US government investigates Porsche Taycan battery issues

Washington, D.C. – June 9, 2021 – The arm of the U.S. government that regulates vehicle safety is conducting an investigation to determine if Porsche (OTCMKTS:POAHY) will be required to recall 12,146 2020-2021 Porsche Taycan electric cars for battery issues that can cause the car to stall.

Investigation summary  

The regulator – the  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – opened the investigation on May 17, after receiving nine Taycan owners’ complaints that described the cars’ stalling without warning, sometimes while driving on a freeway.

The cause appears to be the shutdown of the vehicle’s electrical system potentially brought upon by the loss of charge of the car’s 12-volt auxiliary battery, which normally powers headlights and climate control. Indeed, all drivers who submitted complaints saw an error message about a “battery fault” on the car’s display.  

Complaints

This issue potentially represents a serious safety hazard. One driver complained that not only the car stalled, but it also locked him or her inside while on a freeway. Six owners stated in their complaints that they were not able to restart their cars.

Risks

Stalling turns your car into a road hazard that other faster-moving cars may hit. Read more about the dangers of stalling, and what to do if your car loses power, in this article about a recent Jeep and Ram recall

Next steps

NHTSA is currently investigating the “scope and severity” of the Porsche Taycan’s issues with its battery. This process – called preliminary evaluation – usually takes about four months. If NHTSA finds a possible safety defect, it will conduct the so-called engineering analysis to see if a recall is warranted.

Recent Porsche Taycan recalls

The 2021 Porsche Taycan was just recalled for a separate issue with its suspension, which may break, causing the vehicle to lose control. Read more about it in NHTSA’s official recall documents.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 12,000 vehicles are implicated in this Porsche investigation. To see if this Porsche battery issue affects your car, bookmark our MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandUS government investigates Porsche Taycan battery issues