Photo: McLaren
McLaren’s first V6-engined production car had a rather difficult rollout. Initially slated to launch in October 2020, the hybrid-assisted Artura was delayed over the ongoing semiconductor crisis, pushing the reveal back to July 2021. The British automaker had to delay it once again for the same reason in December 2021. That’s not the end of the story, though…
One year later, big kahuna Michael Leiters explained that getting the quality just right was their top priority. The problem is, certain quality issues haven’t been addressed before customer deliveries. A report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that 164 examples are called back stateside over a potential fuel leak.
The fuel injection system of the Artura originally called for a fully machined nut. Back in March, the supplier notified McLaren of a shortage, proposing a switch to cold formed nuts that were already used on a wider scale by other automakers. These cold formed nuts had been successfully validated by the yet-unnamed nut supplier and the automaker.
Come June 2022, a vehicle with only 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of road use, experienced a fuel leak while being driven on a racetrack. An inspection later, it was discovered that a single cold formed nut of the high-pressure fuel pipe had loosened at the pump’s outlet connection.
Following the mandatory “dun dun duuuuun” dramatic sound effect, McLaren further investigated this incident, concluding that the nut had been attached with insufficient torque. As a result, a new tightening procedure was introduced. The Woking-based outfit also reworked all vehicles produced by that point. The automaker notes that no vehicles with the original tightening procedure were ever released to the public.
Fast forward to September 2022, and Artura production switched to fully machined nuts because they were back in stock and didn’t require the bespoke tightening procedure of the cold formed nuts. Two months later, a different vehicle with approximately 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) on the clock was driven on a racetrack by a professional driver on McLaren’s payroll. Guess what happened next? Of course, a fuel leak occurred!
McLaren discovered a loosened cold formed nut on the left side of the high-pressure fuel pipe, mirroring the first incident. The subsequent investigation concluded exactly as you’d expect to. The problem stems from the cold formed nut, which may come loose in certain driving scenarios even if tightened as per the bespoke procedure.
Manufactured between October 8th and November 14th for the U.S. market, the 164 vehicles recalled in this part of the world will have their high-pressure fuel pipes replaced with new pipes equipped with fully machined nuts. This design boasts a higher coefficient of friction.
McLaren has yet to provide a schedule for customer recall notification.
The fuel injection system of the Artura originally called for a fully machined nut. Back in March, the supplier notified McLaren of a shortage, proposing a switch to cold formed nuts that were already used on a wider scale by other automakers. These cold formed nuts had been successfully validated by the yet-unnamed nut supplier and the automaker.
Come June 2022, a vehicle with only 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of road use, experienced a fuel leak while being driven on a racetrack. An inspection later, it was discovered that a single cold formed nut of the high-pressure fuel pipe had loosened at the pump’s outlet connection.
Following the mandatory “dun dun duuuuun” dramatic sound effect, McLaren further investigated this incident, concluding that the nut had been attached with insufficient torque. As a result, a new tightening procedure was introduced. The Woking-based outfit also reworked all vehicles produced by that point. The automaker notes that no vehicles with the original tightening procedure were ever released to the public.
Fast forward to September 2022, and Artura production switched to fully machined nuts because they were back in stock and didn’t require the bespoke tightening procedure of the cold formed nuts. Two months later, a different vehicle with approximately 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) on the clock was driven on a racetrack by a professional driver on McLaren’s payroll. Guess what happened next? Of course, a fuel leak occurred!
McLaren discovered a loosened cold formed nut on the left side of the high-pressure fuel pipe, mirroring the first incident. The subsequent investigation concluded exactly as you’d expect to. The problem stems from the cold formed nut, which may come loose in certain driving scenarios even if tightened as per the bespoke procedure.
Manufactured between October 8th and November 14th for the U.S. market, the 164 vehicles recalled in this part of the world will have their high-pressure fuel pipes replaced with new pipes equipped with fully machined nuts. This design boasts a higher coefficient of friction.
McLaren has yet to provide a schedule for customer recall notification.
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