What 90 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S

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.

NHTSA ODI 11457865

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.

NHTSA ODI 11456466

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.

NHTSA ODI 11435775

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.

NHTSA ODI 11433960

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

NHTSA ODI 11426921

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

NHTSA ODI 11426902

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.

NHTSA ODI 11424613

Sudden power loss while driving. Pulled over to the side and the car shut down with the message "Engine Control Error"

NHTSA ODI 11424618

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 <20 mph. Both times electrical error message was noted on the driver's center screen. I was able to turn the car off and then attempted several times to turn it back on, eventually the car started. In my opinion there are no precipitating factors. Also fortunately there were no other cars behind me, otherwise i am sure an accident would have happened.

NHTSA ODI 11424296

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.

NHTSA ODI 11424015

Complete battery failure. Luckily occurred in a safe location and while parked.

NHTSA ODI 11421593

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!

NHTSA ODI 11421575

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.

NHTSA ODI 11420845

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.

NHTSA ODI 11420734

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.

NHTSA ODI 11419721

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.

NHTSA ODI 11418935

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

NHTSA ODI 11418793

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.

NHTSA ODI 11418593

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.

NHTSA ODI 11418692

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.

NHTSA ODI 11418405

Car displayed the following message: "Electrical System Error" and simultaneously lost all drive train power and mobility. Would not restart.

NHTSA ODI 11418142

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.

NHTSA ODI 11418153

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.

NHTSA ODI 11415110

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.

NHTSA ODI 11386164

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.

NHTSA ODI 11383427