MANCHESTER United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s car brand has recalled a batch of SUVs over a risk of the doors flying open while driving.
It is a fresh blow to £42billion petrochemicals firm Ineos Automotive – which last year had to briefly halt manufacturing after a parts supplier went bust.
Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and founder of Ineos Group Holdings Plc[/caption]
A model of the Ineos Fusilier electric sport utility vehicle (SUV)[/caption]
The car firm itself, meanwhile, lost around £1.1bn before tax in 2023, according to a filing on Companies House.
The latest problem relates to more than 7,000 vehicles produced between July 6 2023 and April 19 2024, which have been pulled in the US.
The company says “in a small number of cases” Grenadier SUV doors are opening while the car is moving “increasing the risk of injury” to passengers.
The vehicle, the company’s first, is inspired by the Land Rover Defender, and was launched in 2022.
Sir Jim is understood to have been disappointed by Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to axe the iconic 4×4.
A spokesperson told the BBC: “Due to insufficient application of grease, an exterior door release button may remain in the depressed position, preventing the door from closing securely.”
Ineos will replace all door button assemblies on cars affected for free, as part of the recall.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filing says the problem might be because of not enough greased being used in the assembly process.
It added: “This may allow the exterior door buttons to remain in the depressed position and prevent the door from fully latching.”
Ineos said: “We are undertaking a campaign to replace the door lock mechanisms on all affected vehicles as quickly as possible.
“Owners of all impacted vehicles are being contacted directly.”
The company currently has more than 20,000 vehicles on the road worldwide.
It was forced to halt production after the part supplier went under, saying at the time: “It’s a trim part but one that we can’t sell the car without.”
Production has restarted at its factory in Hamback, France, with chief executive Lynn Calder targeting more than 40 percent growth this year.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Sir Jim completed a 27.7% stake purchase in Manchester United last month after being unveiled as a minority owner in December last year.
He agreed a deal worth £1.3bn with the Glazer Family in exchange for control of the club’s football operations.
The entrepreneur, 72, has this month claimed United could have been “bust by Christmas” if not for his major cost-cutting plan, including axing staff food in the canteen.
He said: “In super-simple terms, the club has been spending more money than it has been earning for the last seven years, including this year…
“At the end of 2025, Manchester United would have run out of cash. There would be no cash at the end of this year. That is the first time we have ever said that in public, but that is the fact of the matter.”
The Sun has approached Ineos for comment.
Sir Jim at OId Trafford in November last year[/caption]
Sir Jim in the stands ahead of a match earlier this month[/caption]
