The DBX has been hit with its third safety recall in the span of a week. It all started with potentially loose front propeller shaft fasteners, then Aston Martin issued a campaign for oil cooler hoses that may burst due to a change in the hose winding process. The third recall – and the largest one – concerns 2,902 vehicles equipped with battery fuse box electrical cables that may be potentially loose.
The cables in question serve as input feed from the power sources (think alternator, front jumpstart point, and starter motor), output feed to the engine bay fuse box, and output feed to the rear cabin fuse box. Subject cables are connected to the fuse box using threaded nuts and fixings. Following multiple customer allegations of stalling and vehicles refusing to start, dealer investigations determined that said nuts and fixings had somehow loosened.
Certain vehicles also exhibited thermal damage contained to the plastic housing of the battery fuse box. Aston Martin introduced two countermeasures to date, beginning with the fitting of a flat nut, spring washer, and flat washer to the 250-amp fuse at 12 Nm instead of the original 9 Nm rating in January 2023. The second one rolled out in September 2023 in the form of a said nut and washers at 12 Nm for the 200-amp and input fuses.
However, vehicles produced before September 15 of last year need to be inspected out of an abundance of caution. The British automaker from Gaydon has already instructed Aston Martin The Americas to notify dealers about said problem. Dealers are required to remove all three cables, then check them and the fuses for damage. If needed, replacements will be installed at no charge to affected owners.
Service technicians also have to replace the original serrated nuts with a flat nut, spring washer, and a flat washer. Of course, they have to tighten these nuts at 12 Nm (8.9 pound-feet) of torque rather than Aston's original specification of 9 Nm (6.6 pound-feet). Aston Martin Lagonda's safety boffins claim that the remedy is designed to prevent ratcheting.
Photo: Aston Martin
Owners will be notified via first class-mail beginning April 22, 2024 with instructions to bring their vehicles at the preferred retailer for the remedy. Affected sport utility vehicles were produced between May 7, 2020 and September 15, 2023, which is the entire DBX production run for the US market through September 15 of last year.
Boasting a bonded aluminum platform distinct from the Second Century architecture of the DB and Vantage series, the DBX is assembled in South Wales at St Athan. Gifted with an AMG-sourced 4.0L twin-turbo V8, the luxury-oriented SUV further sweetens the deal with a non-AMG sixer. The M256 engine in question is available in China exclusively, with said engine connected to the V8 sibling's 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission.
The only exception from this rule is the DBX707, which levels up to the AMG-specific Speedshift MCT 9G. Otherwise put, a wet startup clutch replaces the torque converter. Not only does it enable better acceleration from a standstill, but Speedshift MCT 9G also promises double clutching, quicker shifting, and improved response to accelerator pedal input during load changes.
It's also worth noting that – for a cool $248,172 before taxes and options – DBX707 also gets a bit more power than DBX. As the 707 implies, 707 metric ponies convert to 697 mechanical horsepower.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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