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When it comes to luxury cars, few are as recognizable as the first ever 2020 Porsche Taycan. The automaker’s tagline is “there is no substitute,” but some customers have been actively searching for one. With defective electrical systems, malfunctioning engine configurations, and various safety concerns, this expensive EV is eliciting an increased number of consumer complaints.
Click on other model years to view more problems: 2021 2022
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Porsche Taycan
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Electrical System:propulsion System | |
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Steering | |
| Equipment:electrical | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
What are the Most Common Problems with the 2020 Porsche Taycan
Porsche’s first electric vehicle, the 2020 Taycan, made its official debut in September 2019. According to a Porsche media release, by December 2020, they had sold more than 4,000 cars. By October 13, 2020, complaints were being filed with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). That year there were only 4, but they were all linked to engine and/or electrical problems. By December 12, 2022, there were another 44 complaints, 31 about the electrical system, including battery issues, and 12 about the engine.
In terms of numbers, 7 powertrain issues are next on the list. But more than half of these are also categorized by consumers as being electrical and/or engine problems. Additionally, the fuel/propulsion system and brakes have attracted 3 complaints each, and forward collision avoidance and steering 2 each. Most of these are mentioned in at least 2 categories, including the electrical system and engine.
One complaint listed only in the fuel/propulsion system category states that the high voltage battery failed without warning. The driver couldn’t put the car into gear or move it. At the time of the complaint, the car had been with Porsche for 47 days with no resolution.
There are also complaints about:
- Back-over prevention A highly distorted backup camera that is considered to be a hazard for pedestrians.
- Visibility/wiper Another complaint about the backup camera being highly distorted and a hazard to those walking across the backup path of the car.
- Equipment Safety concerns about the mobile charger overheating and becoming a fire risk.
- Vehicle speed control Acceleration issues that almost led to an accident.
There are also complaints on other platforms, including Edmunds. Then there are the recalls and an NHTSA Office of Defects (ODI) investigation.
Complaints on Edmunds
While half of the complaints on Edmunds give the car five stars, the rest have awarded 1-3 stars, effectively dropping the average rating to 3.6. Most of the complaints are about constant software problems, the battery of the car, as well as brakes failing, the charger overheating, and poor support or service from Porsche. They “continue to ship new cars knowing there are major faults,” says one 1-star complaint dated October 17, 2021.
A 2-star complaint from December 2021, states: “The car drives well, but the software is so problematic that Porsche should stop producing cars until they replace all the hardware and software of the cars. Porschegate. Shame on them that they try to keep it (a) secret.”
Recalls and Investigations
There are a total of 7 recalls on the 2020 Porsche Taycan, the first of which relates to the electrical system and engine. This warns that potentially, 10,373 Taycans have a software error that causes a loss of motive power. If the monitoring software incorrectly detects a fault, it can shut down the powertrain increasing the risk of a crash.
Other recalls relate to back-over prevention, exterior lighting, the seats, seat belts, service and hydraulic brakes, and suspension.
The investigation, which was open from May 17, 2021, until December 23, 2021, was initiated by the ODI because of complaints received alleging a loss of motive power at any speed without any warning. All the complaints also stated that a battery fault displayed during or after the car stalled.
And it wasn’t only the 2020 model that was affected. The investigation included the 2021 model year as well.
It turned out to be a software malfunction caused by a pulse-controlled inverter mounted on the drive modules on the front and rear axles. The ODI states that the software was designed to continuously monitor between the safety-related electronic control units (ECUs). If the ECUs malfunction, they can “set an error memory entry, and trigger a shutdown of the powertrain, resulting in loss of motive power. If this occurs, the affected vehicles display the warning message ‘Motor control error. Stop vehicle in a safe place’ in the instrument cluster.
Porsche corrected the software malfunction in all new cars and launched the safety recall mentioned above on June 29, 2021. However, the NHTSA states that it “reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.” With NHTSA loss of motive power complaints still a reality, many people are wondering when and if this will happen.
