Imagine coughing up at least $1.7 million to become one of the few lucky owners of a Bugatti Veyron ... only to be hit with a recall announcement.
The hypercar manufacturer has announced three separate recalls for the Veyron, dating back to its 2006 models and affecting 172 vehicles in total. While another automaker would dream of having to take care of a recall affecting only 172 vehicles, the number is significant to Bugatti, considering its limited-edition runs with every vehicle being a one-of-X made, period. The Chicago Tribune recently reported that only 450 Veyrons have been produced in the past 10 years. With a price tag over over $1 million, it's easy to understand why.
As spotted by CNET Roadshow, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has listed the three separate recalls with the first batch of 87 Veyrons, ranging from 2006-2010 models, 2010-12 Grand Sport editions and 2011-13 Super Sports, having aluminum plates on the underbody at risk of corroding and detaching from the vehicles. Bugatti lists the fix to "rivet and seal the underbody aluminum reference plates, free of charge."
The next recall, affecting 72 models of the 2006-2010 Veyron and 2010-11 Grand Sport, is a faulty gauge system, which the Nhtsa warns could "cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash." Bugatti's remedy for the fix is to "replace the fuel tank control unit and upgrade the software," again, "free of charge."
The remaining 13 affected Veyrons from 2006-08 has the Nhtsa citing their positive battery (B+) cable and the connection to the alternator with the high probability to corrode, which could result in overheating and an increased risk of a fire. The company would simply replace that B+ cable and the alternator to make that fix.
Bugatti's recall comes on the heels of Tesla announcing a recall for its Model X crossover SUV due to an issue with its third-row seat. Those affected 2,700 vehicles are still an amount that pales in comparison to larger automakers that have to deal with recalls of much higher volumes.
However, for those owners of the exclusive Veyron hypercar that will be inconvenienced by this recall, the thrill of revving 1,200 screaming horsepower from 0 to 100 miles per hour in 2.6 seconds will have to wait.
