Worst 1 year review of the Macan 4 - EVER. 8 months at the dealership for issues.

[FirstEV]

Soo.. I am not sure where to begin. Lets just put it this way: I just got my 13th monthly payment of the car and it has been (in sum) at the dealership for at least 8 of those months. I took delivery of my Macan 4 in the beginning of October 2024, and It hasn't been a single week without issues popping up.

- I got my first red error message about 9 days after I got the car in the middle of a supermarket store (Chassi not working - emergency stop) which made it get towed and then stayed there for a while.. after that it was just downhill. This happened even after the car was at the dealership for weeks.

This has been so much so I really can't explain so i'll just post some of the issues i've had during this year.
Bare in mind that this is excluded from faulty back cameras that needed to be changed and other hardware faults. - NOTE: These faults have happened at least 4-5 times each up to 10 times. An example would be the E-sound literally stopping to work and even though we restart the car etc it still didn't work so we drove the car without the sound becoming a hazard for people with bad hearing or sight.

- Chassi fault x2 - Red symbol - Towed
- Red circle of death - Car shut down by itself when I was in the car without me doing anything (Red symbol)
- E-sounds (5120310 times) making me a hazard for blind people or bad hearing. (Yellow symbol)
- AC-charging limited (293182312 times) - Yellow symbol - Stuck at 5,4kW without any resolve for it - blaming anything but the car, my charger isn't the issue so they need to check it again due to me having a macan 4 loaner and charing for 3 months daily without it happening on the same charger.
- All assists top working (5213123 times) - Lange change, parking assist, turn assist, whatever you want - (Yellow Symbol) - Happened while driving as well.
- Right and left charge port not working - Happened a few times - Not an issue though since it might be software related, although not sure due to me not being always able to AC-charge.
- Assistfunctions limited (White) - I drove with this for weeks without it going away due to the dealer saying "its just a white symbol, nothing to worry about". After a few weeks they checked and saw that there were fault sensors/cameras in the back of the car. So I was driving for weeks with faulty hardware thanks to them.

Concluding above: They have changed the following because they can't find the issues:
2x control devices
Back cameras/sensors

UPDATE IN AUGUST 2025?
I've had a loaner for 3 months (Macan 4) due to the red circle of death. When they checked at the dealer the head of the service department saw many other issues without disclosing what stating that he can't let me leave with the car. After a few weeks Porsche AG (germany) said that its a software issue and it should be gone by the big update (week 36 - if it even comes by then) so i could drive the car. I said sure, I'll drive it. Can you guarantee that the car won't shut down by itself when I'm in the car or god forbid with my family? - No, they couldn't. So I asked the head of the service department if he would drive it himself and he said NO.

- So, here I am, waiting for an update on my car.

Can i lemon? Different laws in Sweden, especially if it is bought through a company. Need the exact same fault 4x times etc etc etc, but we'll see what happens now.

What do you guys think?

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[W1NGE]

Soo.. I am not sure where to begin. Lets just put it this way: I just got my 13th monthly payment of the car and it has been (in sum) at the dealership for at least 8 of those months. I took delivery of my Macan 4 in the beginning of October 2024, and It hasn't been a single week without issues popping up.

- I got my first red error message about 9 days after I got the car in the middle of a supermarket store (Chassi not working - emergency stop) which made it get towed and then stayed there for a while.. after that it was just downhill. This happened even after the car was at the dealership for weeks.

This has been so much so I really can't explain so i'll just post some of the issues i've had during this year.
Bare in mind that this is excluded from faulty back cameras that needed to be changed and other hardware faults. - NOTE: These faults have happened at least 4-5 times each up to 10 times. An example would be the E-sound literally stopping to work and even though we restart the car etc it still didn't work so we drove the car without the sound becoming a hazard for people with bad hearing or sight.

- Chassi fault x2 - Red symbol - Towed
- Red circle of death - Car shut down by itself when I was in the car without me doing anything (Red symbol)
- E-sounds (5120310 times) making me a hazard for blind people or bad hearing. (Yellow symbol)
- AC-charging limited (293182312 times) - Yellow symbol - Stuck at 5,4kW without any resolve for it - blaming anything but the car, my charger isn't the issue so they need to check it again due to me having a macan 4 loaner and charing for 3 months daily without it happening on the same charger.
- All assists top working (5213123 times) - Lange change, parking assist, turn assist, whatever you want - (Yellow Symbol) - Happened while driving as well.
- Right and left charge port not working - Happened a few times - Not an issue though since it might be software related, although not sure due to me not being always able to AC-charge.
- Assistfunctions limited (White) - I drove with this for weeks without it going away due to the dealer saying "its just a white symbol, nothing to worry about". After a few weeks they checked and saw that there were fault sensors/cameras in the back of the car. So I was driving for weeks with faulty hardware thanks to them.

