Product recalls can be disasters for companies. If they’re handled badly, and public sentiment turns against the brand, it can even end up meaning the end of a business. But there are ways to handle them well, and this week has seen one famous car marque try to do just that.

Aston Martin announced the recall of 17,590 cars this week, apparently in light of finding counterfeit plastic parts fitted by a supplier in China. The number of cars is thought to be roughly 75% of vehicles built since 2007 – with the potential problems relating to the (rather crucial) accelerator pedal.

An Aston Martin spokesperson said: “Although there has been no report of any accidents or injuries involving the throttle pedal, Aston Martin’s commitment to customer safety is paramount, which is why the company is taking the action … The recall work takes up to an hour to complete and will be carried out with no charge to the customer.” The car firm has claimed the cost to the business will be small, but in today’s highly competitive market, the news of a recall on this scale is likely to be a concern to investors.

If there were “rules” on how to handle this kind of crisis, they would likely be:

Firstly, act as soon as you know about the potential problem (and hopefully before any serious harm or damage is done to drivers or vehicles).

Secondly, ensure the situation is communicated clearly to all the people affected.

Thirdly, fix the problem – at no cost to the customer.

If businesses follow those steps, they should at least be on track to limiting the damage to their reputations. So far, it looks as though Aston Martin’s place in the CoolBrands list is probably safe.