Porsche Recalls 20-Year-Old Car
Porsche has announced a recall of the 2004-2005 Porsche Carrera GT supercar due to a problem with the “spherical joints that connect the wishbone suspension components on the front and rear axles.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report submitted on April 5, 2023 indicates that all 489 cars in the United States are affected by the recall.
It came as a shock to many when Porsche announced the recall of a car that had only gone into production in late 2023. However, according to the report, the automaker had discovered “an isolated case” in 2019 when one of the cars was brought to a dealership for service unrelated to the issue. The customer hadn’t reported any problems, but Porsche decided to investigate further and inspected other cars over the course of the following year.
Cars that are more than 16 years old have long passed their warranty period, and Porsche has determined that the materials used in the components do not have sufficient corrosion resistance over the lifespan of the vehicle. It’s important to note that these models, which cost $440,000 when they were originally released and now fetch over $1 million in the collector’s market, have been driven for many miles. It’s also noteworthy that the recall from Porsche is voluntary and “out of an abundance of caution.”
Porsche has issued a recall notice for all cars due to the fact that “replacement parts don’t exist yet”. The cars are being brought in for inspection in order to determine if they are safe to drive. If not, Porsche will “advise customers not to use the vehicle until the retrofit is completed and will offer alternative transportation upon request.”
“Alternative transport” isn’t likely to compare to the experience of driving a turn-of-the-century mid-engined supercar that was born from a Le Mans prototype class project, equipped with a 5.5-liter V10 and minimal driver aids. Even the most advanced 911 GT3 won’t be able to match it.
It is undeniable that, following the death of Paul Walker and Roger Rodas in 2013, Porsche was faced with a legal suit. Although the court chose to not accept any allegations implying that the Carrera GT had malfunctioned, it is generally accepted that the primary reason for the collision was the old tires on the automobile.