Electrical System Problems
As an electric vehicle, it’s a given that the electrical system in every single Taycan would be top-notch. But the problems Taycan drivers are experiencing place serious doubt on this assumption..Not surprisingly, NHTSA complaints about the electrical system focus on a loss of motive power and battery failures. As recently as December 2, 2022, a driver from New York was faced with an error message: “Electrical system error Park vehicle in a safe place.” This is similar, if not the same, as the error message noted by the ODI during its investigation into loss of motive power.
Another electrical system complaint from someone in Illinois mentions the same as this. This happened in April 2022, and the complaint states: “ I had to exit the freeway and shut down the vehicle and the error went away. I am hesitant to drive the vehicle, I am in the process of having the vehicle flat bedded to my dealer.”
An owner from Washington says that on April 17, 2022, his car suddenly showed an “electrical system error”. Then he was unable to get it to move. “Luckily it was parked in my garage. I can’t imagine if it was on (the) highway when your vehicle suddenly lost power. I don’t remember how many times my Taycan was recalled in (the) past year, but it looks (like) Porsche still hasn’t figured it out. Maybe it’s still a prototype.”
A complaint from California states that a Taycan S has “had all the instrument cluster displays go blank for 20-30 sec then reboot.” while driving on the freeway during the day. “Very disconcerting at best… dealer tells me this is normal! (It’s) hard to believe it’s normal. For me it’s a safety issue.”
Powertrain Affected by Electrical Issues
An owner in California experienced “Total electrical shutdown of the drivability of the car” in May 2021. It came to a sudden stop while driving in traffic and was difficult to restart. He maintains the problem is due to a powertrain control module and doesn’t mention “loss of motive power” as such.
The complaint continues, stating “I have had the car in multiple times for PCM related issues and software updates. During the most recent update they had to replace the entire PCM with a new one. The car was running fine then, then this issue happened. Porsche is continually having issues with this car all related to the PCM. It appears that the car is unsafe and my wife refuses to be in the car.
“I asked Porsche if they were aware of this problem and they said yes. Then, I asked Porsche for them to look at this car as a Lemon law car, they call this a Buy Back Program. I am still waiting to be told what is next. Porsche is saying the car is safe and has had no accidents, but they know that this car could cause an accident when shutting down with no notice. How is that considered safe? No message appeared till after the car (had) shutdown.”
Problems with the Battery
Some, but not all, electrical system complaints mention battery failure. Many say their batteries have had to be replaced.
NHTSA Complaints
The complaint from an owner in Illinois states that on two separate occasions, “the car had catastrophic failures due to the 12 V battery draining for no reason. And, (on) one occasion the car had a catastrophic failure due to the main battery system having a failure. All of this happened in the first four months of ownership. At all times the vehicle was stationary.”
Reporting that his Taycan’s 12-volt battery appeared to fail, an owner from Colorado states that he was unable to move the vehicle. “I have tried to charge the 12-volt battery but the car remains undrivable. I had the car towed to the dealership and they have said that the car needs a new 12-volt battery, but it is on backorder and that they continue to work with the factory to resolve the issue.”
An owner from Arizona also experienced “Complete battery failure. Luckily (it) occurred in a safe location and while parked.”
An owner from Texas states that the Taycan had an electrical error, lost power, and then came to a complete stop. This happened in December 2020. “I was unable to get out of the vehicle because it locked me inside. This is a safety hazard and, had I not taken precautions to exit the freeway, I may not have survived. This needs to be investigated as from what I’ve read, this has been a common issue with this vehicle. It happened first on December 16th and then again (on) December 25th. Software and the 12V battery were replaced the first time. The day after the car was picked up from service, it happened again.”
Forum Discussions
In November 2021, a 2020 Taycan owner on the Taycan EV Forum told members that after getting the “electrical system error” with his 11-month-old car, his dealer said at first that he “couldn’t find anything wrong.” But when the problem recurred a week later, he said that “the battery needs a complete overhaul.” They said Porsche was flying in an engineer from Atlanta to take it apart “and attempt to fix it.” The company did provide him with a loaner because the overhaul was going to take 6-8 weeks. He said that a month later, the battery was fixed.
