Porsche North America says it will recall more than 40,000 hybrid and electric vehicles in the United States because charging cables pose a risk of overheating and catching fire. Porsche North America filed a filing with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) saying it would recall 41,345 vehicles, including its all-electric Taycan sports car.
When using a 220V/240V plug to charge a vehicle at 100% charge settings, some household power sockets may have difficulty managing the current required by the charging system, causing the socket or charging cable to overheat. The company noted that this could increase the risk of fires.
Porsche has instructed owners to avoid using 220V/240V compact/portable charging cables. Instead, they should opt for a 110V home charging cable or use a public charging station.
As a solution, Porsche dealers will provide new 220V/240V compact/portable charging cables with built-in temperature sensors for free. Restoration parts are expected to be available from mid-2024.
Porsche first became aware of the cable overheating issue in December 2020. To fix the problem, the company made software changes that reduced the default charging capacity by 50%, but it was later discovered that the changes didn't fix the overheating issue, leading to a recall. So far, the company has identified 110 incidents of mobile charging failures due to the issue.
In addition to different versions of Taycan, the recalled models also include Cayenne E-Hybrid, Cayenne TurboE-Hybrid, Cayenne TurboSE-Hybrid, Panamera4E-Hybrid, Panamera4SE-Hybrid and PanameraTurboSE-Hybrid.