2021 Porsche Taycan Problems: 12 Known Issues

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, the Taycan 12V auxiliary battery drains excessively when the vehicle is parked, even for short periods. On cars with the factory A123 40 Ah lithium (LiFePO4) 12V battery, Porsche bulletin SY 36/25 says the battery's charge state is not calculated correctly over the vehicle's service life, which can leave the car de-energized. A dead 12V battery prevents the car from powering on even with a full high-voltage battery.

On the 2020-2024 Porsche Taycan, some 2020-2024 Taycans built between October 2019 and February 2024 have high-voltage battery cell modules, made by LG Energy Solution in Poland, that can develop an internal short circuit. This can lead to overheating and, in some cases, a fire. Porsche says supplier production problems are the cause and that only a small share of cars is affected (it estimates about 2% of the 27,527 cars in the recall). This recall (Porsche codes ARB6/ARB7) expands and replaces the earlier battery recalls 23V-840, 24V-215 and 24V-217. Porsche added more cars after further data and hardware analysis. Porsche reports no warning to the driver before a fault, so the recall letter is usually the only sign. If Porsche does not have enough battery data for the car (ARB6), owners are told to limit charging to 80% until the fix is done. If Porsche can monitor the car's battery data over the air (ARB7), it watches the battery remotely and asks for the 80% limit only if it finds a problem, until the affected module is replaced. Porsche says cars built after March 4, 2024 are not affected because the supplier changed production.

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, the Taycan occasionally fails to initiate or complete DC fast charging sessions. Issues include charge port communication errors, reduced charging speeds below the advertised peak (270 kW with Performance Battery Plus and 225 kW with the standard battery through 2024; 320 kW and 270 kW from 2025), and charging sessions terminating prematurely. Software compatibility between the vehicle and various charger networks is the primary cause.

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, some Taycan owners report faster-than-expected range degradation, particularly in cold climates and after frequent DC fast charging. The battery management system may also display inconsistent range estimates. While some degradation is normal for lithium-ion batteries, rates exceeding 5% per year are considered above normal.

On the 2020-2024 Porsche Taycan, the optional 22 kW onboard AC charger (OBC) is prone to failure. When it fails the car throws a yellow 'Electrical System Fault' warning and, in some cases, the car will not move at all; AC (Level 2) charging stops working. Porsche reportedly cannot reliably supply replacement 22 kW units and has discontinued the option, so it offers owners compensation (~€1,700-€1,800) to downgrade to the more reliable 11 kW charger. Out-of-warranty replacement of the original unit is very expensive.

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, on some Taycans the rearview camera picture does not appear when you shift into reverse. Porsche recalled the car for this in December 2025 (NHTSA 25V896, Porsche campaign ASB2). Porsche says it does not know the exact root cause. Its report says brief electrical signal noise between the driver-assistance control unit and the Surround View cameras can, in rare cases, interrupt the rear camera's signal. When that happens the screen shows no rear image in reverse, so the car does not meet the federal rear-visibility standard (FMVSS 111). The recall covers about 34,148 US Taycans built from October 21, 2019 to August 26, 2025, and Porsche estimates about 1% of them have the fault. The same campaign covers roughly 173,500 Porsches in total, including Cayenne, 911 and Panamera models. Porsche says new software went into production between May and June 2025. Not every car from the listed years is included, because the recall list was built from production records by VIN. A separate, earlier recall applied to 2020-2022 Taycans (NHTSA 22V404, Porsche ANA6, about 12,490 cars). On those cars a software error could leave the centre screen black right after the car was switched on, rear camera image included, and the Real-Top-View display could flicker. One 2022 Taycan owner told NHTSA that camera views went blank and showed a crossed-out camera icon. The owner said it happened on and off and had started happening more often.