Another member had the same problem and said a technician was flying in to fix “one pouch of the battery” the dealership said was faulty.
In a different thread on the same forum, a member tells how, in June 2022, he got the electrical system fault message and couldn’t drive the car. So, the dealer replaced the high voltage onboard charger under warranty. But 20 days after the “fix,” it wouldn’t start and was towed back to the dealer. The dealership decided to replace the main battery under warranty. Delivery took a month and installation a day. “Car is running fine now.”
Engine Problems
Even though most electrical system complaints are more recent than those filed under Engine, it’s clear that Porsche Taycan electrical and engine problems are linked.Engine issues mentioned in NHTSA complaints include stalling, abrupt stopping, and losing power as described in the loss of motive power issue. Some drivers complain they were unable to restart their cars after losing power.
An owner from South Carolina emphasizes the “safety risk of having the car’s motor completely lose power on the road/highway is high, as you are then left powerless.” He describes the incident, saying: “The car shut off while driving and gave a ‘Motor control error’. The car’s interior electronics stayed on, but the car had no drive power at all. There were no warning signs or problems prior to this issue occurring”
When it happened, their first stop was their local Porsche dealer. He “looked at it and said it was a ‘one off’ type of malfunction” Additionally, the dealer “could not find any issue with the car when we brought it in.”
Complaints from California
An owner from California complained about losing “all power and control” of his Taycan on May 21, 2021, which was just after the ODI opened its loss of motive power investigation.
“I had to wrestle the vehicle to the side of the road and narrowly avoided a cliff face off into the ocean. My entire family was in the car and could have been killed. This was after Porsche was unable to fix safety systems like my active cruise control and lane keep assist which were bugging out and trying to take over control of the car. I towed it to Porsche who attempted to address the problem and claimed it was fixed with a patch. There is no way to validate the work. Porsche did not communicate during the issue and offered little in the way of resolution.”
Another owner from California complained about the engine, brakes, and steering about the same time. “I was driving on (the) freeway at 70 mph and (the) car suddenly lost power… we were in (the) furthest lane and (I) had to attempt to get the car to safety on a busy LA freeway by crossing 4 lanes. (It was) extremely scary as (I) had my children in the car… My family now refuses to get in the car for safety concerns. Thankfully traffic wasn’t at its peak as if it was, I dread to think what would have happened.”
Your Lemon Law Legal Rights
When faults and malfunctions affect the use and value of a vehicle, there’s a possibility that it’s a lemon. If it is, the auto manufacturer may settle and buy back, replace, or trade in the vehicle. It happens often.
The law makes Porsche pay legal fees. So, if you think that your 2020 Porsche Taycan is a lemon, consider contacting a lemon law firm like Lemberg Law. You can call our Helpline or fill out a contact form and we will assess your problems free of charge.
