The flying B

Page last updated at 07:00 GMT+03:00, Thursday, 23 September 2010
Bentleys recalled over 'Flying B'

The Flying B could harm pedestrians in a crash
Bentley, the luxury British car maker, is to recall almost 600 vehicles in the United States because of a fault with the iconic "Flying B" bonnet ornament.

The winged statue is designed to retract if the car crashes but may fail when rusty, the recall notice said.

"This could increase the risk of injury to a pedestrian in the event of a crash," said the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects the Arnage, Azure and Brooklands models, from 2007-2009.

For some Bentley fans, the "Flying B" is the car's crowning glory, says the BBC's Bethany Bell in Washington.

But there are fears that in the event of a crash, pedestrians could become impaled by the statue, our correspondent writes.

Bentley said it took the step to recall the cars after a dealer in Britain spotted the problem.

But the company said it was "not aware of any accidents or injuries" involving the famous statue, our correspondent adds.

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