RA-01-1048 – Installing Steering Column Grounds – 2017-2018 Aston Martin DB11

January 19, 2018

Inadvertent Driver Air Bag Deployment

If the driver air bag inadvertently deploys, it can increase the risk of injury and a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V065

Manufacturer Aston Martin The Americas

Components AIR BAGS

Potential Number of Units Affected 1,027

 

Summary

Aston Martin The Americas (Aston Martin) is recalling certain 2017-2018 DB11 V12 Coupe and DB11 V8 Coupe vehicles. The driver’s frontal air bag may unexpectedly deploy due to insufficient grounding of the steering components if an electrostatic discharge occurs and the air bag clockspring is broken.

 

Remedy

Aston Martin will notify owners, and dealers will add sufficient grounding to the steering components, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 2018. Owners may contact Aston Martin customer service at 1-888-923-9988.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

Check if your Aston Martin has a Recall

---

SAFETY RECALL ACTION

 

Attached Documents:

1. Appendix A – Table that Shows the Quantities of Affected Vehicles

Reason for this Safety Recall Action NHTSA ID: 18V-065. 

Aston Martin has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists on DB11 models manufactured between June 2016 and November 2017.

On certain DB11 vehicles an electrostatic discharge (ESD), when combined with a damaged steering column control module clock spring and an insufficient grounding of the steering column upper, may lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver airbag, which can increase the risk of injury and a crash. This Safety Recall Action gives instructions on how to install a contact bridge and a contact spring to the steering column. These components will remove the static charge from the steering wheel.

To correct this problem you must install two grounding components to the steering column.

The full list of VINs for the affected vehicles is on the Dealer Communication System (DCS) portal as an attachment to this Safety Recall Action document.

PLEASE DO A CHECK OF ALL VEHICLES THAT ARE IN THE AFFECTED VIN LIST

 

Legal Requirements

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle which is subject to a recall campaign of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the owner has tendered it for repair. Failure to repair within sixty (60) days after tender of a vehicle is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time.

If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the owner may be entitled to an identical or reasonable equivalent vehicle at no charge, or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation.

To avoid having to provide these difficult solutions, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each owner and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. As you will see in reading the attached copies of the letters that are being sent to Owners, the Owners are being instructed to contact Aston Martin Customer Service if their Dealer does not correct the condition within three (3) days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not corrected within a reasonable time, they are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

24 January, 2018

IMPORTANT: We remind you that it can be a violation of Section 30120(i) of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act required under this notice if a Dealer sells or leases a vehicle that is covered by this notice without first completing the repair.

 

Communications

We will write to every owner directly to tell them about this Safety Recall Action. The customer letter and the “Change of Keeper or Address” form will be attached to this Safety Recall Action on DCS.

When the Owner calls to make an appointment, briefly describe the repair which will be done to the Owner’s vehicle and fully explain the reason for this work. Tell the owner that the repair will be done at no cost to them.

 

Service Reception Desk – Checks you must do before you book the vehicle in.

When you make a reservation for a Customer that you confirm the name and contact details are correct in Aston Martin’s records. To do this, please do the steps that follow:

1. Enter the vehicle’s 6-digit chassis number into DCS (amdealers.com) and click “Validate” (refer to Figure 1).

Figure 1

 

2. Make sure that the vehicle details are correct. If the current owner is correct, no action is necessary.
3. Make sure that the Customer name is correct. If the data is correct, then no action is necessary.
4. To update the Customer details, use the search feature to find the customer in your Synergy database (refer to Figure 2).

Figure 2

 

Note: The Customer record and updated details must have been entered into Synergy before you try to transfer the ownership in DCS.

 

5. If the correct Customer shows, click “confirm”.
6. If the correct Customer details do not show, click “add new”.

 

Before you start work

Log on to the Online Dealer Warranty (ODW) system. Do the steps that follow:

7. Select the Warranty Live screen (Outstanding Campaigns Status).
8. Download the VIN list from DCS and do a check of the VINs in your control.
9. Find out if there are other open Service Actions (SAs) or Recall Actions (RAs) for the vehicles in the list.
10. List the SAs and RAs and plan the work so that the Owner only needs to come to your Dealership once.

 

Note: The ODW system operates in real-time. Thus, the online condition shows only the newest Dealer Warranty Claim submissions.

 

Workshop Procedure

This Workshop Procedure has two parts: [where applicable]

• Part A– Examine steering column
• Part B– Install steering column grounds

 

Part A – Examine steering column

Note: Part A of the procedure that follows is for vehicles from L02866 thru L03917 only.

 

1. Move the hush panel to get access to the screw that attaches the lower duct to the instrument panel (IP) (refer to Figure 3).

Figure 3

 

2. Remove the screw that attaches the lower duct to the IP (refer to Figure 4).

Figure 4

 

3. Move the vent duct to get access to the steering column (refer to Figure 5).

Figure 5

 

4. Do a check of the component number on the label (refer to Figure 6).

• If the steering column is Q01 or Q02, photograph the label and do Part B after Part A is complete.
• If the steering column is Q03 or higher, no more work is necessary after Part A is complete.

Figure 6

 

5. Move the vent duct to its original position (refer to Figure 7).

Figure 7

 

6. Install and tighten the screw that attaches the lower duct to the IP (refer to Figure 8).

Figure 8

 

Part B – Install steering column grounds

Note:      Part B of the procedure that follows is for all DB11 vehicles to L02865. Part B is also for DB11 vehicles from L02866 thru L03917 with Q01 or Q02 steering columns.

 

1. Move the steering column to its lowest position.
2. Remove the top and bottom shroud assembly for the steering column (refer to Workshop Manual Procedure 11.04.DB).

