2018 Porsche Panamera problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (4) · Engine (2) · Electrical System (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Porsche Panamera model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (6)
Electrical System 2023-01-27 · campaign 23V033000 · 24,467 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes 2019-10-16 · campaign 19V735000 · 44,128 vehicles
Defect: 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
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.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System 2019-03-06 · campaign 19V180000 · 182 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes 2019-02-20 · campaign 19V115000 · 14,110 vehicles
Defect: 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 Caye
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.
Fix: 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.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2018-12-19 · campaign 18V898000 · 17,667 vehicles
Defect: 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 failur
Risk: An intermittent loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2018-11-28 · campaign 18V841000 · 112 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (713)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 28-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c40 engine oils. note that this bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which c40 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 27-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c20 engine oils. note that the bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which c20 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 26-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c30 engine oils. note that the bulletin includes all models back to model year 1984, for which c30 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 25-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche a40 engine oils. note that this bulletin covers all vehicles from model year 1997 to 2020, for which a40 engine oils are assigned. model years 1997-2001 are not available for selection in the system.
Wheels 2026-09-14 · SPTL2609 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
special tools and equipment information for alignment machines - q3 2026 software spec update available
Electrical System 2026-09-01 · No. 12-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical information for damage to nano plug contacts due to utilization of incorrect measuring equipment
Showing the 6 most recent of 713 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-02-26 · 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 …”
2025-12-08 · 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 p…”
2025-11-12 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 70,000 mi“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 t…”
2025-07-27 · 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. …”
2025-04-28 · Service Brakes · 83,000 mi · 💥 crash“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…”
2025-01-16 · 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…”
2024-07-19 · 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 .…”
2024-06-25 · 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.…”
2023-05-08 · 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 manufact…”
2022-03-02 · 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 conn…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.