Complaint Data
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 20, 2023 |
| State | GA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 porsche taycan. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the power steering failure, and multiple warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle began to decelerate independently and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to park in a near driveway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle within 10 minutes and drove to her residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the gateway control unit to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Mar 02, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was driving in the fast/lane of the freeway, and suddenly the car flashed red "electrical system error" "park vehicle in safe place". The car immediately started to decellerate on its own and I didn't have time to go over to the right so had to move into the left shoulder of the freeway. I was stuck in the middle of the freeway, with cars driving fast coming around a bend of the freeway behind me having to swerve out of the way. Cops finally came to give me cover from behind. Dealership still trying to figure out what the issue is. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Dec 12, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Car displayed the following message: electrical system error park vehicle in a safe place |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Oct 16, 2022 |
| State | HI |
| Description | My taycan suddenly lost power while driving on the road on 10/14/2022 |
| Category | Equipment:electrical |
| Date | Oct 04, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | Porsche mobile charger overheats, rated for 9. 6kw but due to safety concerns porsche adjusted default rate to 4. 8kw. Rate can be reset to 9. 6 each charge session increasing risk of fire. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Jul 05, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | It appears that the vehicle 12volt system battery has failed and I am unable to move the vehicle . I have tried to charge the 12volt battery but the car remains undrivable. I had the car towed to the dealership and they have said that the car needs a new 12volt battery but it is on backorder and that they continue to work with the factory to resolve the issue. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Steering |
| Date | Jun 27, 2022 |
| State | MA |
| Description | In the center of the lane on a straight highway, vehicle will suddenly brake without warning. There are no vehicles ahead. A warning light comes on the dash and says “driver control required,†yet both my hands are on the steering wheel. The feeling is that of a brake check performed by the electronic sensors of the car, and not at the driver's command. Had there been a car following behind me, he could have hit me in the rear. Dealer is aware of the complaint but says, “system is working as designed.†manufacturer responds by directing me back to the dealership. Yet the problem persists. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | May 24, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | After the most recent recalls were repaired (all software) on my vehicle the brakes in the car were terrible. Soft /dead pedal feel. I almost rear ended other cars multiple times wen braking at slow speeds. Occasionally the pedal would go all the way to the floor when slowing to 3-5mph - this was consistent over multiple days after I got the car back from recall updates. Also , the first inc of brake pedal travel did not slow teh car at all. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Apr 25, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | I got an “electrical system error. Park vehicle in a safe place†while I was on the freeway. I had to exit the freeway and shut down the vehicle and the error went away. I am hesitant to drive the vehicle, I am in the process of having the vehicle flat bedded to my dealer. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Apr 18, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | Suddenly my vehicle showed "electrical system error", then it can't move, no matter forward or reverse, luckily it was parked in my garage, I can't image if it was on highway when your vehicle suddenly lost power. I don't remember how many times my taycan was recalled in past 1 year, but it looks porsche still haven't figure it out, maybe it's still a prototype. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 22, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | My taycan 4s has now on two occasions, while I'm driving, on the freeway, during the daytime, had all the instrument cluster displays go blank for 20-30 sec then reboot… very disconcerting at best... Dealer tells me this is normal!, hard to believe its normal.... For me it's a safety issue. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 13, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Car failed on the street noting "electrical system error". It was not able to shift into drive or reverse and immovable rendering it inoperable and left me stranded on the street. I had the car towed to the dealer the next day. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Feb 06, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Hv battery failure. No warning. Vehicle could not be put in gear or moved. Vehicle has been at porsche conshohocken since 12/23/2021. No resolution as of 02/04/2022. Vehicle has been out of service 47 days. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera |
