I lost all power in the outside lane

Stealthtaycan

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Well I have reluctantly decided to reject my car as I don't think it is safe. It's no good spending this kind of money on a car and every time you get in it you are thinking is this going to happen again? Is it safe? It's a real shame as I was loving the car before this happened.

I hope this is just a case of a few bad cars but I think Porsche really need to figure out what is going wrong here and on which cars and figure out a fix before someone has a nasty accident.

I hope you all continue to enjoy your cars and don't suffer from this issue.
Hi there, I’ve had the same issue which nearly involved a high speed collision. The car is in the garage and they have said they haven’t heard of any similar issues. The service team said the problem was with the clutch and it shouldn’t happen again. They won’t put this in writing which for me is not good enough and Porsche are very relaxed about the matter which as you have experienced the same issue you will know it’s very very scary. Did you give the car back as I have lost all
Confidence in the car and will always have the issue in the back of my mind when on a motorway or overtaking. Which frankly ruins the experience of this amazing car.
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RCTaycan4s+

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I had the same issue 2 weeks ago. Got the same error “Drive system control fault. Park car safely”. I was actually in the middle of the road waiting for the traffic light to turn green. The error signal came up and I could not turn the steering wheel and had no use of the pedals. I tried changing gears to reverse, neutral, drive and park and nothing happened. The remainder of the car systems were on with all display screens on. I turned the car off & on and it started up again with no issues that night. Took to the dealer the next morning & they ran it through their diagnostic computer. They came back and said that the car is not safe to drive. The manager was very apologetic and they gave me another MY 2021 4S like mine to use until my car is fixed. They were concerned that this might happen on a freeway and cause a serious accident. They said that it needs a software update which is apparently due start/middle of May. I am not sure if that will solve the issue. Like you I am concerned that this seems to be a new issue with the car.
Has anyone had a resolution to this issue yet?
 

Tonytones

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I had the same issue 2 weeks ago. Got the same error “Drive system control fault. Park car safely”. I was actually in the middle of the road waiting for the traffic light to turn green. The error signal came up and I could not turn the steering wheel and had no use of the pedals. I tried changing gears to reverse, neutral, drive and park and nothing happened. The remainder of the car systems were on with all display screens on. I turned the car off & on and it started up again with no issues that night. Took to the dealer the next morning & they ran it through their diagnostic computer. They came back and said that the car is not safe to drive. The manager was very apologetic and they gave me another MY 2021 4S like mine to use until my car is fixed. They were concerned that this might happen on a freeway and cause a serious accident. They said that it needs a software update which is apparently due start/middle of May. I am not sure if that will solve the issue. Like you I am concerned that this seems to be a new issue with the car.
Has anyone had a resolution to this issue yet?
Very scary indeed... I'm glad to hear that nothing happened to you fortunately.
When the dealer said to you he was waiting for a software update , did he mean the M5/6 update campaign?
Or have you already had this update (WM6 for 2021 MY)?
 

RCTaycan4s+

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Very scary indeed... I'm glad to hear that nothing happened to you fortunately.
When the dealer said to you he was waiting for a software update , did he mean the M5/6 update campaign?
Or have you already had this update (WM6 for 2021 MY)?
I only received my car about 4 weeks ago. It was a MY2021 Taycan 4S+ Built in November/December I think. I assumed it had the latest update. To be honest I am not sure what update they are talking about but might ask the dealer.
 

Arno

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This incident happened with my TS also, today actaully. I was passing another car in the left lane, when this red warning light (discussed in this post) came up: "Motor control error, stop vehicle in a safe place". I then lost motor power, and blinked to change lane trying to find a emergency area. I only managed to reach the taxi/bus lane, before the vehicle stalled, vibrated heavily and then I was stuck blocking the road. It was heavy traffic, so I definitely did not feel safe or comfortable like this, just waiting to be hit by a bus, motorbike or something.

