Car makers issue recalls for defects they find in the production process, often quickly fixing any mistakes so owners can get back out on the road. But after bodging up its last recall, Volkswagen Group has announced a second recall for more than 32,000 Porsche and Audi cars.
That’s right, customers that just got their cars back from the Audi and Porsche service centers will have to take them straight back to the shop to fix a bodged up repair. How infuriating.
The recall, issued by Volkswagen USA, affects 31,058 Audis and 1,242 Porsches. It follows a recall last year for those very same vehicles.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall is related to rear axle alignment on the cars. Specifically how the alignment might not have been inspected in vehicles previously brought in for repairs by VW Group in 2021.
The 2021 recall related to defective lock nuts, which could break and cause “a loss of control and increasing the risk of crash.”
Now, despite the cars being correctly repaired less than a year ago, VW is calling them back to the workshop to inspect the work it did. The automaker says that while the vehicles repaired in 2021 were serviced with the correct, functioning parts, some were not thoroughly inspected after the repairs were made.
This means their rear axles might be out of alignment, leading to excessive tire wear and even “increasing the risk of a crash.”
Cars affected were built between 2019 and 2021 by both Porsche and Audi.
For Porsche, it’s any Cayenne made in 2020 and 2021, while the list of cars affected at Audi is considerably longer.
Audi will recall its A5, RS5 and S5 cars produced in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The firm will also inspect affected A4, A6, A7, A8, Q5, S4, S6, S7, SQ5, Q5, Q7, Q8, RS6, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5, SQ7 and SQ8 models built in 2020 and 2021. Really, it would have been quicker to list the cars not affected.
To remedy the issue, and ensure Audi and Porsche won’t have to recall a recalled recall, engineers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge.
The NHTSA said owner notification letters are expected to be mailed next month, and owners can contact Audi and Porsche customer service to find out more about the recall.