Thursday 22nd November 2018

Lotus Evora recalled for steering issue

Recent examples feature a faulty column that might affect safety in the event of an accident

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Recalls are almost inevitable in today's automotive industry, what with the massive scale of production and wide range of suppliers involved in making cars. Just ask Toyota or Ford. Or Volkswagen. But with evermore-stringent emissions and safety limits set by global regulators, not even the little guys are immune from the often costly requirement. Lotus has become the latest manufacturer obliged to issue a recall. Specifically, it involves the 2018 Evora, several of which have been found to have an issue with the steering column.

The problem relates to the column's safety during a head-on accident, rather than the steering's effectiveness in normal use. Like all modern cars, the column in the V6-powered Evora is set in such a way that it shouldn't injure the driver if it is impacted during a crash. But it seems that some examples have been fitted with an incorrect cartridge screw, which could cause the column to move in an unpredictable way during an accident. Which is not what you want, obviously.

Recalls to rectify the issue have been issued in the US and Australia for cars built this year between 17th April and 2nd October, and Lotus has told PH that it will follow suit in the UK. We await confirmation on the exact numbers involved, but expect the manufacturer to carry out the regular protocol, i.e. contacting owners individually and replacing the steering columns with the correct parts free of charge. The amount of cars affected ought to be relatively low given that just 113 were sold in Europe last year.

[Helicopter123]

I'm sure Lotus will get the handful of cars affected repaired very quickly.

What are we thinking, 10 at most?

[otolith]

Wow, this is going to be a very busy forum if PH is going to start posting up every safety related recall for all manufacturers available in the UK.

[Tripe Bypass]

Is the steering column from a Honda Accord, like the steering rack? Or would that be Lotus' own?

[Gandahar]

News just in

Lotus Engineering company recalled for "steering" issues over the last 10 years.

[cookie1600]

Lots of trouble, unusually, steering......




* ducks the inevitable*

[Cold]

PDF of the USA recall bulletin: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCLRPT-18V78...
(it's only 3 pages)

[SidewaysSi]

Helicopter123 said:

I'm sure Lotus will get the handful of cars affected repaired very quickly.

What are we thinking, 10 at most?

I know you pipe up to bash every Lotus related thread. But you do drive an Audi....

[Jellinek]

Tripe Bypass said:

Is the steering column from a Honda Accord, like the steering rack? Or would that be Lotus' own?

The supplier part number quoted in the recall document is a Ford format. Ford recently issued a steering related recall also which sounds similar in nature, so my guess is it’s a supplier quality issue, not of Lotus’ making.

[kambites]

I believe the Evora's steering column is made by Bosch. The specific fault is:

Recall Notice said:

During a vehicle crash event, the steering column is designed to partially collapse, thereby dissipating some of the crash energy. On some assemblies, the screw securing the steering column cartridge, which supports the column during the collapse process, has been found to be finger tight only. If the screw is loose but remains engaged in the thread, there is expected to be no adverse effect on vehicle crash performance. However, if the screw disengages from the thread, the crash behaviour of the column could be modified

Reading further down the notice, it seems that Bosch had a torque wrench set wrong on their assembly line. The fix is to tighten the screw.

Edited by kambites on Friday 23 November 07:40

[p4cks]

The epitome of a non-event, if ever I've seen one.

Slow news day I'm guessing.

[Composite Guru]

SidewaysSi said:

Helicopter123 said:

I'm sure Lotus will get the handful of cars affected repaired very quickly.

What are we thinking, 10 at most?

I know you pipe up to bash every Lotus related thread. But you do drive an Audi....

Hardly surprising mentality!!

Some like to follow the sheep.

[James Junior]

I’ve been considering an Evora 400 / 410 but concerned by a few reports of poor reliability and poor dealer support. Whilst clearly not a major issue, this doesn’t exactly allay those concerns.

[p4cks]

James Junior said:

a few reports of poor reliability and poor dealer support. Whilst clearly not a major issue, this doesn’t exactly allay those concerns.

Lotus have never been renowned for their reliability or dealer support so I wouldn't let recent reports put you off.

[SidewaysSi]

James Junior said:

I’ve been considering an Evora 400 / 410 but concerned by a few reports of poor reliability and poor dealer support. Whilst clearly not a major issue, this doesn’t exactly allay those concerns.

Loads of very knowledgeable specialists about so I would use them instead to be honest.

These cars do get under your skin so don't let things put you off. I have also had no reliability issues whatsoever over 5 years driven on road and track, though I have an S1 Elise.

[kambites]

James Junior said:

I’ve been considering an Evora 400 / 410 but concerned by a few reports of poor reliability and poor dealer support. Whilst clearly not a major issue, this doesn’t exactly allay those concerns.

Surely this is an example of good dealer (or at least manufacturer) support? In the past Lotus probably wouldn't have bothered to fix the cars at all. I can certainly think of a dozen niggling flaws in my Elise which could (and arguably should) have been fixed under recall but weren't.

I've always viewed recalls as more of an indication of a manufacturers willingness to support its customers than an indication of a poor quality product so for me recalls are largely positive PR.

Edited by kambites on Friday 23 November 09:13

[james_gt3rs]

cookie1600 said:

Lots of trouble, unusually, steering......




* ducks the inevitable*

[otolith]

Hey, PH, why haven't any of these been news?

https://www.motorsafety.org/category/porsche-recal...

[Fire99]

p4cks said:

The epitome of a non-event, if ever I've seen one.

Slow news day I'm guessing.

You're not kidding.... Front page feature about a technical recall.

Monday's headlines... "Jerry who allegedly works for Ford is concerned his left safety boot is squeeking! Ford are considering a recall!" (Allegedly).

[Cold]

Could be worse. it could be a flat six engine that eats itself and which the manufacturer refuses to acknowledge there's a problem.
But a loose screw? OMG - terrible reliability!

[CTE]

Well we are rapidly heading towards that time of year where most of our toys are tucked away or only seldom come out for a little run and I guess the editors are struggling for news items to interest the readership in order to attract advertising revenue to pay the bills...