Owners have filed 16 complaints
about the 2018 Porsche Panamera with NHTSA between 2018 and 2026.
The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
Across this model's run it ranks 3 of 5 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 33
Against the median year of the Porsche Panamera. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 100
25% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
How 2018 compares with every other Porsche Panamera
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2018 Porsche Panamera
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Engine & Cooling
531.3%
1 crashes, 0 fires · median 70,000 mi
Transmission & Drivetrain
425.0%
Electrical System
318.8%
Other & Unspecified
16.3%
Suspension
16.3%
Brakes
16.3%
1 crashes, 0 fires · median 83,000 mi
Airbags
16.3%
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
1,000 – 9,999 miles
125.0%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
125.0%
75,000 – 99,999 miles
250.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jan 2018peak 3Feb 2026
NHTSA investigations into the 2018 Porsche Panamera
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
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...
Recalls on the 2018 Porsche Panamera
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 20230241,638 units in Canada
Heater And Defroster
Issue: On certain vehicles, water could leak into the external coolant pump for the climate control system and cause a short circuit. If this happens, the pump and wiring could overheat and melt. Safety Risk: A short circuit can create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Porsche will notify owners by mail and instruct you to bring your vehicle to a dealership to replace the external coolant pump. Additionally, the connections for the pump will be inspected and replaced, if necessary.
Recall 202248758,856 units in Canada
Lights And Instruments
Issue: On certain vehicles, covers were not installed over the horizontal headlamp adjusters. As a result, the headlamps may be adjusted horizontally. Canadian regulations do not allow for horizontal headlamp adjustment unless the vehicle is equipped with a built-in aiming device. Safety Risk: Headlamps that are not properly adjusted could cause reduced visibility or glare for oncoming drivers, and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Porsche will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to install caps over the headlamp adjustment screws.
Recall 20195226,007 units in Canada
Lights And Instruments
Issue: On certain vehicles, the red brake wear warning light may not come on when the brake pads require replacement. This can happen when the instrument cluster display is set to the Map or Night Vision mode. Canadian regulations require the warning indicator to stay on when the brakes are worn. Note: This recall replaces Transport Canada recall 2019-078. Vehicles that were repaired under that recall also require this repair. Safety Risk: Driving a vehicle with brakes that are worn out could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Porsche will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the instrument cluster software.
Recall 201911513 units in Canada
Electrical
Issue: On certain cars, an electronic control unit may fail. If this happens, it could cause various error messages to display on the instrument cluster. Some vehicle systems may not work properly. It could also cause drivability problems or make the car hard to start. Safety Risk: Drivability problems, including a sudden loss of engine power, could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to bring the vehicle to a dealership to have the gateway control unit replaced.
Recall 20190781,224 units in Canada
Brakes
Issue: On certain vehicles, the red brake wear warning light does not come on when the brake pads are worn out. This could increase the risk of the vehicle being driven with worn out brake pads. Note: A yellow warning message will be displayed if the brake pads wear out. Note: This recall is superseded by recall 2019522. Please see <a href="http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/detail.aspx?lang=eng&&rn=2019522">recall 2019522</a> for more information. Safety Risk: Driving a vehicle with worn out brake pads could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the instrument cluster software.
