29 of the 304 complaints filed about the Porsche Macan are about the electrical system — 10% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2020.
29
Complaints
10%
Share of all complaints
1
Crashes
3
Fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The backup camera will flip upside down or go completely blank or not work at all. I had my car in reverse and the camera didn’t come on and one time I flipped upside down and now it don’t work at all.
NHTSA complaint #11757877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I want to report a series of premature material and component failures on my 2019 Porsche Macan (under the VIN given in this claim). In September 2025, our vehicle suffered a complete internal LED headlight blowout. When I explicitly asked my service advisor if this was a known manufacturer defect, I was told that this failure "occurs frequently" and that my only option was to pay full price for an entire replacement assembly. Charging a customer full price for a sealed, lifetime component while simultaneously acknowledging that it fails regularly is unacceptable. A premium safety component should not suffer total internal failure at this mileage under normal use. Furthermore, this vehicle previously underwent a full sunroof replacement in May 2023 at our Porsche dealer Marin that was paid by our insurance, not Porsche, when a class action lawsuit was actually ongoing and nobody told us denying manufacturing defect. Nobody mentioned the official Porsche Sunroof Settlement. At that time as well, our service team failed to inspect or warn us about the adjacent panoramic sunshade mechanism in the headliner attached in sandwich in the headliner design and linked to its electrical wiring. The sunshade tracking has now failed and collapsed without any force applied—a direct result of the structural warping and moisture issues associated with the original sunroof defect. And it is regularly collapsing while we are driving causing serious danger. Separately buttons of the airbag sensor under the central mirror, AC vents and windows are breaking without excessive force. All these defects have been corrected in the new Macan models rooftop, headlights, sunshade and windows and ac vents buttons revealing clear design flaws.
NHTSA complaint #11757784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I am filing a consumer protection complaint regarding a manufacturer defect and safety-related failure involving my 2020 Porsche Macan S. My vehicle experienced a complete LED headlight assembly failure, resulting in loss of illumination. An authorized Porsche dealership diagnosed the issue and confirmed that the entire headlight assembly must be replaced, at a cost of approximately $5,300 including labor. There was no accident, collision, modification, or misuse of the vehicle. This failure occurred during normal operation and involves a non-wear, safety-critical component. I have contacted Porsche Cars North America multiple times and worked directly with the authorized dealership, which submitted a PGAT (Porsche Goodwill Assistance Tool) request on my behalf. The dealership manager personally advocated for goodwill coverage, citing customer safety and brand reputation concerns. Despite this, Porsche declined to offer any assistance. I believe this this constitutes: * An unreasonable denial of goodwill for a known failure mode, * A latent manufacturing or design defect in a critical safety system, * A potential consumer protection issue, as similar failures have been reported by other Porsche Macan owners at comparable mileage. Since this is a major safety issue and a manufactured defect I am requesting review and recall of this. I have not been able to fix it over 1 year simply because I cannot afford to. Please look seriously into this matter. Thank you kindly
NHTSA complaint #11756630 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Led adaptive headlights of the Porsche macan S. S. Has malfunctioned spontaneously. Cost to replace the headlights is $5,400. This is an $80,000 car. Asked Porsche North America to look into this. There are multiple comments on online of people complaining about LED headlights on the passenger side. Spontaneously going out and having to spend this much money to replace the light. This is a safety measure and people who can't afford it may delay replacing the lights for a prolonged period of time If Porsche decides to put these kind of high-cost replacement items in lower level luxury cars then they need to support. My car has only $66,000 mi on it and it's only 5 years old
NHTSA complaint #11748249 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Water intrusion into the rear of the vehicle flooded due to a manufacturers defect. this area houses the battery and other electrical wiring. The water created a potential electrocution and short of much of the wiring, but the rust contaminated the air quality in the vehicle. Evidence of this corrosion shows persistence for more than a couple of years and the car was inspected twice by the dealer over this time, the most recent a year ago. Since then, I have been diagnosed with several respiratory ailment s along with a lymphoma diagnosis. the cost of the repairs is $7500 and I appealed to the dealer who is repairing the car, the dealer where I purchased the car and Porsche USA corp. all passed on helping me pay for the repairs. there was a lawsuit settlement in 2025 for this very same issue where they exended the warranties for two more years. However, I never received notice to participate in the law suit.
