martin says it's the same risk as if a person were in a vehicle in which the child locks were engaged. However, all the cars still have the ability to activate the horn from inside the cars even with the ignition switches turned off.
Some cars are also equipped with alarm systems with interior detection which is able to detect an occupant’s movement and will activate the vehicle’s alarm if the full locking mechanism is activated and occupants are detected inside the vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contacted the automaker concerning questions about the interior door locks. Aston Martin at the time believed it was compliant with U.S. regulations after questions about how the door locks work when locked from the outside.
The letter said the theft deterring double-lock function does not meet U.S. federal safety standards, something that caused the automaker to open an internal investigation. Aston Martin found the locks were compliant with European standards but didn't quite meet U.S. regulations.
Aston Martin filed for a petition on the basis the noncompliance was "inconsequential to motor vehicle safety." If approved, the automaker would not have been required to recall the cars, but the government rejected the door lock petition.
The door lock recall should begin August 1, 2016, when dealers will begin to disable the double locking feature by reprogramming the software.
Owners of the recalled cars may contact Aston Martin at 888-923-9988 and use recall number RA-01-0021.