Recall 20187221,537 units in Canada
Steering
On certain vehicles, a fault in the power steering system may cause an intermittent loss of steering assist without warning. A loss of power assist would result in a sudden, unexpected increase in steering effort, especially at low vehicle speeds. This could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will reprogram the power steering control unit software.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
at 83,000 milesArden, NCCrash1 injured
ENGINE
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 his vehicle was stopped by the last vehicle he had crashed into. The contact stated that the police had arrived and issued a report. The contact stated that the vehicle air bags had deployed and that he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact stated that he had bruises on both his ankles and calves and that he had bruises on both wrists and hands. The contact stated that the driver's front fender, door, and quarter panel had been damaged by the crash. The contact stated that the driver's front wheel had sheared off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot and his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
NHTSA complaint #11657200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 83,000 milesArden, NCCrash1 injured
SERVICE BRAKES
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 his vehicle was stopped by the last vehicle he had crashed into. The contact stated that the police had arrived and issued a report. The contact stated that the vehicle air bags had deployed and that he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact stated that he had bruises on both his ankles and calves and that he had bruises on both wrists and hands. The contact stated that the driver's front fender, door, and quarter panel had been damaged by the crash. The contact stated that the driver's front wheel had sheared off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot and his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
NHTSA complaint #11657200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Columbia, MD
SUSPENSION
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 was too high or too low or malfunctioning. The ride height sensor is a critical component of the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system. Its failure can result in: - Incorrect suspension height, affecting vehicle stability and handling - Suspension system faults that may trigger unexpected warning conditions while driving - Potential loss of driver control in the event of sudden sensor failure at highway speeds This failure is not isolated to my vehicle. A review of Porsche owner forums including Rennlist and 6SpeedOnline reveals similar plastic mount failures on the ride height sensor across multiple Porsche platforms, including the Cayenne, Macan, and Panamera. The fact that Porsche has since revised the replacement hardware from plastic to metal strongly implies the manufacturer is aware the original design was inadequate. However, no recall or Technical Service Bulletin has been issued to proactively notify owners or provide a remedy at no cost. When the plastic bolt and bracket failed on my vehicle, my dealership replaced it with the current Porsche-supplied metal replacement hardware because the plastic parts have been discontinued. However, the updated metal bolt and bracket are physically incompatible with the existing control arm, requiring the control arm to also be replaced. Owners who are unaware of this incompatibility may drive vehicles with an improperly secured or non-functional ride height sensor, increasing safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11720639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Las Vegas, NV
POWER TRAIN
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 wastegates and exhaust flaps. Contamination of these components can lead to sudden loss of power, "limp mode" activation while driving at highway speeds, or unexpected engine behavior, increasing the risk of a crash. Cross-Reference to Known Defects: This vehicle utilizes the EA839 V6 engine platform, which is shared with Volkswagen and Audi vehicles (specifically the Audi S4, S5, SQ5, and Q7). Audi and Volkswagen have already acknowledged this specific manufacturing defect in the class action settlement Fiscina v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Case No. 2:21-cv-11251). Under that settlement, Audi extended the warranty on this water pump to 10 years/80,000+ miles for the exact same failure mode (coolant migration into the vacuum system). Despite my vehicle using the same engine and suffering the exact same mechanical failure, Porsche refuses to offer coverage or acknowledge the defect. I am requesting an investigation into why Porsche models equipped with the defective EA839 engine are excluded from the safety remedies and warranty extensions provided to Audi owners.
NHTSA complaint #11703784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Las Vegas, NV
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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 wastegates and exhaust flaps. Contamination of these components can lead to sudden loss of power, "limp mode" activation while driving at highway speeds, or unexpected engine behavior, increasing the risk of a crash. Cross-Reference to Known Defects: This vehicle utilizes the EA839 V6 engine platform, which is shared with Volkswagen and Audi vehicles (specifically the Audi S4, S5, SQ5, and Q7). Audi and Volkswagen have already acknowledged this specific manufacturing defect in the class action settlement Fiscina v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Case No. 2:21-cv-11251). Under that settlement, Audi extended the warranty on this water pump to 10 years/80,000+ miles for the exact same failure mode (coolant migration into the vacuum system). Despite my vehicle using the same engine and suffering the exact same mechanical failure, Porsche refuses to offer coverage or acknowledge the defect. I am requesting an investigation into why Porsche models equipped with the defective EA839 engine are excluded from the safety remedies and warranty extensions provided to Audi owners.
