Washington DC - With Volkswagen and Toyota recalling millions of cars in recent years to check for possible faults, luxury brand Rolls-Royce has announced a recall of its own - for just one car.
The Ghost limousine sold in the United States in 2014 has been ordered into the workshop by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over an issue with the car's airbags.
The NHTSA’s letter to BMW-owned Rolls-Royce reads: “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 number 214, 'Side Impact Protection',”
BMW said said the airbags on the R350 000 (R4.9 million) car would be replaced free of charge.
Decent airbags are particularly important for Ghost occupants, since the car boasts dramatic performance, thanks to a huge 6.6-litre engine. Despite weighing 2.5 tons, the entry-level limousine can dash from a standing start to 100 kilometres per hour in 4.9 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.