Fastener-Related Recalls Making News
FEATURE
Automotive recalls are nothing new, and certainly not limited to fastener-related problems.
This year is on track to be the biggest ever for recalls. U.S. automakers have recalled nearly 13 million vehicles so far this year – putting the industry on pace to surpass the record 30.8 million vehicles recalled in 2004, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Car companies called back 22 million vehicles in 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.
General Motors and Toyota are recalling over 6 million vehicles each. Ford, Volkswagen and Fiat have also issued recalls. And BMW, the world’s largest luxury-vehicle maker, recently expanded its recall for a defective bolt design to include 156,137 cars in the U.S. after recalling 232,098 cars and SUVs in China for the same problem.
One of the highest profile fastener-related recalls in 2014 belongs to Porsche, which recalled all 785 of its 2014 911 GT3s – including about 400 units in the U.S – after two European editions spontaneously burst into flames.
“Engine damage resulted from a loosened screw joint on the connecting rod,” Porsche said in a statement. “The loose connecting rod damaged the crankcase, which in both cases led to leakage of oil which then ignited.”
Porsche reportedly told owners to stop driving their cars and promised to replace the engine in each unit with minimal inconvenience to the owners.
The German sports car maker has sweetened its offer by extending a full warranty to all 2014 911 GT3s for an extra year. And the 911 GT3 concierge will be reaching out to compensate them for having to park their car for so long, according to AutoBlog.
Any day now Porsche is expected to begin production on a new batch of GT3 engines with an “optimized piston rod screw connection” to fix the problem.
The final price tag for Porsche has not been announced – and it remains to be seen how much damage the premier brand has suffered as a result of this. ©2014 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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