NHTSA complaint #11703784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Las Vegas, NV
ENGINE
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 wastegates and exhaust flaps. Contamination of these components can lead to sudden loss of power, "limp mode" activation while driving at highway speeds, or unexpected engine behavior, increasing the risk of a crash. Cross-Reference to Known Defects: This vehicle utilizes the EA839 V6 engine platform, which is shared with Volkswagen and Audi vehicles (specifically the Audi S4, S5, SQ5, and Q7). Audi and Volkswagen have already acknowledged this specific manufacturing defect in the class action settlement Fiscina v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Case No. 2:21-cv-11251). Under that settlement, Audi extended the warranty on this water pump to 10 years/80,000+ miles for the exact same failure mode (coolant migration into the vacuum system). Despite my vehicle using the same engine and suffering the exact same mechanical failure, Porsche refuses to offer coverage or acknowledge the defect. I am requesting an investigation into why Porsche models equipped with the defective EA839 engine are excluded from the safety remedies and warranty extensions provided to Audi owners.
NHTSA complaint #11703784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 70,000 milesNorth Las Vegas, NV
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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 coolant pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint #11698937 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fort Myers, FL
ENGINE
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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 83,000 milesArden, NCCrash1 injured
ENGINE
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 his vehicle was stopped by the last vehicle he had crashed into. The contact stated that the police had arrived and issued a report. The contact stated that the vehicle air bags had deployed and that he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact stated that he had bruises on both his ankles and calves and that he had bruises on both wrists and hands. The contact stated that the driver's front fender, door, and quarter panel had been damaged by the crash. The contact stated that the driver's front wheel had sheared off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot and his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
NHTSA complaint #11657200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 83,000 milesArden, NCCrash1 injured
SERVICE BRAKES
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 his vehicle was stopped by the last vehicle he had crashed into. The contact stated that the police had arrived and issued a report. The contact stated that the vehicle air bags had deployed and that he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact stated that he had bruises on both his ankles and calves and that he had bruises on both wrists and hands. The contact stated that the driver's front fender, door, and quarter panel had been damaged by the crash. The contact stated that the driver's front wheel had sheared off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot and his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
NHTSA complaint #11657200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Westminster, CO
POWER TRAIN
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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Atlanta, GA
POWER TRAIN
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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Chester, NJ
AIR BAGS
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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Chester, NJ
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Orlando, FL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V033000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact to park the vehicle outside the garage until parts became available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11520904 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Stamford, CT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Technology change from 3g to 5g. This discontinues the safety notifications including crash /location alerts. Porsche offered a free replacement, and after dealers had difficulty in installing, Porsche offers a minimum compensation, instead of fixing problem. this will affect all Porsche from 2018 and prior that were set up for 3g network connection . Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11454836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Warrenton, VA
POWER TRAIN
The auto in question was, and is, under the new car warranty - While driving forward, one of the automobile's display screens displayed an error message stating "Transmission error - Reverse gear not available"; this in itself is not a major issue as the car was in a forward gear. The major safety issue is that the car would not shift gears once this error message cam up. The error has occurred multiple times and, thankfully, did not happen at a critical time - i.e. merging onto a highway. The first time this happened was on August 6, 2020. Porsche was notified of the issue and I was told there was no fix at the time. It happened multiple other times and every time the dealer told me that there wasn't a fix. Porsche did apply a "temporary" fix in the November/December, 2020 timeframe, but this was not permanent and the error happened at least once more after the fix. I continued to check in with the dealer and was always told there was no resolution. In June, 2021 I reached out to Porsche directly, they responded one month later and said they would investigate. In July I was told that there might be a fix by the dealer, but was never called back. I have requested that Porsche buy-back the vehicle given this history, but they indicated that there was a fix and that they would not provide any further resolution. The dealer has applied a software "fix", but I have no faith that this will be permanent, given their history and that it took longer than a year to possibly resolve. This is not unique to my vehicle, per online message boards
NHTSA complaint #11435883 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 3,186 milesMiami, FL
ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 PORSCHE PANAMERA. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT 10 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (PORSCHE WEST BROWARD, 4641 SW 148TH AVE, DAVIE, FL 33331, (954) 719-0199). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,186.
NHTSA complaint #11061469 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.