Porsche Recall: Three Safety Defects Sideline 18,000 Vehicles

Porsche has issued three separate recalls of some of their vehicles due to safety concerns. One of the issues pertains to windshields while the other two are due to problems with the airbag systems. Altogether the recalls affect over 18,000 vehicles of various models. While these problems only occur during a collision and are not cause for immediate alarm, they do violate United States safety standards, and Porche’s commitment to safety prompted the recalls.

The most minor Porsche recall involves improperly fitted windshields. Since this flaw violates current federal safety standards, it is not minor in that respect, but it is just a small problem for Porsche because it only affects 21 vehicles.

According to Roadshow, “Improper bonding techniques may [have been used that] result in a windshield that’s not correctly affixed to the body.”

Crash testing has shown that the windshield may pop out during a collision.

The models affected are “911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Targa S, 911 Targa 4S, 911 Turbo Cabriolet, 718 Boxster and 718 Boxster S.”

Recalled vehicles will have their windshields reattached using the correct bonding techniques.

The second Porsche recall violates U.S. safety standards as well but is also a relatively small recall for the manufacturer. Only 120 cars and SUVs are at risk of the front passenger airbags not deploying.

Autoliv, Porsche’s airbag supplier, made them aware of a factory defect that may prevent the inflators on the airbag system from functioning properly. The company is making replacement parts that Porsche will use on the recalled vehicles.

The affected vehicles include the 2017 models of “911 Carrera, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4, 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Targa 4, 911 Targa 4S, 911 Turbo S, 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S. The 2016 911 GT3 RS and 2016 911R are included in this recall, too.”

The third Porsche recall involves the airbags as well, but with this one, the fault lies in the sensors.

The recall only extends to “the 2015-2016 Macan S and Macan Turbo crossover,” and the 2017 Macan GTS.

However, this is a major recall as it affects 17,871 vehicles in the line.

Like the smaller airbag recall, this one involves the front passenger airbag. However, it is the sensors in the seat that detect whether or not there is a passenger that are unreliable. According to Roadshow, the sensors could fail to detect a passenger thus disabling the airbag. This defect, just as the others, is in violation of U.S. safety standards. Replacement of the sensor and the seat cushion is required to fix the problem.

CarBuzz points out that Porsche recalls are “very rare,” but recently the manufacturer has seen its share of recall headaches.

Reuters reported in January that the company had to recall more than 16,000 “911, Boxster and Cayman models built between October 2015 and September 2016,” due to “problems with fastening screws.”

Last summer, Roadshow reported that Porsche recalled its full line of 918 Spyders. The recall was over a minor issue that involved a misprint in the 918’s parts catalog and two small screws used in the seatbelts.

Regarding the Spyder recall, Porsche issued this statement.

“The original parts catalog for the 918 Spyder inadvertently transposed the locations for the screws which respectively secure the seat belt mount and the belt reel mount. These screws are one-time-use only and are not the same. We cannot rule out the possibility that, due to the mistake in the catalog, technicians who had to work on those components might have been led to install the wrong screw in the wrong location. In that event, the function of the seat belt system could possibly be impaired in the event of an accident. To prevent this risk, the fastening screws on the seat belt mount and on the belt reel on all 918 Spyder vehicles will be checked. Depending upon the result of the check, Porsche might replace the screws on some vehicles. In an abundance of caution, Porsche is treating this as a safety-related recall and will make contact with all owners. The mistake in the parts catalog already has been corrected.”

It has not been reported what the financial impact these latest recalls will have on Porsche, but since they only have to replace parts and components rather than the entire vehicle, the costs associated with the recalls will likely be negligible.

If you have one of the models mentioned in this article and are concerned whether your vehicle is involved in one of the recalls, head over to Porsche’s Recall Lookup and enter your VIN. Otherwise, you can wait for Porsche to contact you directly when they have a recall schedule in place.

[Featured Image by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images]