It’s never a good feeling when you have to take your car in for recall work. That feeling’s even worse if you spent quite a bit of money on a luxury car that’s recalled. Admittedly, some premium car recalls are fairly limited, as one Bentley Flying Spur owner can attest. The latest Porsche and Audi recall, though, affects quite a few cars and SUVs. And to make matters more awkward, it’s a recall to address an earlier recall.

Audi and Porsche issue a second suspension-related recall because the first one wasn’t done properly

Now, recall-related ‘whoopsies’ aren’t unheard-of in the automotive world. For example, Subaru is currently facing a class-action lawsuit regarding some alleged BRZ engine recall problems. Luckily, this new Porsche and Audi recall sequel isn’t quite as potentially catastrophic. Nevertheless, it’s still a recall repair.

In mid-2021, Porsche and Audi issued recalls for several passenger cars and SUVs over possible suspension flaws. The brands received several field-incident reports that featured steering wheels suddenly losing alignment or vehicles pulling to one side. It turns out that a large batch of Porsche and Audi models’ rear-axle trailing arms were assembled with flawed lock nuts. Under repeated stress, the nuts broke, which screwed up the rear axle alignment and raised the risk of crashing. Thankfully, there were no reports of crashes or fatalities, Consumer Reports says.

To address the issue, Porsche and Audi installed new, stronger lock nuts on roughly 42,500 vehicles. Job done, right? Well, not quite.

Because the recall involved adjusting the suspension, Porsche and Audi’s technicians had to give the affected cars wheel alignments. But while that’s standard practice even for non-recall work, the recall instructions didn’t specify it, CR explains. So, some technicians performed an alignment, and others didn’t. And a misaligned axle can lead to uneven tire wear, a pulsing and pulling steering wheel, and potentially a crash.

Thus, the second Porsche and Audi recall.

Which Audi and Porsche vehicles are affected by this new recall?

The first suspension recall involved a host of Audi vehicles as well as the Porsche Macan and Cayenne. As of this writing, the Macan appears to be excluded from this recall re-do. Also, not all the 42,500-and-change vehicles in the first recall are part of the second one. But that still leaves, according to the NHTSA reports, 31,058 affected Audis and 1,241 afflicted Cayennes.

On the Porsche side, the recall only affects 2021-2022 Cayennes. Audi, on the other hand, has a wider array of cars and SUVs to wade through. This array includes the following models:

• 2020-2021 A4 Allroad and Sedan
• 2019-2021 A5 Sportback
• 2020-2021 A5 Coupe and Cabriolet
• 2020-2021 A6 Allroad and Sedan
• 2020-2021 A7
• 2020-2021 A8
• 2020-2021 Q5
• 2021 Q5 Sportback
• 2021 Q7
• 2021 Q8
• 2019-2021 RS5 Sportback
• 2021 RS6 Avant
• 2021 RS7
• 2021 RS Q8
• 2019-2021 S5 Sportback
• 2020-2021 S5 Coupe and Cabriolet
• 2020-2021 S6 Sedan
• 2020-2021 S7
• 2020-2021 S8
• 2020-2021 SQ5
• 2021 SQ5 Sportback
• 2021 SQ7
• 2021 SQ8

A fix is coming soon, but try not to drive an affected car in the meantime

If you’re unsure whether your Porsche or Audi is part of this new recall, you can enter the VIN on the NHTSA’s website. Both brands will also send out recall notices in the mail shortly.

As for the repair, it’s essentially a proper wheel alignment. But while the recall work isn’t extensive per se, as always, take or tow your car to your local Porsche or Audi dealer. Don’t try to perform the recall work yourself. It’s technically possible to drive a car with a misaligned rear axle, but it’s not recommended or safe. So, unless you absolutely must, park your car and have it towed.

On that note, if you’ve already repaired your Audi or Porsche due to the misalignment, the companies will reimburse you. The technicians will also inspect and replace any prematurely worn tires free of charge.

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