| Date | Oct 26, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The backup camera is highly distorted and it is difficult to see what is in the distance (more than 10 ft) from the rear of the car. I have had multiple incidents where I almost hit someone who was walking up the street past my driveway entrance. The other problem is when you turn the backup camera turns, and there is no frame of reference left so it is extremely distorted and hard to figure out where things are at. I have a mercedes gls450 and the backup cameras clearly show the street at the end of our driveway. I've attached comparison views of the street from our garage using the porsche and mercedes cameras. This backup camera is hazardous to the safety of anyone walking across the backup path of this car, and this issue needs to be addressed immediately. There is just no excuse to have such a poor quality camera on any car. By the way this car cost ,000 more than my mercedes!! |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Oct 06, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | While driving the car suddenly lost power and displayed "electrical malfunction" please park in safe place. I was powerless and stranded in the middle of a 3 lane road. Car was towed to porsche and they have had the car for 2 days- with no solution in site. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Sep 22, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Conditions were clear and dry, with an ambient temperature of approximately 86 degrees f. Time of day was approximately 11:41am, pacific. I was entering the 73 south onramp from newport coast dr. (newport beach, ca 92657), somewhere between 60-70mph in sport plus mode, under heavy acceleration (but not full throttle). With no other symptoms or indications, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and presented the error message “electrical system error park vehicle in safe place.†at that point, the throttle became completely unresponsive and the ac compressor shut off, though other vehicle systems appeared to work normally. I was able to pull over to the shoulder safely, however sudden and complete loss of motive power is very clearly a safety risk when on a highway. In this case, as in the first time this happened, I shut the vehicle off and attempted to restart several times immediately following the initial error message, but the vehicle would not restart. I let the vehicle sit for approximately 10-15 minutes with the power off. At that point, the vehicle was able to be restarted and driven. This is the 3rd time I've received such an error and the 3rd time I've had the vehicle brought in for service for the same issue since august 2nd. Porsche cars north america is apparently aware of the issue and has updated my vehicle software and replaced a voltage converter approximately one month ago. Unfortunately, the vehicle seems to still be exhibiting the problem. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Sep 05, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The backup camera is highly distorted and it is difficult to see what is in the distance (more than 30 ft) from the rear of the car. I have had two incidents where I almost hit someone who was walking up the street past my driveway entrance. I need to look in the opposite direction for oncoming cars and I rely on the backup camera to see if anyone is walking towards the driveway entrance as I'm backing up. The resolution on the camera is absolutely terrible and highly distorted. We have a ford f150 pickup and a mercedes 350 gle and the backup cameras clearly show the street at the end of our driveway. I've attached comparison views of the street from our garage using the porsche and mercedes cameras. This backup camera is hazardous to the safety of anyone walking across the backup path of this car, and this issue needs to be addressed immediately. There is just no excuse to have such a poor quality camera on any car. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jul 29, 2021 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Engine light came on while driving "engine control error" park vehicle in a safe place. As I was attempting to pull into a safe place the car died on the road resulting in a near accident |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jul 28, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | 1st error “parking brake bit available, vehicle coils roll away†- cleared after restart. It then occurred again after cad was parked together with “motor control error - driving possible, service required†but car could not be driven and had to be towed |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jul 13, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Sudden power loss while driving. Pulled over to the side and the car shut down with the message "engine control error" |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jul 13, 2021 |
| State | CO |
| Description | My car suddenly popped up this error message "engine control error". I could still steer and use the brakes, but the accelerator would not work. I had to coast to a stop, put in park, and restart. I called the dealer and they said this will be part of a recall but they had no fix yet. I'm not sure if this part of the battery power-loss recall or not. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jul 11, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Sudden electrical failure. Two times the car has had sudden unexpected power loss. In particular the forward motion of the stopped suddenly, fortunately I was at low speed |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jul 08, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Sudden and unexpected complete loss of power while vehicle was at highway speed. Could not accelerate. Red warning light appeared stating engine control error. Car glided to a complete stop and I attempted to pull over to the shoulder of the highway. Brought the vehicle to the dealer and they stated there was a recent service bulletin to update software. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine |
