Apparently, even the high and mighty aren’t exempt from the clutches of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall. As per the orders of the NHTSA, McLaren->ke284 has announced a recall of a handful of models of the McLaren P1.

The problems are tied into a defective secondary hood latch that doesn’t re-engage properly, so if the primary latch is inadvertently released, the entire hood may pop open at any time, even when the P1->ke4608 is moving. Such a scenario would obviously be unfavorable and could cause a crash, especially if the driver is caught off guard by the sudden opening of the hood. The defective hood latches fall in violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 113, "Hood Latch System."

According to the notice filed by McLaren, the recall affects P1s that were manufactured between March 1, 2013 to October 31, 2015. No details were revealed on the exact number of models that are affected by the defective hatch, so P1 owners who have cars that were manufactured between those days are advised to wait for a notification from McLaren or contact their dealerships for more information.

As with any recall, McLaren will replace the hood latch with a newer version at no cost to the car owner. The recall is expected to start this month (January 2016). Owners of the P1 better be close to their phones in the event that McLaren comes calling.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why it matters

It’s never fun to have your car subjected to a recall, but it’s worse if the car that’s being recalled happens to cost over $1 million. But that’s the nature of the beast. If a car is found to have a defective component that can lead to potential safety issues, it doesn’t matter if it’s a million-dollar hypercar->ke177 or a $15,000 hatchback, it’s going to get recalled.

Then again, there’s a bright side to this. If this recall wasn’t issued and you found yourself in the unfortunate predicament of having the entire hood of your P1 pop out unexpectedly, you’re going to be in a bit of a pickle. You’d be fortunate if you could slow down and close it right back, but what if you’re traveling at high speed and the hood opens up? Yep. That’s going to be an even bigger price to pay than just accepting the fact that the P1 has a defective part that needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

It’s disappointing that a car that’s supposed to be teeming with technology has a defective hood latch. But that won’t be as bad as the possibility of crashing your beloved P1 and getting hurt in the process.

So count your blessings that McLaren discovered this defect early before anybody got hurt because of it. Wait for the company’s call or better yet, be pro-active and seek out information to determine if your P1 is part of the recall. That way, you can have the defective component replaced quickly and you’ll be well on your way to having more fun with your million-dollar hyper.

Sounds like a plan, right?

McLaren P1

Read our full review on the McLaren P1 here.