On the 2020-2024 Porsche Taycan, on Taycans with electric charge port doors (2020 on), a charge port door can fail to open or close, or stop partway. The instrument cluster shows "Charge port door impaired on the left" or "on the right", and the car cannot charge. Porsche covers this in Technical Information 186/24. The warning can point to the wrong side because of a safety feature called cross-lock: while one charge port door is open, the car locks the other one so only one can be open at a time. A fault in the left door can therefore set off the right-door warning, and the reverse. For that reason Porsche tells technicians to check both doors even if only one is flagged. On some 2020 cars there is a separate known cause, covered by Porsche workshop campaign WLK2 (Technical Information 166/20). A faulty sensor signal stops the car from detecting when a door has reached its end position, so the car locks the opposite door. The door with the fault can still be opened from the center console or by hand at the door.

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, the Taycan PCM infotainment system and vehicle management software experience frequent bugs including screen freezes, Apple CarPlay disconnections, climate control malfunctions, and navigation errors. OTA updates have improved stability but new bugs are occasionally introduced with each update cycle.

On the 2021 Porsche Taycan, a small batch of 2021 Taycans (28 cars in the U.S.: Taycan, 4S, Turbo S, 4 Cross Turismo and 4S Cross Turismo) were built with front air-suspension struts whose retaining-ring groove was machined incorrectly at a sub-supplier. The struts were supplied by Vibracoustic. The ring at the top of the strut can work loose. If it does, the air in that strut's pneumatic spring escapes and that front corner drops. The ride gets harsher, handling can be affected, and the dash shows a red warning light with an air-suspension malfunction message. Porsche found the problem while investigating field cases of dislodged struts. It had four warranty claims between April and October 2022 and decided to recall the cars in December 2022. Porsche says the faulty parts went only into cars built September 14-17, 2021, and the affected cars were identified by VIN from production records. If a 2021 Taycan with a sagging front corner is not on the VIN list, the sag most likely has a different cause.

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, the Taycan front suspension produces clunking and creaking noises over bumps and during low-speed maneuvering. Porsche traces the creak to the upper trailing arms on the front axle: under certain conditions, the way the upper trailing arm rubber bearings sit against the body side causes creaking, and temperatures below -5 °C (23 °F) can make it worse (Technical Information SY 265/22, Taycan model years 2020-2023).

On the 2020-2025 Porsche Taycan, porsche recalled 31,689 US Taycans built from October 21, 2019 to June 13, 2024 (2020-2025 model years) because the front brake hoses can crack and leak brake fluid. The cause is how the hoses flex. Under certain steering and driving conditions they get squeezed at their tightest bend, and over time this damages the hose's inner fabric layer until it cracks. Porsche began receiving field reports of leaking hoses in June 2023 and had 7 US reports when it filed the recall. It estimated that about 5% of the recalled cars actually have the defect. Losing fluid reduces front-brake performance, but the rear brakes keep working, so the car still stops, just over a longer distance. Porsche reported no US crashes. Its fix is a redesigned hose with a larger bending radius, which went into production on May 13, 2024. The recall covers only cars on Porsche's VIN list, not every Taycan.

On the 2020-2021 Porsche Taycan, some 2020-2021 Taycans can shut down the powertrain without warning and lose drive power while moving. Porsche recalled them under NHTSA campaign 21V-486, Porsche code AMB5. Each Taycan has a pulse-controlled inverter on its front drive module and another on its rear one; Hitachi Astemo supplies them. Software on the car constantly checks the messages passing between its safety-related control units. In the affected software version, that check could sporadically decide a message was faulty when it wasn't. It then logged a fault and shut down the powertrain. When this happens the instrument cluster shows "Motor control error Stop vehicle in a safe place." According to Porsche, the car can be restarted right away by pressing the On/Off button. Owner reports suggest it doesn't always go that way. In the complaints behind NHTSA's investigation (PE21-013), drivers said power cut out with no warning at any speed, and battery-fault messages appeared during or after the stall. Some owners said they could not restart the car. NHTSA counted 88 unique complaints plus 17 field reports, with no crashes or injuries. Porsche had already released a broad software update in March 2021 and revised it in May after reports of drivability problems. It declared a safety defect on June 23, 2021, after NHTSA opened its investigation. Cars built on or after June 25, 2021 have the corrected software from the factory. Porsche identifies affected cars by VIN and software version, so not every 2020-2021 Taycan is included.