Porsche has issued a recall of the latest incarnation of the 911 GT3 after two of the sports cars caught fire.The company warned owners to stop driving their £100,000 vehicles, which were first launched in 1999, until their engines have been replaced. Deliveries of the model have been frozen after two incidents in Switzerland and Italy.
So far Porsche has delivered 785 of the new cars worldwide and 100 in the UK.
Loose bolts in a piston-connecting rod are thought to be behind the fires. In both reported cases, engine damage sparked the fire after oil spilled onto hot components. Neither of the fires led to any injuries.
Ferrari recall
In 2010 Ferrari recalled all of its Italia cars after a spate of fires, which were blamed on overheating glue. Securing the wheel arch lining to the car’s chassis the glue ignited after the cars were driven at high speed for a prolonged period of time.
In the US, meanwhile, Honda recalled 900,000 Odyssey minivans produced between 2005 and 2010 over fire-safety fears. The recall was prompted by fears that a fuel strainer could deteriorate prematurely with exposure to high temperatures and acidic chemicals found in car washes, potentially cracking and leaking fuel, thus becoming a fire hazard.
And General Motors recalled 370,000 2014 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierra pickup trucks in January after it was found that a software malfunction can cause an idling vehicle to heat up and start a fast-moving fire, melting plastic parts and destroying the vehicle.
One man’s truck burned out only half an hour after he received the recall notice.
To check if a vehicle you own in the UK has been recalled visit the Department for Transport site.
Check possible recalls on all types of electrical product at the UK Association of Fire Investigators website.
Dyson recall
Meanwhile, a short-circuit that caused a minor internal fire in a small number of Dyson ‘Air Multiplier’ AM04 and AM05 heaters has prompted the British firm to issue a recall of the one-metre bladeless fan heaters, which have already sold in 36 countries. No-one has been injured as a result of the fault and other Dyson models are not affected.
And a new US study has found that recalls dramatically reduce the risk of fire-related defects. It also points out the danger posed by millions of owners ignoring recall notices.
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