Rolls-Royce in model recall after explosion
Nearly 500 luxury cars have been recalled after a Rolls-Royce exploded when it was fuelled for the first time.
Rolls-Royce & Bentley Motor Cars says it has recalled 480 of its top of the range Corniche, Azure and Continental models worldwide, including dozens in the UK.
US car safety officials launched an investigation into the explosion of the Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible which happened when a dealer in the US filled it with petrol for the first time. Two people were injured in the explosion, according to US reports.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration completed its investigation into the explosion in late March.
The car was shipped to the manufacturer's assembly plant in Crewe, Cheshire, for further examination.
Janette Green, spokeswoman for Rolls-Royce & Bentley, said the explosion was a "one-off" incident.
She said: "We had a car which exploded in strange circumstances, involving a small amount of fuel vapour igniting in a confined area.
"A day after it all happened, we sent a team of engineers from Crewe to the US to examine the particular car. They were able to check that the fuel and vapour systems were in check. The car was then freighted back to Crewe so we could further analyse it.
"We decided we couldn't take the risk so we recalled 480 cars worldwide. Customer safety is our prime concern. We take any safety incident very seriously."
The company is in the process of contacting owners of the convertible models from the years 2000 and 2001 in the UK and overseas.
An investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggested the explosion was linked to improperly filtered fuel vapours that found their way into the passenger compartment, according to US reports.