3. Install the contact spring onto the circular casting on steering column (refer to Figure 9).

Figure 9

 

4. The contact spring must be installed so that it touches the circular casting on the steering column (refer to Figure 10).

Figure 10

 

5. Install the contact bridge onto the steering column (refer to Figure 11).

Note: The contact bridge must touch the outer steering column shaft.

Figure 11

 

6. Use a multi-meter to measure the resistance between the inner column (1) and the steering column casing (2) (refer to Figure 12).

• If the resistance is below 3 ohms go to step 7.
• If the resistance is above 3 ohms, make sure the components installed in steps 3 thru 5 are installed correctly.

Note: If the resistance is still above 3 ohms, contact AMTech.

Figure 12

 

7. Install the top and bottom shroud assembly for the steering column (refer to Workshop Manual Procedure 11.04.DB).

 

Warranty Data

Make sure that you submit your claim in less than 24 hours after the work is completed. The records of your claims are used in the reporting process for the Safety Recall Action that Aston Martin need to submit to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Note: If part B of the workshop procedure is necessary you must send the photograph of the label with your claim. 

Save the photo in the format “Dealer Name – RA-01-1048 – ******” (6 Digit Chassis No) 

Use the same format in the title of an email and send it to [email protected]

Please be aware that Warranty claims for installation of the contact spring and contact bridge parts may be charged back if a photograph is not received.

 

Procedure and Labour Time

Tier A – Examine Steering Column (Vehicles from L02866 thru L03917 only)

 

Tier B – Install steering column grounds (Vehicles to L02865)

 

Part Data

Please Note:

When you have completed this Safety Recall Action, make sure that you make an entry in Section A of the Vehicle Owner’s Guide to show that the procedure is completed.

Appendix A – Table that Shows the Quantities of Affected Vehicles in the US Market

Note: Please refer to the list on DCS for the vehicles in your region.

 

If you have any questions related to this Safety Recall Action, please contact: Aston Martin Technical Services on: +44 (0) 1926 644720, email: [email protected], or contact your After Sales Manager. The English version of this Safety Recall Action is written in  Simplified Technical English to ASD-STE100™.

 

---

March 22, 2018

 

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE

NHTSA Recall 18V-065

This Notice applies to your vehicle:  

Dear

Safety Recall Action RA-01-1048 – Install Steering Column Grounds 

 

REASON FOR THIS RECALL ACTION

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Aston Martin has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists on DB11 models manufactured between June 2016 and November 2017.

On certain DB11 vehicles an electrostatic discharge (ESD), when combined with a damaged steering column control module clock spring and an insufficient grounding of the steering column upper, may lead to an inadvertent deployment of the driver airbag, which can increase the risk of injury and a crash.

We would like to assure you that your vehicle remains safe to drive unless the Airbag / Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) light and warning message are shown in the instrument cluster.

If the Airbag/SRS light and warning message are shown in the instrument cluster, please do not drive the vehicle.  Your nearest authorised Aston Martin Dealer or associated assistance provider can help you with support. Qualified Aston Martin Technicians will be able to diagnose your vehicle and determine if the fault is related to this recall.

 

WHAT WE WILL DO

We will install a contact bridge and a contact spring that will provide a suitable ground path for the steering column at no cost to you.

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

Please contact your Aston Martin dealer as soon as possible to arrange a date for the repair. They will be able to fully explain why this Recall Action is necessary. Instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer. The labour time necessary to complete this service correction is a maximum of 2 hours. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be needed to schedule and process your vehicle.

Your Aston Martin dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and provide the service to make sure that your vehicle is corrected as promptly as possible. If, however you take your vehicle to your dealer on the agreed service date and they do not remedy this condition on that date, or within three days, we recommend that you contact Aston Martin Customer Service by calling 1-866-278-6661.

If after contacting your dealer and Aston Martin Customer Services, you are still not able to have the safety defect remedied without charge and within a reasonable time, you may wish to write to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590 or call 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

If you have already had your vehicle repaired due to this problem before receipt of this notice, you may be entitled to reimbursement for any out of pocket costs. For further information, please contact Aston Martin Customer Service by calling 1-866-278-6661.

 

IF YOU NO LONGER OWN THE VEHICLE

If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please tell us by completing the enclosed Change of Keeper form and returning it to us.

Federal regulations require that any lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

We are sorry to cause inconvenience with this Recall Action. However, this action has been taken in the interest of your safety and continued satisfaction with our products.

Yours sincerely

 

Phil Eaglesfield

General Manager
Client Services
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited

---

2 Affected Products

Vehicle

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
ASTON MARTIN	DB11	2017-2018

---

11 Associated Documents

Safety Bulletin

RCSB-18V065-0017.pdf 596.298KB

---

ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-18V065-9800.pdf 52.404KB

---

Miscellaneous Document – Change of Ownership Form

RMISC-18V065-5948.pdf 67.184KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2018-1

RCLQRT-18V065-8616.PDF 214.513KB

---

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-18V065-5345.pdf 245.741KB

---

Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-18V065-6086.PDF 218.555KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2018-2

RCLQRT-18V065-5024.PDF 214.617KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2018-4

RCLQRT-18V065-2100.PDF 211.438KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #5, 2019-1

RCLQRT-18V065-9257.PDF 211.549KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2018-3

RCLQRT-18V065-0311.PDF 211.325KB

---

Recall Quarterly Report #6, 2019-2

RCLQRT-18V065-5484.PDF 211.635KB

---

Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=18V065&docType=RCL

 

---

 

Last update on 2020-06-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2020-06-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API