Laguna Hills, CA – November 1, 2018 – Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2019 Porsche Cayenne vehicles for seat belt buckle weaknesses. The recall is expected to affect 415 units, which were determined based on information received from the supplier and Porsche AG’s related production records.

The Defect

According to the NHTSA Recall Safety Report, the rear right seat belt buckle in these vehicles was subject to a manufacturing error and a faulty material batch at the supplier. The buckle is weak and failed to withstand the required breaking load in the tensile test of the belt. The function of the rear right seat belt buckle might fail during a vehicle crash, leading to serious injury or death.

Timeline of Events

On September 28, 2018 Porsche was informed by the supplier about inadequate test results during the tensile belt test. Immediate analysis revealed a manufacturing error which, when combined with a change of the raw material used at the supplier, caused a significant weakness in the right rear seat belt buckles with the part number 9Y0.857.754. On October 17, 2018, the Porsche AG product safety committee determined that a safety defect existed, and the voluntary safety recall was issued. The original defect was corrected in the production line as of October 1, 2018.

The Solution

Porsche plans to begin notifying owners and dealers on December 23, 2018. The vehicles will be recalled to the workshop or dealership and an improved rear right seat belt buckle will be installed free of charge, with the component created from use of an optimized manufacturing process and the correct raw material. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche’s number for this recall is AJ09. Owners may also call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153). The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 18V-751.