| Date | Jun 21, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | Complete battery failure. Luckily occurred in a safe location and while parked. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jun 20, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | April 27 I tried a launch control and a few seconds into it I got "all wheel drive error. " engine performance limited." the car slowed and would only drive a maximum of 20mph. It cycled through several screens, one said "visit workshop". I tried to attached movie and photo, no luck. I let car sit turned off for about 10 minutes, drove it again, no errors. Tried launch control again, no errors. I have a . Mov that shows the errors (my son was in the passenger seat so I had him record the errors). I cannot attach an . Mov here. I took it into dealer, they said porsche didn't have a fix for this but they said not to worry about it. It is dangerous to have the car only go 20mph at some random time! |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jun 14, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Total electrical shutdown of the drivability of the car. The car in driving traffic came to a sudden stop and doors were lock and would not start until we tried 3 times. A truck behind us had to come to a quick sudden stop to avoid hitting us in the rear of the car! The car was taken to porsche south bay for understanding the cause of the problem the manufacture was alerted ,porsche customer care and a case filed. Porsche service was suppose to report their findings to customer care in reference to case file number. They asked me to also bring in the porsche charging unit to be re-flashed on software in the unit. I have had the car in multiple times for pcm related issues and software updates, during the most recent update they had to replace the entire pcm with a new one. The car was running fine then, then this issue happened. Porsche is continually having issues with this car all related to the pcm, it appear that the car is unsafe and my wife refuses to be in the car. I asked porsche if they were aware of this problem and they said yes. I asked porsche for them to look at this car as a lemon law car, they call this a buy back program. I am still waiting to be told what is next. Porsche is saying the car is safe and has had no accidents, but they know that this car could cause an accident when shutting down with no notice. How is that considered safe? No message appeared till after the car shutdown. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Jun 13, 2021 |
| State | GA |
| Description | Car completely shut down in an intersection, lost all power and would not move, error read: motor control error stop vehicle in a safe place. Prior to shutting down the vehicle jerked and slammed on the brakes in a busy intersection. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jun 05, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | My complaint is that the car will not move. I get in the car to drive and the car displays the following message, “ electrical system error. Stop vehicle in a safe place.†this has happened on numerous occasions(at least 7) since I received the car on february 10, 2021. Mind you I work from home so I don't drive it but once a week. I am quite fortunate that thus far it has only happened in my garage. I took the car to the local porsche dealership for a software update but that was not the solution. It occurred again after the update. I thought maybe it had something to do with the car charger because it usually occurred a couple days after charging the car but I haven't charged it in over 2 weeks. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | Jun 04, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | My husband and I were driving our car last night and our car suddenly displayed an error code and shutdown. This has happenned a few weeks ago andbthe dealer could not find the issue. We took a picture of the error code, pulled over and restarted the car. This is very concerning because it doesnt give you more than a few secs after the error code that the car just dies. Again we were in a position to pull over on the freeway but if we had been in the middle lane this could have been a very different outcome. We have contacted the dealer to troubleshoot again. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Power Train |
| Date | May 28, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | While driving normally on a highway, the car suddenly reported "electrical system error, stop vehicle in a safe place", which is followed by a complete loss of power, even pressed on acceleration pedal. I immediately pulled over to the side of the highway, the car slowed down quickly and stopped. The car was unable to restart ever since. After 1-2 hours, the vehicle's power was completely lost. |
| Category | Electrical System, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 27, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | My 2020 taycan turbo was purchased brand new by myself july 07/ 2020, and has had a tremendous amount of problems and issues. All are documented and have photos as proof. The car is available for whomever wishes to inspect it. One of the more recent issues was the car - without warning - while I was driving, not functioning and I wasn't able to turn the wheel, use the gas pedal, the brake or anything. Nothing in the car was operable. After it coasted ( I was almost rear ended but luckily the other driver veered off the road to avoid a collision.) the brakes decided to work. A red light came on which reads " engine control error, park vehicle in a safe place " , along with photos of 2 cars with exclamation points on them. Also illuminated was a photo which shows a photos of a drive train and 4 wheels. After turning the car on and off several times, the car decided it would operate. I drove it to the dealership. More comments and issues to be added. - numerous - have photos of all |
| Category | Engine, Service Brakes, Steering |
| Date | May 27, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Was driving on freeway at 70mph and car suddenly lost power .... We were in furthest lane and had to attempt to get the car to safety on a busy la freeway by crossing 4 lanes extremely scary as had my children in the car... My family now refuse to get in the car for safety concerns thankfully traffic wasn't at its peak as if it was I dread to think what would of happened |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | May 26, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | As I was driving on the freeway at approximately 50 mph, the car lost power and would not accelerate. A warning appeared on the dashboard reading: “ engine control error — park vehicle in a safe place“. There was no roadway shoulder, but fortunately I was coasting downhill and was able to exit the freeway onto an exit ramp, where I parked the car on the shoulder. I called porsche roadside assistance and waited over 45 minutes for a tow truck. It had still not arrived when I was able to restart the vehicle and resume driving. I took it to the dealer where I bought the car, and they said they would check it out. They did not indicate that any other taycans had been returned to them with this issue, although I have read numerous news accounts describing this problem in recent weeks. Had this power failure occurred under different circumstances, I and other drivers would have been at risk of serious injury or death. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | May 26, 2021 |
