Porsche recalls 2004-2005 Carrera GT over suspension failures

Porsche is recalling a few hundred examples of its legendary Carrera GT — the car in which Fast & Furious franchise star Paul Walker died — to address suspension joints that may fail due to mechanical stress and corrosion. It’s a relatively small recall, targeting just 489 cars (of fewer than 1,300 total examples known to exist), but the issue is serious if ignored, Porsche says. Porsche wants to bring all 489 cars back to inspect the spherical joints that secure the control arms at all four corners for signs of failure. 

“It was recently determined that the spherical joints that connect the wishbone suspension components on the front and rear axles in the affected Carrera GT cars do not meet Porsche’s service life durability expectations,” Porsche’s defect notice said. “The material used (X46Cr13) does not provide sufficient resistance to intergranular stress corrosion when exposed to salt and mechanical stress over service life. This could result in cracks or fractures in the spherical joints, and possible [sic] the wishbone.”

Porsche says owners may notice vibration or noise due to the deterioration of the joint prior to failure, but cautions that this may not provide sufficient warning of impending failure. The issue first surfaced in August of 2019, the manufacturer says, when a Carrera GT brought in for unrelated service was found to have multiple cracked spherical joints. Porsche said its efforts to further investigate the issue were hampered by the Carrera GT’s limited production run, making additional parts difficult to source for analysis. 

That same limitation is forcing Porsche to conduct this recall in two stages. The first will be an inspection that will determine whether each customer’s car is safe to drive. Customers who cars show signs of failure will be asked to take them out of service entirely until new parts can be sourced. Customers should receive personalized instructions from Porsche by the end of June. 

Related Video