Porsche 911 Carrera 4s Recalled For Fuel Gauge Software Trouble

Autoparts Report, April 25, 2000

Porsche Cars of North America is recalling 1999 and 2000 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 models to update the software in the instrument cluster that determines fuel quantity. The recall involves a total of 2,734 vehicles in the U.S. and 177 vehicles in Canada.

The Carrera 4 fuel tank does not allow direct measurement of the fuel level over the entire measuring range, but requires special measures for calculating the level in the bottom third of the tank, Porshe said.

If unfavorable electrical tolerances coincide in the electronic logic unit, it is possible that the fuel level and range of remaining fuel in vehicles with on-board computer may be displayed incorrectly, it added.

This means that the display indicates a higher fuel level to the driver than is actually available and therefore, in some circumstances, the vehicle may run out of fuel, the automaker explained.

Porshe will reprogram the control unit, which determines the fuel level, to more accurately estimate the remaining fuel. Porsche said it discovered the problem during analysis of field reports and product observations and is unaware of any accident or injuries resulting from the problem.