Long waiting period for Carrera GT owners

It would be a very unfortunate situation for an owner to own a luxury sports car but not be able to drive it. It seems that the owners of the Porsche Carrera GT were in just such a situation. However, they have finally been able to put an end to that situation.

In April 2023, Porsche will recall all Carrera GTs sold in the U.S. and then,Recall announced in JapanThe company was

The reason for this was a problem related to suspension components. Specifically, "the material used (X46Cr13) did not provide sufficient resistance to intergranular stress corrosion when exposed to salt and mechanical stress from long-term use. This meant that the suspension arms could crack due to salt and wear, which could lead to accidents.

Details of Recall Response

At the time, Porsche did not have replacement parts available, so it took the following actions.

1. first inspect the subject parts
2. if no abnormality is found after the inspection, the vehicle may continue to be used without limitation
3. notify the owner again when replacement parts are available
4. if an abnormality is identified during the inspection, advise the customer to refrain from using the vehicle until the modification is completed

This means that the Carrera GT, which Porsche inspected and determined to be problem-free, could continue to be driven until replacement parts were available.

Long-awaited replacement parts and additional services

And about 17 months later, they finally had new suspension components available recently.
Moreover, according to an anonymous informant in the U.S., Carrera GT owners will receive other benefits besides new suspension arms.

When a car is out of service for an extended period of time, a variety of problems can occur. These include the deterioration of fluids such as oil, and dry rot of rubber parts. Porsche has responded to this by stating the following in an internal document. "You are entitled to up to $3,240 in free maintenance to get your car back on the road after a long period of inactivity."

More interestingly, Carrera GT owners who kept the car running were also offered benefits. According to the same internal document,New tires offered on all Carrera GTsHe said.

The new Pilot Sport Cup 2 N-spec tires for the Carrera GT are now available. Each customer will receive a new set of tires free of charge during the campaign."

A set of 265/35R19 (front) and 335/30R20 (rear) tires is not cheap. Even though this is a benefit for owners of multimillion-dollar class cars, they must be happy about it.

Carrera GT's charm again

As a result of this action, eligible Carrera GTs in the U.S. will be repaired in sequence, and more vehicles are likely to be brought to dealer service centers in the coming weeks.

The repair of a luxury supercar may not have a direct impact on the lives of the general public. However, if it means more opportunities to hear the sound of a great V10 engine in the open air, that is welcome news. The Carrera GT is still the object of admiration for many people and continues to maintain its status as a premium Porsche. I hope it will continue to run for a long time to come.

I will try to write a follow-up report as soon as I have more information about the response in Japan.