More than 1,000 luxury models sold in the United Kingdom by the Stuttgart company are affected by a manufacturing problem with the wheels. Friday November 15, the German brand advised owners not to use their cars.
Despite technological advances and the race for technical progress, the automobile industry is still based on a simple principle: four wheels firmly attached to a chassis. For the German manufacturer Porsche, this theory is undermined due to a manufacturing problem which affects more than a thousand high-end vehicles from the Stuttgart brand.
It was by an email sent on Friday November 15 that the owners of these cars sold for between 100,000 and 200,000 pounds (120,000 to 240,000 euros) were informed that they should not “not drive their vehicles until further notice. No solution has yet been found to the problem, specifies the manufacturer, which has carried out a major recall. The cause: wheels that risk coming loose. The recall is being closely monitored by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the British government agency responsible for granting vehicle registrations.
Faulty wheel mounting
The Porsche models affected by the defect are specific cars, equipped with central locking wheels, attached to the axle with a single bolt, while standard wheels are attached with five bolts. “On your Porsche, the wheel mountings using central locking may not meet the required specifications. This can lead to damage or even breakage of the central locking nut. As a result, the wheel attachment may become detached, which may lead to the loss of the wheel and loss of vehicle control. This can increase the risk of accidents and injuries, as well as the risk of property damage. details the press release. Before adding: “For safety reasons, Porsche urges owners to stop using the vehicle until the corrective action is implemented.”
In an article in the British newspaper The Times published Friday November 15, a Porsche owner testifies: “It’s the wheelgate. They have put cars on the market, very expensive cars, which are not up to par and there is no solution. Two inspectors came to look at my car and all they said to me was, “We’re so sorry, all of your wheels are non-compliant, which means they could come off. This car is grounded.”
According to the same owner interviewed by The Timesthe inspectors allegedly confided to him that “10,000 vehicles worldwide are affected” by this mechanical concern. A Porsche spokesperson quoted by the newspaper specifies that the problem specifically concerns the Porsche 718 (982), 911 (992) and Panamera (G3) models. Some owners contacted were offered rental cars through Enterprise.
The Porsche brand belongs to the German Volkswagen group, shaken by a number of scandals including dieselgate: the installation by Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat and Volkswagen of “fake” software inside their vehicles in order to reduce emissions of NOx or nitrogen oxides, particularly polluting substances.
According to our information, the latest problems affecting the wheels of these luxury models do not concern France. The latest figures published in 2019 by the manufacturer show 5,572 brand vehicles registered in France. The damage continues for the German brand. Already in May, the manufacturer had launched a recall in several European countries of several thousand electric Taycans for defective batteries which risked catching fire.
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