Porsche 918 Spyder recalled

The most advanced Porsche ever built has been recalled due to a rear suspension issue.

Owners of the Porsche 918 Spyder, a so-called hypercar because of its stratospheric hybrid power output, have been told not to drive on race tracks, as their cars may be affected by faulty rear axle control arms.

In a worst case scenario the rear suspension parts could break, which could lead to a crash.

The recall of the cars, which cost around $1 million each, doesn't concern Australians because the left-hand drive only vehicle was never sold here, but 50 of the cars globally have been affected, with the latest being five in the USA.

The US-based National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued the recall to the five US owners, and stated "If the control arms break, the driver may lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash".

Porsche first became aware of the problem in late June at the Nardo high-speed test track in Italy while performing durability tests.

Owners of the 340km/h Porsche 918 Spyder have been advised to take their cars into a Porsche service centre to have the rear control arms inspected and, if necessary, replaced.

Porsche's hypercar is powered by a 4.6-litre mid-mounted dry-sump V8 that generates 447kW/530Nm, but gets a boost via a 95kW electric motor at the front and a 115kW hybrid module at the rear. The end result is a 2.8 second 0-100km/h sprint, that can be lowered to 2.6 seconds with the Weissach performance package.

It's unusual for high-end supercars to be recalled but not unheard of. Vehicles like the Koenigsegg Agera having been recalled in the past and when the Ferrari 458 Italia first launched in 2010 it was plagued by overheating issues. This resulted in several vehicles bursting into flames, prompting a massive (and embarrassing) recall for the Prancing Horse brand.