With earlier experiences with Tesla, I turned the vehicle completely off, waited about a minute, and then tried to turn the vehicle back on. Luckily it did wake up, with great relief, so I pushed the drive button. Then a new message came up, something like: "Choose gear". Well, I didn't have much choice I guess (actually there are two gears, but I can't choose much between them). I then switched from Sport to Normal mode, and tried again. The vehicle luckily reacted as nothing ever happened, and I managed drive the last 50-100 meters to the emergency stop.

Then I called Porsche, which told me to drive safely to the nearest Porsche center. They advised to have the error message recorded. However, this Porsche center didn´t have any opportunity to take my car in, there and then, but assured me it was safe to continue my trip. They informed on my request that they are aware of some incidents for a very small amount of vehicles, but this normally just acure once. However, on a few car it accordingly have been several issues, and those are taken in for further investigation.

Later on when I came back home safe and sound, I booked an appointment at my home Porsche Center, where I bought my Taycan. They will follow up and investigate this problem, and get to the bottom of this . . . hopefully. I was told that one of their customers had to change the main 800V battery, due to this same issue, so I sure hope this will not be the case with my TS. I already got the latest software update less than a month ago, and I really hope this scary issue is just a loose cable to be replaced . . . or a bug maybe.

Fingers crossed for a quick fix . . . or no fix!
 
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Kingske

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This incident happened with my TS also, today actaully. I was passing another car in the left lane, when this red warning light (discussed in this post) came up: "Motor control error, stop vehicle in a safe place". I then lost motor power, and blinked to change lane trying to find a emergency area. I only managed to reach the taxi/bus lane, before the vehicle stalled, vibrated heavily and then I was stuck blocking the road. It was heavy traffic, so I definitely did not feel safe or comfortable like this, just waiting to be hit by a bus, motorbike or something.

With earlier experiences with Tesla, I turned the vehicle completely off, waited about a minute, and then tried to turn the vehicle back on. Luckily it did wake up, with great relief, so I pushed the drive button. Then a new message came up, something like: "Choose gear". Well, I didn't have much choice I guess (actually there are two gears, but I can only, as I can't chose between them). Iswitched from Sport to Normal mode, and tried again. The vehicle luckily reacted as nothing happened, and I drove the last 50-100 meters to the emergency stop.

Then I called Porsche, which told med to drive safely to the nearest Porsche center. They advised to have error message recorded. However, this Porsche center didn´t have any opportunity to take my car in there and then, but assured me it was safe to continue my trip. They informed on my request that they are aware of some incidents for a very small amount of vehicles, but this normally just acure once. However, on a few car it accordingly have been several issues, and then they will take the car in for further investigation.

Later on when I came home safe, I booked an appointment with my home Porsche Center which, where I bought my Taycan. Theywill follow up and investigate this problem, and get to the bottom of this hopefully. I was told that one of their customers had to change the main battery, due to this same issue, so I sure hope this will not be the case with my TS. I already got the latest software update less than a month ago, and I really hope this scary issue is just a loose cable to be replaced . . . or a bug maybe.

Fingers crossed for a quick fix . . . or no fix!
Most issues with the Taycan are mere quirks while the 12V battery issue is highly inconvenient but not lethal. However, this sudden power loss issue - of which I read too many accounts for comfort - is downright scary. I hope Porsche makes this its number one remediation priority!
 

Arno

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"No fix" sounds like the worst possible outcome to me because the problem can happen again any time when you drive the car. I don't think I would accept the car back without a fix given the criticality of the issue.
I definitely agree with you!

With “no fix” I meant hopefully not mechanically. I really don’t like my new car 800V battery to be refitted, cause this often results in more issues or faults. So my fingers are rather crossed for another software update to delete this the virus . . . like a Pfizer or Moderna shot ;)
 
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Arno

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Most issues with the Taycan are mere quirks while the 12V battery issue is highly inconvenient but not lethal. However, this sudden power loss issue - of which I read too many accounts for comfort - is downright scary. I hope Porsche makes this its number one remediation priority!
I really hope you’re right on both points!

German craftsmanship and engineering are usually high standard, which Porsche also is known for.

