Photo: Porsche
The German part of the holy hypercar trio isn’t without its faults. From full-scale recalls to precautionary campaigns, the 918 Spyder had its fair share of adventures down at the service department. More recently, however, the plug-in hybrid machine is being called back over a shortcoming of the front suspension.
According to safety recall report 16V-885, 306 units of the 918 Spyder are potentially affected. That’s exactly a third of the 918 units ever produced by the German automaker. As per the NHTSA, “intensive analysis resulting from a single observation on one vehicle in the field revealed that the lower control arms of the front axle contain a manufacturing error at the ball joint.”
So to speak, the durability of the front suspension system is compromised by the potential cracking of the front lower control arms. If this were to happen, handling would be severely compromised, thus increasing the risk of a crash. The cause of this mess-up comes in the form of “variations of the surface coating processes of these components.” This manufacturing error could result in what Porsche calls cathodic stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
Affected vehicles are U.S.-specification 918 Spyder models produced from November 6, 2013 to July 27, 2015. VINs of the affected population are sequential and range from WP0CA2A1XFS800024 to WP0CA2A14FS800925. More worryingly, however, the 918 Spyder can make absolutely no excuses about being recalled for the same problem a second time in two years’ time.
As a brief refresher, the second recall of the plug-in hybrid hypercar was announced in December 2014, when Porsche replaced the front lower suspension and control arms of U.S.- and Canada-spec vehicles. Prior to this campaign, the automaker replaced the rear control arms of the 918 Spyder. As Porsche highlights in the NHTSA’s report, “it also was determined that even vehicles that were repaired in recall AF01 might be affected.”
The remedy for the latest fault identified with the 918 Spyder is for dealers to inspect and replace the lower control arms, free of charge to the owner. There’s no notification schedule available at the present moment, but owners may contact Porsche at 1-800-767-7243 and inquire about recall AG09.
So to speak, the durability of the front suspension system is compromised by the potential cracking of the front lower control arms. If this were to happen, handling would be severely compromised, thus increasing the risk of a crash. The cause of this mess-up comes in the form of “variations of the surface coating processes of these components.” This manufacturing error could result in what Porsche calls cathodic stress corrosion cracking (SCC).
Affected vehicles are U.S.-specification 918 Spyder models produced from November 6, 2013 to July 27, 2015. VINs of the affected population are sequential and range from WP0CA2A1XFS800024 to WP0CA2A14FS800925. More worryingly, however, the 918 Spyder can make absolutely no excuses about being recalled for the same problem a second time in two years’ time.
As a brief refresher, the second recall of the plug-in hybrid hypercar was announced in December 2014, when Porsche replaced the front lower suspension and control arms of U.S.- and Canada-spec vehicles. Prior to this campaign, the automaker replaced the rear control arms of the 918 Spyder. As Porsche highlights in the NHTSA’s report, “it also was determined that even vehicles that were repaired in recall AF01 might be affected.”
The remedy for the latest fault identified with the 918 Spyder is for dealers to inspect and replace the lower control arms, free of charge to the owner. There’s no notification schedule available at the present moment, but owners may contact Porsche at 1-800-767-7243 and inquire about recall AG09.
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