Porsche recalls new 911 model due to engine fire risk

Porsche said in a statement that it will replace the engines of all 785 of the high-priced 911 GT3 sports cars built in 2014.

The GT3 is the sportiest of the 16 variants of the Porsche 911 sold in the US market. Ingo Wagner / EPA
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Porsche, the German maker of luxury sports cars, said Wednesday it is recalling all 911 GT3 models built this year due to risk of possible engine fire.

Porsche said in a statement that it will replace the engines of all 785 of the high-priced 911 GT3 sports cars built in 2014.

No other models or series were affected by the recall, which was in response to two engine fires, the statement said.

“In order to rule out every possible risk for customers,” Porsche has instructed owners to park their cars and have them picked up by their nearest dealer.

The action was taken after Porsche said it investigated two engine fires in which a loosened fastener caused oil to leak, which then caught fire. In the two fires, in Italy and in Switzerland, no one was injured, a Porsche official said.

Porsche is cooperating with US regulators in the recall and engine replacements, and is in touch with each customer who owns one of the affected vehicles, the Porsche official said.

Porsche did not say how much it will cost to replace the 785 engines. The new engines will have “optimised fasteners,” the company said.

The GT3 is the sportiest of the 16 variants of the Porsche 911 sold in the US market. The GT3 is often driven by their owners on race tracks.

Of the 785 GT3 models that will have engines replaced, about 400 were shipped to the United States, and about half of those have been sold, a Porsche official said.

Other 911 models and variants are not affected.

The two-seat sports car has a base price of about US$131,000 in the United States and about €137,000 in Europe.