NHTSA Complaint #10986397 — 2010 PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO

MY 2010 PORSCHE PANAMERA TURBO (HAS ONLY 68,700 MILES ON IT) WAS ACCELERATING FROM A RED LIGHT ON A BUSY CITY STREET GOING STRAIGHT. AS I APPROACHED 50 MPH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH A MESSAGE THAT SAID "4WD SYSTEM FAILURE AND AUTO STOP/START FUNCTION DISABLED". SO, I HAD IT TOWED TO THE PORSCHE DEALER FOR SERVICE. THEY FOUND THE CAM ADJUSTER BOLTS ON ONE BANK HAD SHEARED OFF AND THE CAM ADJUSTER ON THE OTHER BANK HAD LOOSENED UP. THEN A SIMPLE INTERNET WEB SEARCH REVEALED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WELL KNOWN WORLD WIDE BY PORSCHE BUT ONLY CHINA FORCED A RECALL DUE TO SAFETY. SO THERE'S ALREADY A PRECEDENT FOR A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. DEFECTIVE OR SUBSTANDARD CAM ADJUSTER BOLTS DESTROYS THE UNIT ITSELF THEN FALL OFF INTO THE ENGINE AND DESTROY THE ENGINE. YOU CAN'T JUST REPLACE THE BOLTS. PORSCHE DOES NOT SALE THE BOLTS SEPERATE BECAUSE THE BOLTS ARE APART OF THE UNIT ITSELF. THE BOLTS ARE MADE OF ALUMINUM WHICH IS BOTH A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW AND THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THEY LATER UPDATED THE UNIT WITH TITANIUM BOLTS. HOWEVER, THIS IS ONLY A RED HERRING AND DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE 1000'S OF PORSCHE OWNERS IN AMERICA THAT'S ALREADY SUFFERED AN ENGINE FAILURE AND SHOULD BE REIMBURSED AND IT DOES NOTHING TO PREVENT CATASTROPHE FOR THOSE WHOSE ENGINE WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL. THIS BANDAID ALSO DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS ALL ENGINES MADE BEFORE THE 2013 UPDATE THAT'LL LIKELY SELF DESTRUCT AND LEAD TO COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE WHICH CAN LOCK-UP THE MOTOR AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR IN TRAFFIC. THE US GOVERNMENT SHOULD FORCE PORSCHE TO RECALL THESE ENGINES JUST LIKE CHINA DID AND HOLD PORSCHE ACCOUNTABLE TO REPLACE ALL THE DEFECTIVE CAM ADJUSTERS AND THE ONES THAT HAS ALREADY FAILED SHOULD HAVE ENGINE REPLACED IF IT'S SO BAD THEY CAN'T EVEN FIND THE BOLTS. PORSCHE SHOULD BE ASHAMED. IF RECALLED PORSCHE COULD OWE SOME PEOPLE BETWEEN $4K TO $45K.