Over 190,000 Porsches released between 2003 and 2020 have been recalled because they could potentially be missing a small part in the headlight system. The piece is called a “horizontal adjustment screw cap” and it could mean that your Porsche has misaligned headlights. The cap is intended to be installed as a stopper to prevent you or your mechanic from shifting the headlight beam’s adjustment beyond the legal range. Some of the recalled cars won’t have this cap installed, and it would theoretically be possible that the car’s headlights are pushed too far to the left or right, which can be seriously dangerous for you or oncoming drivers.
So which Porsches are affected? Some Cayenne, Panamera, and Macan produced in that 17-year span are potentially faulty, as well as Caymans, but only 2014 S models. If you’re curious if your own Porsche has been affected, you can plug your VIN into the NHTSA website and it’ll tell you if you’re part of the recall. If you’ve been having trouble with your night visibility, or drivers in the oncoming lane have been flashing their brights at you, this might be the cause of all of your problems. Well, maybe not all of them, but at least your headlight problems.
It isn’t exactly clear how Porsche could have left this piece off of several different models over nearly two decades, but in any case, it could potentially become an issue for your car, and if a cop really wanted to bring the hammer down on you, could result in a costly fine. Luckily Porsche will install the piece free of charge, and the company is going to mail letters to affected owners next month. It’ll be rectified, but it’s still a bit of an oddity. It might be a tiny minor issue, but if your car is affected, go get it fixed!
