Unlike some mechanical issues for recalls generally, the reason is quite bizarre this time around
In the U.S., close to 3,000 Porsche Macan EVs have been recalled due to excessively bright headlights. Now, that is something you don’t see every day. The German performance car marque recently introduced a more affordable RWD trim of its Macan EV. The aim is to make the products accessible to a wider range of customers. We already know how impressive Porsche cars can be. Hence, it makes sense to launch relatively less extreme vehicles to cater to more customers. For now, let us delve into the specifics of this case.
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Porsche Macan EVs Recalled
Interestingly, the headlights of the Porsche Macan electric cars delivered between March and November 2024 have been deemed too bright according to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Note that at present, Porsche is following European Economic Commission (ECE) standards. As a consequence, the high beams exceed the maximum brightness levels allowed in the U.S.
This increases the risk of dazzling the oncoming drivers which can create chances of collisions. Therefore, Porsche has recalled 2,941 Macan electric SUVs built between March 15 and November 4, 2024. It will reprogram the headlight control unit software on these cars without charging any money to the owners. This process will reportedly commence before January 24, 2025.
Porsche Macan EV, in its most aggressive settings, wears a 100 kWh battery pack which supplies power to two electric motors for an AWD configuration. Based on the 800-volt architecture, the Macan Turbo results in 630 hp (463 kW) and 1,128 Nm (833 lb-ft) of maximum power and torque, respectively. This propels the large electric SUV from 0 to 60 mph (96 kmph) in a mere 3.1 seconds.
The recently launched RWD trim is good for 335 hp (250 kW) or up to 355 hp (265 kW) and 563 Nm (415 lb-ft) with the over-boost function. Using a 270 kW DC fast charger, the battery gets juiced up from 10% to 80% in just 21 minutes. To get your hands on one, the entry-level RWD trim bears a price tag of $75,300. On the other hand, the new 4S variant retails for $84,900. These prices are excluding taxes, registration, dealer charges or delivery fee ($1,995).
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Learn Electric Cars Says
In all honesty, it is quite rare for an established carmaker to recall their cars due to such a strange reason. Even though this might seem trivial, the consequences could be serious. Too bright headlights can blind the car driver coming from the opposite lane, especially on single-lane roads. That can easily cause them to lose control of the car and get into a crash. Therefore, this recall is necessary.