| State | NV |
| Description | I had just entered interstate 15 about a mile from my home. I was in middle lane going approximately 65 mph, error message "engine computer failure, please pull over to safe place and call for service" appeared on screen and car lost all motive power. I was able to pull over to side of road, shut car off and then restart car. I was then able to drive home. Had car towed to dealer next day. They said they needed to update two software modules to latest version which "should" fix the problem. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | May 25, 2021 |
| State | SC |
| Description | The safety risk of having the car's motor completely lose power on the road/highway is high, as you are then left powerless. We have not reproduced this issue ourselves. Our local porsche dealer has looked at it and said it was a “one off†type of malfunction and could not find any issue with the car when we brought it in. The car shut off while driving and gave a “motor control error.†the car's interior electronics stayed on, but the car had no drive power at all. There were no warning signs or problems prior to this issue occurring |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | May 24, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | At approximately 3:40 pm on 5/24/2021 I was travelling w bound on the 10 freeway. The vehicle experienced full power loss. Fortunately I was in the l most lane and could pull to the side. Had I been in the center lanes I would've had serious safety issues. Vehicle is being towed to beverly hiss posrche. I took a photo of the error message and can share it if needed. This was a particularly traumatic experience as the vehicle has been in the repair shop for 35+ days since purchase in november with electrical issues. It was returned on 5/17/2021 after a second control module was replaced. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | May 24, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | - parking assist has failed several times with message "parkassist not available. Continued driving possible, service necessary" - forward collision warning (aka warning and break assist) has disabled itself several times for no apparent reason with message "wba limited, see owners manual". The sensors and windshield was clean so nothing was obstructing the system. - headline control error while driving with message "headline control error. Temporary condition, continued driving possible". Parkassist and forward collision unavailability has been reported to porsche dealer but they were unable to diagnose or fix it. It seems the car does not record any error codes for the dealer to debug. There was a pending software updated at the time which was installed but the issues happen even after the updated. The issues started from first days of ownership and happen intermittently and stopping and restarting the car always fixes them which probably suggest they are software bugs. After the software update I have experienced an additional issue - central computer (aka pcm) which controls everything in this car has frozen and restarted which leaves the driver with no ability to control any of the car's settings or systems. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 23, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | While driving at approximately 40mph, a red message suddenly appeared in the dashboard saying “engine control error- park vehicle in a safe placeâ€. Simultaneously, the car became unresponsive - for example, pressing the gas pedal had no effect. I was able to brake and drift to the side of the road, but the car kind of bumpily ground to halt, feeling almost as if I had a flat tire (which I did not). Once I shut off the car and restarted, it ran again but had that issue occurred at a high speed or on a busier roadway, a serious accident was possible. I just recently had the car serviced to do a major upgrade the software and have seen others posting in forums about this serious issue. I never had this issue prior to the software update and have driven the car over 5000 miles. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | May 22, 2021 |
| State | IA |
| Description | As per the recently announced investigation on 5/21/21 into the 12 volt battery issue that rendered the car unable to drive, I had the same issue arise today (5/22/21) where an electrical error made the car inoperable and unable to power on any systems. In order to get the car on flat bed tow truck, they had to charge back the 12 volt battery to get car into neutral. |
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System |
| Date | May 22, 2021 |
| State | CT |
| Description | Car displayed the following message: "electrical system error" and simultaneously lost all drive train power and mobility. Would not restart. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 22, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | My car on two separate occasions lost power and took several seconds to recover while fighting it. It would suddenly state "drive attention required" and seemed to hit the brakes hard and ignore my inputs. This occurred twice within a week roughly 3 weeks ago. This could have easily caused an accident as the car begins to slow quickly. The issue was not reproduced by the dealer and they claim it was related to a faulty software update (but they never reproduced or had any diagnostics on the issue so I'm not sure how they could claim that). It has not happened after the third reinstall of the software update but it also didn't happen except those two times when the software was apparently faulty so I still believe it could happen at any time. When the software was in a faulty state (which was common with the update and many had the same issues) the car's self driving tech was also semi functional and easy to have the car drive itself without knowing. The car would say "driver's assistance inactive on the screen" but then drive itself at some unknown speed. I have a video of this. This is super dangerous. |
