Photo: Porsche / edited
The Carrera GT is a very special thing and a very special Porsche among Porsches. The Zuffenhausen-based automaker poured everything it had into the development of the V10-engined supercar, which flaunts a motorsport-derived powerplant connected to a ball-shaped gearshift knob made of laminated birchwood.
Initially limited to 1,500 examples for all markets, the Carrera GT ultimately ended series production after 1,270 cars were completed. Porsche was forced to pull the plug due to a change in airbag regulations in the United States market, where the Carrera GT was especially popular. 644 were produced for U.S.-based customers, of which 489 are called back under campaign 23V-241 as per the NHTSA document attached below.
Affected vehicles were produced in sequential order between WP0CA29894L001005 and WP0CA29885L001577 in the period between December 19th, 2003 and October 27th, 2005. These 2004 and 2005 models feature spherical joints that don’t meet the German automaker’s service life durability expectations because of the material they’re made from.
X46Cr13 is the material in question, a basic type of stainless steel that’s often used for cutting tools and for surgical instruments. Porsche highlights that exposure to salt and mechanical stress may result in cracks or fractures of the X46Cr13 spherical joints that connect the wishbone suspension components on the front and rear axles. The cracks or fractures may extend to the wishbones, thus affecting the vehicle’s controllability.
The Volkswagen Group-owned automaker was presented with this problem in August 2019 in the form of a customer vehicle that experienced one-sided broken spherical joints. The owner didn’t experience anything off with the car’s handling prior to the dealer service visit during which a service tech identified the damage.
Porsche understandably initiated analyses to determine if the August 2019 event was an isolated case or a systemic issue that may affect other Carrera GT vehicles. To this effect, other vehicles were obtained to analyze the state of the spherical joints. No critical damage caused by corrosion or mechanical stress was identified on 20 in-service vehicles. Through 2021 and 2022, more cars were analyzed from different markets.
Porsche ultimately acknowledged that X46Cr13 doesn’t have sufficient corrosion resistance in this particular application. A grand total of four part numbers are listed in the document attached below for the control arms that locate the wheel uprights and hubs to the car’s chassis.
Said components were manufactured by Germany-based Carl Hirschmann, but the concern presented above is not the supplier’s fault. Porsche designed these components, and Porsche decided on the material used for them. But in Porsche’s defense, kudos to the German automaker for owning up to its mistake after so many years since the very last Carrera GT rolled off the line in Leipzig.
Remedy components are produced from 42CrMoS4, a chromium-molybdenum steel whose chromium and copper improve corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. Unfortunately for affected owners, replacement parts aren’t available yet. Owners will be notified of the recall no later than June 2nd by an interim letter, after which a final notification will be sent by first-class mail when said parts become available.
Affected vehicles were produced in sequential order between WP0CA29894L001005 and WP0CA29885L001577 in the period between December 19th, 2003 and October 27th, 2005. These 2004 and 2005 models feature spherical joints that don’t meet the German automaker’s service life durability expectations because of the material they’re made from.
X46Cr13 is the material in question, a basic type of stainless steel that’s often used for cutting tools and for surgical instruments. Porsche highlights that exposure to salt and mechanical stress may result in cracks or fractures of the X46Cr13 spherical joints that connect the wishbone suspension components on the front and rear axles. The cracks or fractures may extend to the wishbones, thus affecting the vehicle’s controllability.
The Volkswagen Group-owned automaker was presented with this problem in August 2019 in the form of a customer vehicle that experienced one-sided broken spherical joints. The owner didn’t experience anything off with the car’s handling prior to the dealer service visit during which a service tech identified the damage.
Porsche understandably initiated analyses to determine if the August 2019 event was an isolated case or a systemic issue that may affect other Carrera GT vehicles. To this effect, other vehicles were obtained to analyze the state of the spherical joints. No critical damage caused by corrosion or mechanical stress was identified on 20 in-service vehicles. Through 2021 and 2022, more cars were analyzed from different markets.
Porsche ultimately acknowledged that X46Cr13 doesn’t have sufficient corrosion resistance in this particular application. A grand total of four part numbers are listed in the document attached below for the control arms that locate the wheel uprights and hubs to the car’s chassis.
Said components were manufactured by Germany-based Carl Hirschmann, but the concern presented above is not the supplier’s fault. Porsche designed these components, and Porsche decided on the material used for them. But in Porsche’s defense, kudos to the German automaker for owning up to its mistake after so many years since the very last Carrera GT rolled off the line in Leipzig.
Remedy components are produced from 42CrMoS4, a chromium-molybdenum steel whose chromium and copper improve corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. Unfortunately for affected owners, replacement parts aren’t available yet. Owners will be notified of the recall no later than June 2nd by an interim letter, after which a final notification will be sent by first-class mail when said parts become available.
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