PORSCHE Complaints

On April 23, 2024, while decelerating gently at a traffic light, I heard a loud “thump” sound from the rear of my 2021 Porsche Taycan. Immediately, the vehicle lost access to the Reverse (R) and Park (P) gears. I was able to slowly coast into a nearby parking lot, but then all gear positions (Drive, Reverse, Neutral, Park) became completely unresponsive. The vehicle was immobilized and had to be towed. At the time of failure, the vehicle had just under 45,000 miles and had received routine maintenance and a recall inspection at a Porsche Center in March 2024. The factory warranty expired only one day earlier, on April 22. Porsche is refusing to cover repairs or provide a loaner vehicle, even though the failure clearly occurred at extremely low mileage and immediately after warranty expiration. The failure pattern matches the symptoms described in TSB #2209 (NHTSA ID: 10210797) for the 2022 Taycan, which identifies a known defect where the vehicle unexpectedly shifts from D or R into N or P without driver input. While my vehicle is a 2021 model, the behavior is nearly identical — sudden loss of drivability, unexpected gear disengagement, and major safety risk in traffic. This incident could have resulted in a serious accident had it happened in moving traffic. I am submitting this complaint in hopes that NHTSA will investigate whether this known transmission defect also affects 2021 Taycan models, and to ensure Porsche takes responsibility for latent safety defects, regardless of narrowly expired warranty status.

The contact owns a 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel was turned to the right to follow a sharp bend in the road, and the vehicle turned too wide. The contact turned the steering wheel to the left to straighten the vehicle when the rear of the vehicle started to fishtail. The contact slowed down but had not observed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle started bouncing and shaking. The contact stated that the shaking was more violent while driving above 40 MPH. The contact had taken the vehicle to tire shop. The tire shop removed all four tires and inspected the tires and the rims and determined that the driver's side front and rear tire rims were severely bent. The tire shop advised the contact to replace all four wheels. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact had purchased the aftermarket wheels in December of 2024. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

I am writing to bring to your urgent attention a recurring and serious issue with my Porsche Taycan (VIN: [XXX] ). On multiple occasions while driving, the vehicle has suddenly lost all power and displayed the error message: "Engine control error. Stop the car in a safe place." When this occurs, the car becomes completely unresponsive and unable to move forward, posing a significant safety risk, especially when it happens in traffic. I am forced to stop, switch off the vehicle, wait for a couple of minutes, and restart it. The error message disappears after restarting, but the issue continues to recur. This has now happened three times in the past two months. I first brought the vehicle to the dealer after the initial incident, and they recommended a software update. However, after the issue reoccurred and I returned to the dealership, they were unable to retrieve any error codes. Despite these efforts, the problem persists. Given the severity of the issue and the risk it poses while driving, I am requesting immediate assistance and a thorough investigation into the root cause of this malfunction. This is not only a mechanical concern but a serious safety issue that requires urgent attention. Please let me know the next steps to have this addressed properly and whether a formal case can be opened for further diagnostics and resolution. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owned a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that when he was parking the vehicle, as he had shifted from reverse (R) to drive (D) to straighten the vehicle in the parking spot, the vehicle had inadvertently accelerated at an unknown speed. The contact stated that the vehicle ran through an intersection and crashed into five parked vehicles. The contact stated that he had depressed the brake pedal and was not able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that his vehicle was stopped by the last vehicle he had crashed into. The contact stated that the police had arrived and issued a report. The contact stated that the vehicle air bags had deployed and that he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact stated that he had bruises on both his ankles and calves and that he had bruises on both wrists and hands. The contact stated that the driver's front fender, door, and quarter panel had been damaged by the crash. The contact stated that the driver's front wheel had sheared off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot and his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

I was parked on surface parking lot with no cars around me, when I put the vehicle in reverse to back out of the parking space, within 2 or 3 seconds the steering wheel airbag exploded without warning. I did not hit anything backing out and there was no collision. I simply put the vehicle in reverse when the airbag exploded. The vehicle was towed to the dealership Porsche Dallas, 6107 Lemmon Ave., Dallas Texas 75209, and has been there since the incident happened on Feb. 1, 2025. All of the diagnostic data from the vehicle was sent to the engineers at Porsche Cars of North America in Atlanta. As of this date I have not been advised why the steering wheel airbag exploded. My left forearm was severely injured and I was treated in ER clinic. I have photos of the Vehicle immediately after the airbag exploded showing the Vehicle had backed up only a few feet when the airbag exploded. Also photos of my injury.

The contact owns a 2011 Porsche Cayenne S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to illuminate properly. The contact stated that there was water intrusion in the headlight housings. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the headlamps needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the contact had not yet received the notification. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The door panels at the top wrap on my 2013 Porsche 911 and I understand this is a problem on Porsches 911 delivered between 2012 - 2019 A number of recommendations have been made for owners to glue the panel. This panel is designed to release in a side impact condition and any glue modifications to this panel would violate the designed operation. The manufacture is well aware of this issue and has replaced a number of them out of warranty for free, but you have to back them in a corner.

the dashboard has a fitted leather coating covering the airbag... the leather and its surrounding seals has melted.. almost entirely.. and it is rippled and uneven all around... this is widespread for these models and may cause problems with the airbag in the dash...the airbag has to be able to deploy without any problems.. the dash should be fixed so it is safe

Backing out of a parking space, the car automatically stopped as it should when approaching a curb. When I put the car back in drive and let off the brake, it lurched forward, I then hit the brake and it continued to accelerate for about 20 feet and hit a granite wall.

Porsche is making use of aluminum fasteners for important engine components. These fasteners are substandard for the service. At 100,000 miles, two of the bolts for the timing chain cover simply broke in half during normal service, resulting in a substantial oil leak and an expensive repair (about $3000). At 120,000 miles, one of the bolts for the valve cover also simply broke in half, resulting in another oil leak and a repair bill of about $1000.