Wishbone Joints Prone to Wear and Corrosion
Premiering in 2004, the Porsche Carrera GT caused a buzz in supercar world comparable to that of the Ferrari Enzo and Mercedes SLR McLaren. With its scarceness at public events, one can expect the amount of recalls for it to be unusually low. However, this week, Porsche drove up everyone’s interest by making an announcement about issues with the GT’s suspension system.
Praise to Porsche, no mishaps related to affected components of the suspension have been recorded, and absolutely no harm was reported. Numbered as recall campaign 23V-241 under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a total of 489 Carrera GTs from North America are included in the said recall which makes up the vast majority of the 675 cars distributed between the US and Canada.
Porsche has identified an issue with the spherical joints that connect the wishbone suspension components. The automaker has stated that the materials used for these components “do not provide sufficient resistance to intergranular stress corrosion when exposed to salt and mechanical stress over service life.” As a consequence, the joints could crack and possibly result in a failure of the wishbone suspension system.
As per the official notification of the recall, Porsche happened upon an issue by chance during a regular auto check. In August 2019, during servicing for an unassociated matter, inconsistencies were identified in one side’s ball joints. After proofreading the rest of the joints, Porsche discovered that there had not been any harm. As such, they commenced a more comprehensive inquiry to decide whether or not it was an isolated occurrence. However, due to the Carrera GT’s extreme unfrequented nature, this posed a difficulty.
By the end of March 2023, Porsche had collected enough data to issue a recall “out of an abundance of caution.” Although no other vehicles were found with faulty joints, the company did observe a higher degree of surface corrosion in areas where road salt is commonly used. It’s unclear whether these cars were driven in winter weather, but salt residue can remain on dry roads even after the snow has melted.
Porsche has yet to have alternative parts readily available. This answer is to construct new elements using better-quality materials, yet first the automaker will investigate vehicles to decide whether there is abnormal wear and tear present. If this is true, owners will be caution not to drive their cars until the refit is obtainable.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