NHTSA complaint #11745933 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
this is in regards to NHTSA TSB #ATI-1907. i had this issue repaired by porsche san antonio for over 1k. the problem came back and porsche is trying to charge me again saying there is a design flaw they are aware of but cannot perform work under warranty. This is very unfair and makes me think that everytime it rains i cant drive my car because ill have to spend another 1k for a rear camera and parking sensor fail. I hope i can get any kind of help or visibility on this problem. It is not only unsafe, but porsche as a brand has such bad customer service and no one wants to help
NHTSA complaint #11745742 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on a major highway ([XXX]) at over 60 MPH, we had a complete and catastrophic system wide shut down of our vehicle, culminating in our car grinding to a halt. This entire process elapsed over a 15-20 second period. We barely were able to get our vehicle to the "left" shoulder along the median of the highway where we had to sit for over 75 minutes with oncoming traffic racing past us until 911 arrived to tow us. It was a life-threatening situation where we were virtual "sitting ducks" without any means to remove ourselves from harms way. The car was immovable and unresponsive. We tried to restart the car with the assistance of our Porsche Dealer but nothing worked. We had no choice but to pray for our safety. We have completely documented our experience: photos, videos and phone calls with 911. NOTE: your system is not allowing us to upload any of our photos or videos but we would like to provide these to you directly so please reach out to me to let me know how we can share these with you. When the car malfunctioned, it seemed that every alert in the car's computer system flashed in serial fashion - Engine Control Error, P Button Defective, E Sound Error, Lane Assistance Malfunction, Electrical Parking Brake Error. It should be noted that we have had the car for less than two years and have logged a little over 11,000 miles driven. Ultimately, we were towed by flat bed to the nearest Porsche Dealer in White Plains where the car is parked. We left a message for the service department at the Dealer telling them who we are, what happened and to call us before they begin an inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11745512 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2019 Porsche MACAN. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an abnormal loud sound. In addition, the contact stated none of the safety features functioned as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed power control module. The contact was informed that the power control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11741620 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I had a red sign on dashboard saying:*chassis failure, park the car carefully.* the car was towed to Porshe. And, was released after one week as safe to drive and dismissed the sign as a glitch. The second day of releasing the car, I had a major accident while parking the car in the garage. The accident resulted in damage to the outer wall and to cabinets. I requested an investigation of the car and the results from Porshe weren’t convincing. I know I pushed the brake twice but the car jumped with acceleration twice and stopped because of the wreckage in front of it.
NHTSA complaint #11739807 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My fiancé was driving the car normally on the elevated interstate at about 130 in the morning central time on Monday, April 20 when the suddenly burst into flames! The entire vehicle is destroyed bumper-to-bumper the fuel pump on these models are apparently reason for recalls because of this exact reason.my fiancé's life was endangered because of this fire.thank Goodness there was no collision.police inspected and towed the vehicle
NHTSA complaint #11732582 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Passenger side LED headlight low beam failed prematurely. Hi beam and parking lights worked for a few months until they failed. Same issue as reported by many Macan owners. Failure reported on only 1 side of the car appears to be a manufacturer design flaw.
NHTSA complaint #11725683 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle keeps entering limp mode when driving. Complete loss of power car cannot move and is left stranded. Vehicle has been at the dealership diagnosed and repaired over 4 times but the problem still remains. Dealer states there is no rat or electrical damage, battery was replaced and software updated but the car keeps losing all power and needs tows constantly.
NHTSA complaint #11724681 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Passenger side headlight low beam is out. Hi beam and parking lights work on that side. Only way to fix is to replace the whole assembly. Cost over $5000. Headlights should not cost that much to replace the low beam headlight only. This is a SAFETY issue. This needs to be a recall. Many reports of the same problem.
NHTSA complaint #11724296 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I am writing to formally submit a safety complaint regarding my 2018 Porsche Macan. I have experienced a significant issue with the vehicle’s headlights, which I believe poses a serious safety risk. Description of the Issue: The headlights on my 2018 Porsche Macan have failed without any prior warning or indication. There were no dashboard alerts or error messages to notify me of a problem. The failure occurred suddenly while driving at night, resulting in a complete loss of forward illumination. This created a hazardous situation, as I was unable to see the road ahead and other drivers were unable to see my vehicle clearly. Safety Concerns: The headlight failure happened unexpectedly and without any warning. This issue significantly increases the risk of a crash, especially when driving at night or in low-visibility conditions. Upon inspection, I was told the entire headlight assembly would need to be replaced, which is costly and concerning for a relatively new vehicle. Request for Investigation: I am aware that other owners of the 2018 Porsche Macan have reported similar headlight failures. I urge NHTSA to investigate this matter, as it appears to be a widespread and potentially dangerous defect. Reliable headlight operation is essential for safe driving, and sudden failure without warning is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if you require any additional information or documentation.