Concluding above: They have changed the following because they can't find the issues:
2x control devices
Back cameras/sensors

UPDATE IN AUGUST 2025?
I've had a loaner for 3 months (Macan 4) due to the red circle of death. When they checked at the dealer the head of the service department saw many other issues without disclosing what stating that he can't let me leave with the car. After a few weeks Porsche AG (germany) said that its a software issue and it should be gone by the big update (week 36 - if it even comes by then) so i could drive the car. I said sure, I'll drive it. Can you guarantee that the car won't shut down by itself when I'm in the car or god forbid with my family? - No, they couldn't. So I asked the head of the service department if he would drive it himself and he said NO.

- So, here I am, waiting for an update on my car.

Can i lemon? Different laws in Sweden, especially if it is bought through a company. Need the exact same fault 4x times etc etc etc, but we'll see what happens now.

What do you guys think?

Sounds dreadful and not dissimilar to early Taycan issues (check that forum).

The car ought to have been replaced by now - lemon laws or not IMHO.

 

[aerodyne]

so sorry you are going through this. at least you have lemon laws. In Greece the laws regarding lemon cars are rather vague and the judicial system is so slow that even if you do get a ruling in your favor many years will have passed.

 

[tmrqs]

If the car spent indeed 8 months out of 10 at the dealership, it should be pretty easy to get Porsche to take it back.

Go straight to Porsche corporate, with the facts: they’ll make you whole.

Keep us posted and good luck!

 

[pm4s]

I would keep enjoying the loaner and racking up the miles, nothing more enjoying than (ab)using someone else's car. Thrash it and hand back the keys only after your cars is 100% perfect.
Just one clarification when you say:

Can you guarantee that the car won't shut down by itself when I'm in the car or god forbid with my family? - No, they couldn't. So I asked the head of the service department if he would drive it himself and he said NO.

I presume while parked the car just turns off and you have to turn it back on; not while driving 70mph on the motorway at night everything goes off. If it's the latter that would be unheard of and an instant worldwide halt.

 

[FirstEV]

I would keep enjoying the loaner and racking up the miles, nothing more enjoying than (ab)using someone else's car. Thrash it and hand back the keys only after your cars is 100% perfect.
Just one clarification when you say:

I presume while parked the car just turns off and you have to turn it back on; not while driving 70mph on the motorway at night everything goes off. If it's the latter that would be unheard of and an instant worldwide halt.

I am not the one of finding out, but if that were the cause they could just state that and I would of been on my way. - Just one note, the car turned of while it was in gear and wasn't parked. That was the scary part tbh.

 

[krissrock]

yeah, like what TMRQS said...this should be cut n dry to get them to buy it back...
At this point, i'd be lookin at what i wanted next...

 

[pm4s]

I am not the one of finding out, but if that were the cause they could just state that and I would of been on my way. - Just one note, the car turned of while it was in gear and wasn't parked. That was the scary part tbh.

Sorry for pestering you with this, when you say in gear you mean it was:
1) in D (or R) and your foot on the brake so stationery
2) in D (or R) your foot off the brake so the the car was creeping (moving at a slow speed)
3) in D (or R) and your foot on the accelerator (moving how fast? parking speed?)

 

[FirstEV]

so sorry you are going through this. at least you have lemon laws. In Greece the laws regarding lemon cars are rather vague and the judicial system is so slow that even if you do get a ruling in your favor many years will have passed.

Sorry for pestering you with this, when you say in gear you mean it was:
1) in D (or R) and your foot on the brake so stationery
2) in D (or R) your foot off the brake so the the car was creeping (moving at a slow speed)
3) in D (or R) and your foot on the accelerator (moving how fast? parking speed?)

No issue at all, glad to answer! When it went of with the red circle of death (red) high voltage battery deficiency warning (yellow) I creeped into a safe space and then kept it in D + brake!

- Anything specific you are thinking about?

 

[W1NGE]

I am not the one of finding out, but if that were the cause they could just state that and I would of been on my way. - Just one note, the car turned of while it was in gear and wasn't parked. That was the scary part tbh.

Early Taycans actually powered off when at speed - a couple of cases in NA. Rare but unbelievably scary should it happen as there zilch you can do.

 

[pm4s]

No issue at all, glad to answer! When it went of with the red circle of death (red) high voltage battery deficiency warning (yellow) I creeped into a safe space and then kept it in D + brake!

- Anything specific you are thinking about?

