Even the pinnacle of luxury can fall victim to recalls. In this case, it's Bentley's range-topping Mulsanne sedan.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recieved notice on September 14 that Bentley will recall 10 vehicles over a rearview camera defect. According to NHTSA and the brand's letter of acknowledgment, the Mulsanne's rearview camera may not display when a driver selects the "reverse" gear.
The camera display may be obstructed and not fully visible for up to two seconds. While this sounds minor, the defect means the Mulsanne fails to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.
If the driver fails to check their surroundings accordingly, the backup camera hiccup could result in the increased risk of a crash. We'll just take the moment to say drivers should always check their surroundings and not rely solely on the backup camera, especially when piloting a sedan that measures 219.5 inches long.
The 10 affected Mulsannes were not built with the correct infotainment software. Thus, Bentley will reprogram the software free of charge via an SD card. The brand will notify owners of the affected cars and have them schedule an appointment with a Bentley dealer. Bentley expects the recall to be completed by the end of September.
Bentley last updated the Mulsanne for the 2017 model year. The changes ushered in a new long-wheelbase model, an even more exclusive longer wheelbase model, Additionally, the updates included active safety feature and infotainment upgrades. And a fun fact: one Mulsanne can take up to 400 hours to build.