NHTSA complaint #11713194

Owner complaint summary

The CHIME SPEAKER in the failed with less than vehicle 11,000 miles on the odometer. This extremely low mileage indicates that the failure is due to a manufacturing defect rather than standard wear and tear. I am particularly concerned because this is not merely a convenience issue; it is a significant safety concern. The chime speaker is the primary method of delivering audible alerts for: - Turn Signal Indicators: The lack of an audible "click" prevents confirmation that signals are active, which can lead to driver error or unintentional signaling. - Seatbelt Warnings: Critical reminders for passenger safety are now silenced. - System Fault Alerts: Any immediate mechanical or electrical warnings from the vehicle’s diagnostic systems are currently uncommunicated to the driver. - Lane departure warnings. - Collision alerts - Blind spot alerts - Other advanced driving assist and safety systems. The fault has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealer (Porsche Tysons Corner). The fault is also confirmed by the vehicles onboard diagnostic and warning system. The dealers proposed fix is to replace the entire instrument cluster at a cost of more than $5000 or turn the repair over to an audio shop in hopes that they can replace remove the instrument cluster and replace the chime speaker with a non-OEM part as the OEM lowest replaceable part is the entire instrument cluster. This is safety issue because very few vehicle owners will be will to spend more than $5000 to repair/replace the chime speaker.