Ferrari 612, Maserati Quattroporte recalled for dummy passen
Ferrari 612, Maserati Quattroporte recalled for dummy passenger airbag buttons
HARRY STOFFER | Automotive News
Posted Date: 3/3/05
Two of the most glamorous cars sold in the United States have "passenger airbag off" buttons in their cockpits that don't work - because they are dummies.
The buttons, in the 2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and the 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, are not wired to anything. When they are pressed, nothing happens to the airbag, although an adjacent light-emitting diode sometimes illuminates.
The companies that market the cars in North America disclosed the dummy buttons when they notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month that they planned to recall the vehicles.
Federal regulations allow automakers to install an off switch for the front passenger airbag in a vehicle that lacks a rear seat or has a back seat too small for a rear-facing child restraint. The Maserati and Ferrari cars have rear seats big enough for child seats.
Ferrari North America Inc. and Maserati North America Inc. say they are informing owners that the buttons do not function. They also say they are telling owners that it is dangerous to place a small child in the front passenger seat of the cars.
Jeff Ehoodin, a spokesman for the companies, says owners of European versions of the cars can turn off passenger airbags. Because U.S. owners do not have that option, he says, the airbag-off button is a kind of placeholder in a row of buttons that have operating functions.
Ehoodin claims the decision to do a recall grew from internal concern that customers might become "confused," not from customer complaints or an airbag deployment.
When parts become available, the companies will replace the console near the sunroof that includes the button and small light. The companies told NHTSA that the recalls involve 110 Ferraris and 495 Maseratis.
NHTSA officials accepted the recall plans. A NHTSA spokeswoman says the agency does not believe the companies intended to mislead customers.
The Ferrari's base price is $247,850. The Maserati is priced at $95,500. The prices do not include destination.
HARRY STOFFER | Automotive News
Posted Date: 3/3/05
Two of the most glamorous cars sold in the United States have "passenger airbag off" buttons in their cockpits that don't work - because they are dummies.
The buttons, in the 2005 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and the 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, are not wired to anything. When they are pressed, nothing happens to the airbag, although an adjacent light-emitting diode sometimes illuminates.
The companies that market the cars in North America disclosed the dummy buttons when they notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month that they planned to recall the vehicles.
Federal regulations allow automakers to install an off switch for the front passenger airbag in a vehicle that lacks a rear seat or has a back seat too small for a rear-facing child restraint. The Maserati and Ferrari cars have rear seats big enough for child seats.
Ferrari North America Inc. and Maserati North America Inc. say they are informing owners that the buttons do not function. They also say they are telling owners that it is dangerous to place a small child in the front passenger seat of the cars.
Jeff Ehoodin, a spokesman for the companies, says owners of European versions of the cars can turn off passenger airbags. Because U.S. owners do not have that option, he says, the airbag-off button is a kind of placeholder in a row of buttons that have operating functions.
Ehoodin claims the decision to do a recall grew from internal concern that customers might become "confused," not from customer complaints or an airbag deployment.
When parts become available, the companies will replace the console near the sunroof that includes the button and small light. The companies told NHTSA that the recalls involve 110 Ferraris and 495 Maseratis.
NHTSA officials accepted the recall plans. A NHTSA spokeswoman says the agency does not believe the companies intended to mislead customers.
The Ferrari's base price is $247,850. The Maserati is priced at $95,500. The prices do not include destination.
