Porsche Tells 548 More Sports Car Owners: Don't Drive
Porsche has expanded its 2024 center-lock wheel recall by another 548 cars, and the instruction attached to it is blunt: don't drive them. The reason is the same one that makes the whole thing sound like a heist screenplay. The wheels could fall off.
The newly added vehicles are all 2024 models: 911 GTS (168), 911 Turbo S (94), 718 Cayman GT4 RS (73), 718 Spyder RS (70), 911 GT3 (50), 911 GT3 RS (41), 911 S/T (39), and 911 Turbo (13). The original recall, issued Oct. 28, 2024, covered 1,851 units of the 911 Turbo, as well as 718 of the GT4 RS, and Spyder RS. That brings the total to 2,399 affected cars.
The hit rate differs sharply between the two batches. Porsche estimated 100 percent of the original group was affected by the fault. For the new group, just 1.4 percent are expected to be.
This is a supplier defect, per the NHTSA recall report. Porsche's own description is clinical: "analyses of the affected material batch confirmed lead and bismuth contents outside the specification." Elsewhere the filing notes that "the center wheel lock components used in the center wheel fastening system within certain production ranges were manufactured out of specification."
The expanded do-not-drive warning came after two more center-lock fractures turned up in the field this year, one in May and one in August. No injuries were reported. Porsche acknowledges several incidents it ties to center lock fractures.
Porsche says a fracturing center lock should produce noticeable vibration right away, so if your 2024 Porsche sports car abruptly starts shaking, that's reason to pull over quickly. Owners should not drive until a dealer checks over the wheel fastening hardware and swaps out anything manufactured out of spec.
There is at least no bill involved, as all affected cars remain under warranty. Owners can expect contact by Dec. 15 through phone, email, and MyPorsche App alerts, and the relevant VINs can already be looked up on NHTSA's website.
[Images: Porsche]
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I never liked this one single center wheel lock idea, but then again I never liked Porsches, except maybe the 928, but I didn't buy a 928, I waited around, and there are better alternatives available now, if I had any money or basic math skills.
The smartest and most attractive vehicle owners like to 'buy new and drive it until the wheels fall off,' so I guess if they had a problem with the center wheel lock that would be a big clue that it is ok to purchase another different new car now. New cars are really really good and incredibly affordable and only sip gasoline, I read it on TTAC.
My vehicles use lug nuts and there are more than one on each wheel, which is either redundancy or multiple points of failure, don't ask me, I'm no engineer. Did you know that torque sticks can behave differently with an electric impact wrench vs. ye olde air impact wrench? You probably didn't, because you were too busy criticizing my insightful comments instead of brushing up on your general automotive knowledge. (I guess you aren't a real enthusiast.)
My vehicles don't have more than 5 lug nuts per wheel because that would be bad and wrong (I am not made of money).
There is an old joke about wheel fasteners but it takes a long, long time to tell it, I have told you before but you never listen, so we'll try to summarize this time.
The guy has a flat tire (because pneumatic tires are bad and wrong) and he is changing it (because he wasn't an unskilled Millennial) using the tools in the vehicle (they used to include tools in the vehicle to change a flat) but the 5 lug nuts (not 8, this guy knew a little something about money including diesel prices) rolled down the storm grate there at the side of the road (our once-great country used to have infrastructure including large-scale plumbing) and now he is stuck.
The guy (no women on TTAC) looks up and there is another guy trying to get his attention from behind a fence and the driver guy looks around for the first time (poor situational awareness, probably not a good driver) and realizes he is stopped in front of the local insane asylum (sorry, "psychiatric hospital"). So the guy behind the fence says, hey dude (or whatever they said in the 70s), if you will take one lug nut from each of the other three tires (but he meant wheels) that will get you 4 lug nuts per wheel on a temporary basis and get you home and then you can run down to the dealership at your convenience (except the dealership hours might not be convenient) and get five new lug nuts and probably some solid financial advice while you are there.
So the first guy says, hey, that's really smart advice, I appreciate it and then he can't help himself his eyes fall on the 'asylum' sign again.
So the guy behind the fence says, "Hey, I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid."
"There is at least no bill involved, as all affected cars remain under warranty."
Wrong; there is no bill involved because it's a recall. C'mon TTAC; it's getting bad.