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Porsche Taycan Investigated Over 12V Battery Charge Loss

Inspired by Tesla but very different from the EVs that come out of the Fremont assembly plant, the first-ever Porsche electric vehicle isn’t perfect. Recalled in March 2021 over suspension components that weren’t tightened properly, the Taycan is now the subject of an investigation.
Porsche Taycan 12 photos
Photo: Porsche
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Nine owners filed complaints with the federal watchdogs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the loss of motive power while in motion, and the Office of Defects Investigation has received two field reports over the same problem. The complaints and reports are centered around the 12-volt battery that may deactivate the electrical system and prevent the car from operation as it loses charge.

According to a document published by the NHTSA, “all complaints allege that loss of motive power occurred without warning and error messages about a battery fault displayed during or after the vehicle stalled.” Adding insult to injury, six complaints allege an inability to restart the Porker once it loses power. The peeps at ODI estimate the affected vehicle population at 12,146 Taycans, but a safety recall isn’t on the table at this moment in time.

That figure is somewhat curious because the German automaker sold a little over 6,500 units of the Taycan so far in the United States. Porsche told Automotive News that it’s aware of the issue and that they’re addressing it as quickly as possible. Porsche isn’t aware of any crashes related to this condition, and the company highlights that all Taycans remain safe to drive.

Looking at the bigger picture, the Stuttgart-based automaker isn’t the only one that has problems with the 12-volt battery. Early examples of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E used to discharge their classic batteries while plugged in because of the software that governs the powertrain control module. We also have to remember that Porsche doesn’t have too much experience in the electric vehicle segment, which is why small issues can - and will - happen.
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 Download: Porsche Taycan NHTSA ODI investigation (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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