On Taycanforum I get a lot of vital information, almost instantly, which make me more confident that Porsche feels obligated to fix different issue best way possible along the way. I suspect they follow this forum also :bandit:
 

chrisk

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German craftsmanship and engineering are usually high standard, which Porsche also is known for.
That is probably true only for the mechanical parts. I don't think software was ever their strength.

Their software error handling and self-recovery is very basic if not completely missing. In addition, in several cases it does not record proper logs when error happens to identify the root cause.

The fact that the dealer said that it has happened others cars but they don't know what it is, is proof that the debug/error logs are not sufficient.

The fact that the restart fixed your problem indicates that software can also self-recover by self reinitiating whatever module failed.

Similarly, I have ParkAssist errors, and if I select Neutral and back to Reverse it fixes the error, because it resets the parkassist module. Why can't the software itself do the reset automatically to recover from the failure instead? And why doesn't it record any logs and error codes even if there is an error shown in the instrument cluster so that the dealer does not have to ask me to take photos (while driving) of the error message?
 
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Arno

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That is probably true only for the mechanical parts. I don't think software was ever their strength.
I believe you are correct in your suspicions, and do agree with your points.

Every safety issue is a serious matter, even if its vehicle stopping or missing reverse cam, and they all should be handled accordingly. Porsche can be held reliable if an accident occurs when the system lags or fail to function as intended.

I remember the reverse cam on my former MB S-class froze ocasinally while I was backing up. Suddenly a vehicle could be straight behind me, and nearly be hit it by an inch or so. Same thing happened with my former Tesla Model-X, and also with our current Model-S . . . In addition to several other electronically, digitally or software malfunctions.

I would therefore presume this is an issue with all car having a computer onboard, especially electric vehicles. That does not excuse Porsche in any way, from which we ought to expect better . . . or best if I might add. Even so, these developments are still in its early years . . . based a somewhat on my experience looking back how fast car manufacturers present new inventions over the years.

Things will improve, and I personally will in this case prefer it is a software on my vehicle issue, which hopefully more easily can be corrected. Rather than a mechanical fault like the electrical engine or the main battery. I do not think this is okay in any way, just to emphasise that. It’s feels bad right now, and do admit I am uneasy.

My point is however, that every vehicle has some fault or bug, but more importantly for me is: How many there are of these, how they are met when addressed, and of course the most vital, that it will be fixed with good effort. So far, my experience is that my Porsche Center Son are eager fix it and they do their best. So as of yet there is hope.

Still, my problem and your problem with our Taycan’s are unsolved, and present. For now I rest on the fact that most of the time my car everything is working great, and that it’s very fun to drive. I actually never had a car I look forward to get into every day, as this one. Very Porsche like indeed.

My epilogue is this: Faulty things is a bit of a drag and hurt a little more, on those things we worship the most. I hope and believe all problems are solvable, as long as we address them in plenum . . . as on this forum for example, and of course to Porsche as a company. Together we stay stronger :muscle:
 
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Stealthtaycan

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I think the 12v issue of the car not starting is an annoying error but having the vehicle loose control at speed is a completely different issue as it compromises the driver & it’s passengers safety. I was extremely lucky not to be involved in a collision and to be frank I am shocked Porsche have not made a statement or recall on this matter as it clearly is happening to often now and is 100% a safety issue.
 

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I think the 12v issue of the car not starting is an annoying error but having the vehicle loose control at speed is a completely different issue as it compromises the driver & it’s passengers safety. I was extremely lucky not to be involved in a collision and to be frank I am shocked Porsche have not made a statement or recall on this matter as it clearly is happening to often now and is 100% a safety issue.
I completely concur. Given Porsche’s apparent reluctance to act, the most effective strategy IMO is to diligently report every one of these incidents to your country’s agency in charge highway safety and follow up with them ! The more reports on this issue, the more pressure will be on Porsche to do something. Although my car is fine, this issue is always in the back of my mind when driving and it definitely influences the roads I choose to drive.
 
 




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