2018 Porsche Panamera problems, complaints & recalls

2018 Porsche Panamera recalls (6)

• Recall 23V033000Jan 27, 202324,467 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera GTS and Panamera Turbo vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of specific model names and model years. Humidity may enter the external coolant pump for the climate control system and cause an electrical short circuit.

  Risk: An electrical short circuit increases the risk of a vehicle fire.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the external coolant pump and inspect and replace the plug-in connection, if necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed March 6, 2023. Owners will receive a second notice once remedy becomes available, anticipated July 2023. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is APA1.

• Recall 19V735000Oct 16, 201944,128 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL · SERVICE BRAKES

  Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017 Panamera 4, Panamera Turbo, Panamera Turbo Executive, 2017-2018 Panamera, Panamera 4S Executive, Panamera 4S, 2018 Panamera Turbo S Hybrid, Panamera 4 Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 Hybrid, Panamera 4 Executive, 2019 Cayenne Hybrid, 2019-2020 Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, 2020 Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne Turbo Coupe, and Cayenne S Coupe vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when the brake pads are worn out. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."

  Risk: If the driver is not alerted when brake pads are worn out, the vehicle may not respond as expected when braking, increasing the risk of crash.

  Remedy: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall is began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKB8. Note: This recall supersedes recall 19V115 and includes vehicles that were previously remedied under that campaign.

• Recall 19V180000Mar 6, 2019182 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  Porsche Cars North America, Inc is recalling certain 2018 Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 E- Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera 4S, Panamera Turbo, Panamera Turbo Executive, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, vehicles. Incorrect soldering of a control unit may result in the intermittent failure of various systems, possible affecting vehicle driveability.

  Risk: Impaired vehicle driveability can increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Porsche Cars North America will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began May 17, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKA5.

• Recall 19V115000Feb 20, 201914,110 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL · SERVICE BRAKES

  Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2018 Panamera 4 Executive, Panamera 4S Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 Hybrid, Panamera 4 Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Executive, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo and Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Sport Turismo vehicles, 2017-2018 Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera Turbo Executive, Panamera 4S, Panamera Turbo and Panamera 4S Executive vehicles and 2019 Cayenne S and Cayenne vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when the brake pads are worn out. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."

  Risk: If the driver is not alerted when brake pads are worn out, the driver may lose control of the vehicle while attempting to brake, increasing the risk of crash.

  Remedy: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began April 19, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKA1/AKA0.

• Recall 18V898000Dec 19, 201817,667 vehicles
  STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

  Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Porsche Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera Turbo, Panamera 4S Executive, Panamera Turbo Executive, 2018 Panamera 4 Executive, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive, Panamera S E-Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, Panamera 4S Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, and Panamera Turbo S Sport Turismo vehicles. A software failure may result in an intermittent loss of electric power steering assist.

  Risk: An intermittent loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the power steering control unit, free of charge. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AJ13.

• Recall 18V841000Nov 28, 2018112 vehicles
  SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

  Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Hybrid, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid, Panamera 4 Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Hybrid Sport Turismo, and Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Sport Turismo vehicles. The brake lines installed on the front axle may corrode over time. Corrosion inside the line may affect the front braking performance.

  Risk: Braking ability that is reduced due to a corroded brake line can increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake line, and any damaged brake components, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AJ11.

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA21002Opened Sep 17, 2021Open

  Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.C…

Recent 2018 Porsche Panamera complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Feb 26, 2026MDSuspension

   The ride height sensor on the right front suspension is mounted to the upper control arm via a plastic bolt and bracket. This plastic mounting component failed under normal driving conditions. The failure caused the ride height sensor to malfunction, which directly affects the vehicle's air suspension system and its ability to maintain proper ride height and handling characteristics. When driving, I received multiple chassis height warning messages stating that the chassis…

   NHTSA complaint #11720639 · source
2. Filed Dec 8, 2025NVElectrical SystemEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The main water pump on my 2018 Porsche Panamera 4S failed prematurely. This is not a simple external coolant leak; the internal seal failed, allowing pressurized engine coolant to migrate into the vehicle's vacuum system. The coolant traveled through the vacuum lines and contaminated the vacuum solenoids and change-over valves. This failure mode presents a significant safety hazard because the vacuum system controls critical engine components, including turbocharger…

   NHTSA complaint #11703784 · source
3. Filed Nov 12, 202570,000 miNVTowedEngine

   The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Park Vehicle" in red letters was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, but was not diagnosed; however, the contact was advised by the dealer that the failure could be related to the…

   NHTSA complaint #11698937 · source
4. Filed Jul 27, 2025FLEngine

   This vehicle has an engine which has rocker arms that are known to fail. The manufacturer has not issued a recall to fix this issue which can result in a catastrophic engine failure. They have acknowledged the rocker arms in pre 2018 models to be defective and insufficiently reinforced to handle the strain of the valve train.

   NHTSA complaint #11676431 · source
5. Filed Apr 28, 202583,000 miNCCrash1 injuredTowedBrakesEngine

   The contact owned a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that when he was parking the vehicle, as he had shifted from reverse (R) to drive (D) to straighten the vehicle in the parking spot, the vehicle had inadvertently accelerated at an unknown speed. The contact stated that the vehicle ran through an intersection and crashed into five parked vehicles. The contact stated that he had depressed the brake pedal and was not able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that…

   NHTSA complaint #11657200 · source
6. Filed Jan 16, 2025COTransmission & Drivetrain

   On my 4th visit to the Porsche dealership and the problem is still not resolved. There are MANY references to the same problem online. The problem: error message on the dash stating REVERSE NOT AVAILABLE and car goes into 3RD gear only and stays there. Only final solution is new transmission which Porsche resists doing It has happened 6 times now. attaching a photo and I have many more of these from 2024

   NHTSA complaint #11636331 · source
7. Filed Jul 19, 2024GATransmission & Drivetrain

   Transmission fault causes car to be stuck in gear and will not shift. This issue appears to be happening quite frequently with these ecars, regardless of mileage. It's dangerous, especially if it occurs on the highway .

   NHTSA complaint #11603332 · source
8. Filed Jun 25, 2024NJAirbagsOther / Unknown

   Porsche dashboard leather shrunk and pealing out. Vehicle will not deploy the airbags if in accident. It needs to be replaced. It is a common issue. It is a safety hazard.

   NHTSA complaint #11596435 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology