Porsche Taycan investigated for total loss of power while driving
It's not clear how many vehicles the NHTSA thinks may have an issue.
Porsche's electric luxury sedan, the Taycan, is now under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency said this week in a document that its Office of Defects Investigation opened a probe into the 2020-2021 Taycan after receiving nine complaints from owners about a total loss of power while driving.
It's unclear how many cars the NHTSA wants to have a look at as the population of vehicles listed on the document reads "confidential." Automotive News first reported Friday the agency identified 12,146 Taycan sedans as possible candidates for the defect. Porsche told the publication it only delivered 6,552 Taycans during NHTSA's timeframe.
Porsche told Roadshow in a statement, "Our first priority is the safety of anyone traveling in one of our cars. We are aware of nine customer complaints and have, as a result, received the NHTSA inquiry, which is a routine part of their oversight process. We are already underway in addressing this issue and look forward to answering the NHTSA's questions and quickly resolving the underlying issue, should one be confirmed." The spokesperson affirmed the brand had only delivered 6,552 units and added, "All Taycans remain safe to drive -- we are not aware of accidents reported in connection with this issue."
As for the potential problem with the vehicles, owner complaints said the electric sedan loses all power without any warning while driving. During or shortly after the stall, a warning message displays describing a battery fault. So far, all the NHTSA has said is loss of power in the auxiliary 12-volt battery may end up shutting down all electrical power in the car -- even in the car's main battery to power the vehicle. Six of the nine complaints with NHTSA described a situation where owners could not restart their cars.
The preliminary investigation remains ongoing, and should the agency find a problem, it may send a recall request to Porsche.
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