Faulty seat belts made Porsche to recall Panamera cars

Porsche announced today that will initiate a worldwide recall for all Panamera copies sold until April. We are talking here about 11,324 cars and the problem is related to seat belts that can accidentally detach in certain conditions.

According to Porsche’s press release, the Panamera’s front seat belts could fail, and detach from their anchoring system if seats are placed in the nearest position to the board. The issue targets the seat belt’s clamping mechanism, which can determine the seat belts to detach easier. Porsche said in the official press release that the tensioning system no longer functions at the normal parameters and that this is the reason of the seat belts failure.

“There have not been any accidents,” the spokesman told AFP.

The Panamera, which in Germany sells for between 75,899 euros ($A109,600) and 135,154 euros ($A195,168) for the Turbo, was launched as Porsche’s newest model range alongside the Boxster, the Cayman, 911 and the Cayenne.

Porsche is targeting 20,000 Panamera sales a year and is counting on the car to boost growth and profits after the global recession sent the global luxury auto industry into reverse.

Volkswagen in December acquired a 49.9 per cent stake in Porsche’s sports car operations for 3.9 billion euros ($A5.63 billion) as part of a complex merger expected to be finalised in 2011.

The recall is the latest blow to automakers after recent accelerator and brake problems tarnished the reputation of Japan’s Toyota.

Porsche said all 11,300 Panameras would be brought to the mechanic to fix possible faulty seatbelt tensioners.

European automotive holding Porsche SE controls 51 percent of Porsche AG, with the remainder held by Volkswagen.

The news could prompt VW to take action. Martin Winterkorn, who serves as CEO of both Volkswagen and Porsche SE has repeatedly said that the better a brand performs, the more autonomy it gains within the overall group.