NHTSA complaint #11719315 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My passenger headlight low beam went out. And it is a widely known problem with the 2020 year.
NHTSA complaint #11719528 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
There is a common problem with 2020 Porsche Macans that I believe is a Porsche responsibility to fix. This is being reported by many 2020 Porsche Macan owners. The issue: Right Side Low Beam failure. To fix it, you need to replace the entire headlamp assembly (roughly 5k in US dollars). No warning of it failing by a sensor, etc. I believe this is an electrical issue and not a lamp issue. Others have reported the same. Safety issue: Yes, not having proper lighting is a major safety issue. No warning of it failing. No sensor to tell me of issue. Has it been inspected: Yes, I am having a professional repair it - also consulted and reported it to the nearest porsche dealership. Was told by Porsche dealership that this is a known issue but no recall for it from Porsche. I keep my car highly maintained. Did research online - THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR 2020 PORSCHE MACAN AND SHOULD BE RECALLED.
NHTSA complaint #11708887 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I have a 2020 Porsche Macan S. My passenger side head light went out and upon taking it to the dealership, I was informed that it’s a a headlight assembly failure. My car is out of warranty, and the dealership quoted me $5400 approx for replacement of the assembly. The diagnosis provided by the dealership indicates that in my case the issue is a full failure of the headlight assembly (LED/driver/module). That is a manufacturer defect. I researched online, and saw many Reddit users as well as Porsche Forums talk about this very issue on 2019 and 2020 Macans. I’ve seen and failure is not isolated: I have found multiple owner reports of 2020 Macan headlight LED failures, which suggests a potential systemic defect. I also see one complaint already filed at NHTSA with a very same problem/concern and I am filing another, hoping this reaches attention and can be resolved. There was several customers nationwide, who also had this happen, and those headlight assemblies should last the lifetime of the car is what the dealership had told me. $5400 is a very expensive and steep cost for a headlight assembly, and it’s certainly an issue that causes great safety concern for 2020 Macan S users, and a major defect. I have reached out to Porsche North America several times over the month, and they have not offered to fix this at goodwill. I have informed them that I would file a NHTSA complaint as well as a BBB complaint, which also yielded no results. Given the cost and the fact that headlights are a critical safety item, I am formally requesting full recall to have Porsche take accountability and replace and or repair at no cost to its customers for the failed headlight assembly.
NHTSA complaint #11704742 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was driving on the highway at 60mph on a 4 month old 2025 Porsche Macan Ev 4S. I turned off the AC for both driver and passenger. I suddenly started seeing increasingly larger clouds of black smoke coming out of the passenger side of the cabin, and a clear and increasing smell of something burning. I had to roll down my windows because of the smoke. The cabin filled with black smoke. I tried different things to see if something was broken, and as part of my troubleshooting I turned the AC back on. That got the smoke to clear. There was no warning indicator, no message and no service required indicator on my dash. I did not receive any recall notices. I brought the car in to the Porsche Bellevue Service Center to get it serviced. The service attendant insisted that as the car was not reproducing the issue at that exact moment there was nothing they could do more than a visual inspection. I insisted and they agreed to investigate. They found an active Porsche bulletin for my vehicle, SY 828055 'Smoke and or a burnt odor from vents in the passenger compartment'. The service center did replace the passenger ac unit and this has not happened since. The attendant was clearly not trained on these bulletins as they kept denying anything could possibly be wrong with the car telling me 'we can't just take your car apart for a problem that happened once'. When this was in fact what needed to happen. A electric car that's 4 months old catching fire at 60mph on the highway is not normal. It's a major safety issue. If I hadn't lucked into turning the AC on I imagine this would have been a major fire on the freeway. Can you help bring this to Porsche's attention? I'm surprised this was not part of a recall.
NHTSA complaint #11692623 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When pressing the PARK button the vehicle does not always engage the parking brake and instead stays in gear. This can occur if the vehicle is in D or R, and occurs even if there is an audible “click” to register the press of the parking button. In 3000 miles, this has happened at least 6 times. A video is available on request, as you can’t show this in a still photo.
NHTSA complaint #11670953 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rear camera and vehicle proximity sensors are not working Due A Flaw with water moisture entering the rear cabin where modules are located. This us a common problem with this vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11575493 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.