| Category | Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | May 22, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | After a software “upgrade†the speed control features were stated to be “unavailable†however the car still was in cruise and accelerator was depressed without indicating that to me as the driver. Car accelerated unintentionally on highway and emergency action had to be taken to avoid accident. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 21, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving in a particularly curved section of highway 1 the vehicle lost all power and control. I had to wrestle the vehicle to the side of the road and narrowly avoided a cliff face off into the ocean. My entire family was in the car and could have been killed. This was after porsche was unable to fix safety systems like my active cruise control and lane keep assist which were bugging out and trying to take over control of the car. I towed it to porsche who attempted to address the problem and claimed it was fixed with a patch. There is no way to validate the work. Porsche did not communicate during the issue and offered little in the way of resolution. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Power Train |
| Date | May 04, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | As I was coasting to a stop at a stoplight the car shuddered and lost all power from the engine. I was able to stop the car and a red warning on the dashboard said 'drive system control fault, park vehicle safely'. I've heard from a number of other taycan owners and they have had the same problem while driving, in some cases on the freeway and had to stop in the left hand lane. I believe this fault is very dangerous and serious. I am very concerned this could happen to me while driving at speed, and could result in an accident and/or injury to me or others. The car did reset after I turned it off and restarted, and I did not have a problem for the rest of the day. The car is currently at the dealer. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | May 01, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving on the freeway at c. 55mph in moderate traffic, the car lost all motor power and stared to coast to a standstill. An error was on the display saying 'drive system control fault - park vehicle safely. I managed to get to a slip road off the freeway and the car juddered to a halt from around 15mph until complete stop. There was no response the throttle at any time. I powered off the car using the power button on the dashboard, then immediately switched it back on. Once back on, the car was operating normally. This has been reported on porsche taycan forums https://www. Taycanforum. Com/forum/threads/motor-control-error-and-system-error. 3114/ |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train |
| Date | Jan 02, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The car showed an electrical error & lost power then shut down on the freeway. Once the car came to a complete stop I was unable to get out of the vehicle because it locked me inside. This is a safety hazard and had I not take the precautions to exit the freeway I may not have survived. This needs to be investigated as from what I've ready, this has been a common issue in this vehicle. It happened first on the ,'december 16th & then again december 25th. Software and the 12v battery were replaced the first time, and the day after the car was picked up from service it happened again. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine |
| Date | Dec 14, 2020 |
| State | IL |
| Description | On two different occasions the car had catastrophic failures due to the 12 v battery draining for no reason. And one occasion the car had a catastrophic failure due to the main battery system having a failure. All of this happened in the first four months of ownership. All times the vehicle with stationary. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine |
| Date | Dec 04, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving, car began to shake abruptly and stopped itself. Dash flashed motor control error in red and the system control error and was complete unresponsive and undriveable. Car was towed to porsche and they have no answers after 3 days. This was very dangerous, as the car slammed on the breaks and stopped in the middle of the road. Had it been a highway, I could have been hit. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Dec 04, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | I was trying to leave a parking spot. I put the car in drive mode & it didn't move. The vehicle showed the message: 'motor control error ' move vehicle to a safe place' and was encircled by a red light. I turned the car off and on several times thinking vehicle would reset itself. But vehicle would not move. The car would go in neutral mode, but not drive mode. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Oct 13, 2020 |
| State | TN |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 porsche taycan. The contact stated that while driving out of his driveway, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to resume normal operation. The vehicle was towed to gossett porsche (1875 covington pike, memphis, tn 38128) where a diagnostic test was still pending. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified by email however, the contact had not received a response. The failure mileage was 1,090. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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