What 10 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Porsche Macan Gts

Water intrusion into the rear of the vehicle flooded due to a manufacturers defect. this area houses the battery and other electrical wiring. The water created a potential electrocution and short of much of the wiring, but the rust contaminated the air quality in the vehicle. Evidence of this corrosion shows persistence for more than a couple of years and the car was inspected twice by the dealer over this time, the most recent a year ago. Since then, I have been diagnosed with several respiratory ailment s along with a lymphoma diagnosis. the cost of the repairs is $7500 and I appealed to the dealer who is repairing the car, the dealer where I purchased the car and Porsche USA corp. all passed on helping me pay for the repairs. there was a lawsuit settlement in 2025 for this very same issue where they exended the warranties for two more years. However, I never received notice to participate in the law suit.

NHTSA ODI 11745933

Vehicle developed a check engine light and camshaft sensor fault at approximately 48,000 miles. Engine began making abnormal ticking noise and later entered reduced power/limp mode condition. Vehicle was initially evaluated by an authorized Porsche dealership, where damage to the camshaft trigger/tone wheel and internal mechanical concerns within the valvetrain were identified through diagnostic evaluation and bore scope inspection. Supporting documentation from the authorized Porsche dealership, including bore scope video and diagnostic findings, has been retained. A Porsche-focused independent repair facility later identified a fractured rocker arm within the valvetrain assembly as the root cause of the failure. The failed rocker arm caused contact damage to the camshaft and related components. Repair facility advised that further movement of the failed component could have resulted in catastrophic engine failure. Failed component has been retained and documented with photographs. Vehicle required major valvetrain and camshaft repair. Concern involves internal engine component failure at relatively low mileage with potential loss of power and severe engine damage.

NHTSA ODI 11737280

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.

NHTSA ODI 11713194

On November 12, 2025 the transmission, power train, and/or other components on my Porsche Macan S failed. My Macan was parked (gear selector in "Park") on a level surface, the ignition turned off and the key removed from the ignition when it was tapped from behind by another vehicle that was exiting a residential garage. The Macan proceeded to roll over two hundred feet from the impact, jumped two curbs, crossed a street with active traffic, and finally stopped when it hit a tree. There was extensive damage to my vehicle but fortunately there were no injuries because the Macan was unmanned at the time of impact. If there were pedestrians and/or other vehicles crossing the path of the Macan they would have been hit. There were no warning signs prior to the failure. This incident has been reported to Porsche Cars North America, Inc. ("PCNA"). I requested an inspection of my vehicle at an authorized Porsche repair dealership but was told: "PCNA has determined that our involvement would not be required in this matter therefore, we are unable to investigate it further". PCNA has disavowed any responsibility for the manufacturer's defect that endangers other drivers, pedestrians and me, given the risk of reoccurrence.

NHTSA ODI 11711211

There was a recall on the passenger sideair bag sensor for previous years but the issue is still occurring in my 2021 Porsche macan turbo. The error code reports a faulty air bag sensor. The recall should be extended to later year models. Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11691471

The sunroof exploded outward as I was driving alone on the road. It was a loud bang and sounded like a gun shot. It scared me and I swerved. Luckily, I did not crash, and the sun visor was closed otherwise, the glass would have fell on me and possibly into my face and eyes - very dangerous! The dealer claimed that a rock probably hit it, but there was no rock that hit my sunroof and the glass blew outward - see attached pics. The sunroof was eventually repaired by the Porsche dealer and paid by my insurance with my deductible. No warning at all. It just blew out! Please check if there is a design flaw with the type of glass used which could affect the structural integrity of the glass with temperature changes and pressure created when opening and closing the doors of the vehicle. The Porsche dealer claimed that they were not accountable, yet I did absolutely nothing to cause this to happen. My insurance has gone up and I lost a lot of time dealing with this.

NHTSA ODI 11589869

When I first purchased my car, it reversed while the car was on auto hold while I was on a steep hill with a stoplight. There was no way to stop the car as the break didn’t work somehow it worked when I slammed the gas. The dealership said it was a software issue so they updated it. A few months later it was worse. I tried to put the car in park and slam the brakes but it didn’t work. I don’t remember how I got it to move because there was a car behind me and I was panicking. Both times my 5 years old was in the back seat. I’m addition, when I go up my hill there’s a clicking sound on the back right tire side. I called the dealership for that and they said that was normal.

NHTSA ODI 11489500

My car got stuck and then it caught fire and now is fully demolished

NHTSA ODI 11462724

My daughter accidentally tried to reverse in auxiliary mode- she had the radio on and did not realize the engine was not on The car went into reverse and she had no brakes or steering to stop the car Mercedes - BMW- Range Roger - Tesla - we have checked these cars and it isn’t possible to do this scenario in those cars Porsche said the car is fine and if she was 6’3” and weighed 250 it would be difficult but possible to apply enough pressure to the brakes - she weighs 100 pounds so it wasn’t physically possible My husband has a Five year old convertible Mercedes - he tried to recreate this scenario in his car. The first thing that happens is the emergency brake won’t let him reverse . When he released the brake with the engine off and the radio on it did reverse but the brakes worked normally I have friends with Tesla / BMW / and Range Rover all check their cars and they all have safety features preventing the car to go in reverse or it still has normal brakes My daughter had an accident and luckily nobody was hurt This seems dangerous

NHTSA ODI 11436581

I wrote earlier today but now I found out the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche 911 all have safety feature lacking in the new macan - if u try to reverse with the engine off a message will come on that says to turn on the engine and engage the gear. The macan can reverse with no engine on and then you have no brakes and no power steering . There is a small window of one attempt according to Porsche to use the brakes but you would need to be a strong large man to accomplish the amount of effort required per the dealership - this was not reviewed at the time of purchase .. it seems this safety feature has been around for at least a decade and I am not sure why the macan hasn’t upgraded this important feature or let the customers know in advance We have $5,000 of damage to the car We have $5000 of damage to the house and we will be without a car for 4-8 weeks depending on if parts are here or in Germany

NHTSA ODI 11436721