Laguna Hills, CA – March 22, 2019 – Porsche Cars North America is recalling certain 2017-2019 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S vehicles and 2018-2019 718 Boxster GTS and 2018-2019 718 Cayman GTS vehicles. A crossmember may detach from the luggage compartment bracket during a head-on crash, resulting in a fuel leak and potential fire in the presence of an ignition source. As many as 14,388 vehicles may be affected by this issue.
The Defect
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report on this issue, in the event of a crash, a crossmember may detach from the luggage compartment bracket and penetrate the bulkhead wall, possibly causing a fuel leak. If this happened with a spark or ignition source present, the leak could increase the risk of fire.
Timeline of Events
Porsche became aware of the problem February 2019 in the context of type approval tests, when it was noticed that a fuel leakage occurred during a frontal crash test. Due to an inadequate connection between the lower longitudinal member and crossmember, the lower longitudinal crash beam component could penetrate the bulkhead wall at the lower cross body component in the event of a head-on collision.
Following a thorough investigation of the root cause, Porsche did additional tests Feb. 3-9 to evaluate possible remedies for the issue.
The matter was then brought to the product safety committee at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG on Feb. 13. Upon successfully solving the issue by reinforcing the lower longitudinal crash beam components with additional rivets Feb. 15, it was decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall for the potentially affected vehicles.
The Solution
The recall will begin April 21, 2019. Porsche will notify owners of all affected vehicles, so that they can bring them to Porsche dealers for inspection and repair. If necessary, the lower longitudinal member will be secured to the crossmember using additional blind rivets, free of charge.
Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche’s number for this recall is AKA3. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V113000.
