The Porsche brand exudes sophistication, class, and most importantly, quality, but even this top German manufacturer is fallible. The company's first-ever electric vehicle, the Porsche Taycan has been recalled in the US, and not only a handful. Porsche is recalling 11,827 Taycan EVs sold in the United States for the 2020 and 2021 model years, which is basically all of them. Taycan owners can rest easy, however, as this isn't a serious recall. According to the NHTSA, the recall was issued due to "incorrect activation of hazard lights". It seems that the Taycan likes to throw its hazards on even in non-emergency situations.
This isn't the first recall to face the high performance EV: back in July we reported on the Taycan's sudden loss of power, and more recently Porsche faced another recall for faulty automatic locking retractors. The October 13 2021 recall affects Porsche Taycan vehicles (including the Cross Turismo) built between October 21, 2019, and September 17, 2021. According to the NHTSA, these cars fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108 (FMVSS 108) which deals specifically with lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. Porsche has made a statement saying that this is merely a calibration issue, and not a full blown malfunction.
The safety recall report reads as follows: "At the end of August, Porsche gained knowledge that the subject vehicles are programmed with pre-collision automatic hazard warning lamp activation logic that may exceed the automatic activation functionality permitted by FMVSS No. 108. This feature is permitted in other markets.
Subsequently, Porsche carefully analyzed whether this feature (which Porsche believes provides a net safety benefit) was in conflict with FMVSS No. 108. This included the analysis of interpretation letters addressing permissible automatic activation of hazard warning lamps. In parallel, Porsche investigated affected software versions, part numbers, and vehicle populations.
On Oct. 6, Porsche determined that the subject vehicles do not comply with the definition of FMVSS No. 108 in the context of an automatic activation of warning hazard lights."
Porsche will start issuing notices to those affected by the recall from 13 December 2021, or you can call your local dealer and schedule a time to get the hazard lights reprogrammed free of charge.
Recalls are part and parcel of the teething issues that all-new, ground-up vehicles sometimes face, so it's not really worth it to read too much into them. Even established EV manufacturers like Tesla have been known to face serious recalls, sometimes after years of production. Despite these inconveniences, the gorgeous Taycan continues to be a massive sales success for Porsche, as it deserves to be.