German automaker Porsche has officially issued a recall for approximately 43,000 electric Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo vehicles from the 2020 to 2021 model years due to a software issue that can cause a sudden loss of power.
The move to recall Porsche’s hugely popular electric Taycan came after several reports of cars switching to emergency mode in the United States, which prompted an investigation by the country’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in May.
Bloomberg reported last week that Porsche was planning a global recall to address the issue, which was then confirmed to journalists on Friday in a press conference via Reuters and in an official company press release.
Porsche is now recalling approximately 43,000 Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo vehicles from the 2020 to 2021 model years so as to review and update the software for the power electronics and the engine control unit.
“There is a possibility that in certain instances a shutdown of the power train, resulting in loss of motive power, may be triggered incorrectly and sporadically,” Porsche said.
An over-the-air update is not possible, and the one hour-long software update must be handled in a Porsche workshop.
The issue in question has already been remedied in the ongoing Taycan series, and owners of affected vehicles are advised to continue using their Taycan’s and that they “will be contacted directly by their respective Porsche partner.”
Porsche executive Klaus Rechberger told journalists on Friday that the company had observed the loss of power issue in around 130 cars, but that no accidents were known to have happened as a result.
In an NHTSA filing from May, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) had by then received nine complaints from vehicle owners and several more field reports “alleging a loss of motive power while in motion at any speed without warning to the driver.”
Further, “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” while six of those complaints “allege an inability to restart the vehicle once they lose motive power.”
Porsche Cars Australia has not made any country-specific announcement regarding the recall and it is known how many Taycan models in Australia are affected.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.