Bentley bizarre hood ornament impalememt potential prompts recall

Faulty breaks, malfunctioning airbags and electrical mishaps have resulted in millions of recalled cars in recent years. But Bentley is now recalling some of its cars for likely the most unique potential safety hazard in the auto industry — impalement.The British luxury carmaker reports the miniature ornament on the front of some models is failing to retract in the event of a crash water corrosion.

As such Bentley is recalling nearly 1,500 vehicles for fear that unwitting pedestrians could become impaled on the brand’s historic “flying B” bonnet ornament.

Bentley reports: “It’s been discovered that in some cases, water ingress into the internal mechanism might prevent it from retracting.

The recall will affect 1,436 cars worldwide, including 620 in the United States and Canada.

The bizarre defect affects three discontinued Bentley models – the Arnage, Azure and Brooklands – which were produced between 2007 and 2009 and which cost as much as $300,000.

The Bentley signature miniature statue ornament is an option.

David Champion, senior director of auto testing for Consumer Reports, commented that said safety regulations required a minimum radius for anything on a vehicle that could hit a pedestrian, in order to avoid causing lacerations to the head or other parts of the body.

But he also commented: “I would think that if you were hit by a Bentley, having lacerations on the head would be the least of your problems.”