Thank you.
I was specifically asking for myself as a Macan owner.
Now that you have clarified that the car switched off while stationary (0 km/h) I consider this as non life threatening (I assume the car will not roll).
If this had happened above 0 km/h it means it could happen at any speed which is not acceptable depending also on what switches off means (as it was not clarified).
Does the car roll to a stop from high speed or does the parking brake come on at say 70mph?
Do the lights still work?
Are you completely blind heading towards the cliff/barrier?
Are you stopped in the fast lane waiting to be taken out?
We used to do a lot of stupid things when we were kids, turning off engine / lights momentarily while driving or yanking the wheel/handbrake and your post reminded me of that.
It's one thing when you're doing it, it's another thing when the car starts doing it
If it is any consolation (I know it's not) the only issues I had with the Macan were some safety error messages flooding the instrument cluster upon start up. I just ignored them and everything worked fine.

 

[FirstEV]

Thank you.
I was specifically asking for myself as a Macan owner.
Now that you have clarified that the car switched off while stationary (0 km/h) I consider this as non life threatening (I assume the car will not roll).
If this had happened above 0 km/h it means it could happen at any speed which is not acceptable depending also on what switches off means (as it was not clarified).
Does the car roll to a stop from high speed or does the parking brake come on at say 70mph?
Do the lights still work?
Are you completely blind heading towards the cliff/barrier?
Are you stopped in the fast lane waiting to be taken out?
We used to do a lot of stupid things when we were kids, turning off engine / lights momentarily while driving or yanking the wheel/handbrake and your post reminded me of that.
It's one thing when you're doing it, it's another thing when the car starts doing it
If it is any consolation (I know it's not) the only issues I had with the Macan were some safety error messages flooding the instrument cluster upon start up. I just ignored them and everything worked fine.

To be honest, and I am not saying this subjectively: Although it might have been stationary, it really isn’t something that makes it certain that it won’t do it in higher speeds. Porsche immediately removed them selves from any liability when I asked if they could put it in writing that it wouldn’t happen again when driving etc. - Even that the head of service department wouldn’t want to drive the car itself along with all my other ”issues” isn’t something that sounds well in my ears.

I am glad to hear that your car only had a few error messages here any there and didn’t materialize, it’s a beautiful car to use.. when it works!

 

[TomekGnomek]

I feel for you - my case is very similar. The only difference is that my car has been in and out of the shop but I’ve also had loaners for weeks at a time. These problems have been there since delivery (Sept 2024).

I have most of the same issues, but with one difference: the errors aren’t always persistent. They usually disappear before assistance arrives, which makes them very hard to diagnose.

It’s crazy how many problems I’ve had so far:

• Assistance systems (LKA, BSM) causing dangerous situations
• Doors opening on their own on highways
• Rear plastic lightbar (with Porsche logo) cracking
• BOSE system shutting down with no sound
• Car turning itself off in different situations (mostly after DC charging)
• Tons of red and yellow errors (suspension, charging, e-sound, you name it)
• Car vibrating at 130–150 km/h
• Front suspension cracking noises over speed bumps
• Strange buzzing from speakers or AC
• Problems keeping a straight line on highways (even after several alignments)
• Higher than normal energy consumption compared to 2025 loaners

My dealer really tries to handle these issues, but it’s clear they don’t know the root cause. They escalate to HQ with very little success so far. At the moment, I’m even driving on winter tires in the middle of summer because they sent my summer tires back to Michelin under warranty (yet another attempt to fix handling and vibration problems).

I’ve tried to escalate this directly to Porsche, but they completely ignore my emails.

This is by far the worst new-car experience I’ve ever had. I’ve owned many top BMWs, and while they had their share of problems, the dealer was always able to fix them quickly. In this case, everything takes months, and it seems no one knows how to actually solve it. At first, I got the usual excuses (“we don’t see any problem,” “the road is what it is,” “all cars behave like this,” etc.), which was very frustrating. Only after the issues started piling up did they finally admit something is wrong.

What’s interesting is that some of my friends with other Porsches share the same frustration. One friend even had his Spyder sitting in the garage for 6 months after delivery because parts weren’t available to fix it.

What's even more interesting is the loaners I've had shared many if these problems so it's clearly a more systemic issue - one you should consider before buying this car. One loaner started having issues with warning errors even before I drove off the parking lot. I simply sad f*** it, turned it off, waited a bit, turned it back on and drove off - this is the level of resignation in my case.

Overall, I’m deeply disappointed and just waiting for the lease to end so I can go back to BMW.

 

[FirstEV]

Early Taycans actually powered off when at speed - a couple of cases in NA. Rare but unbelievably scary should it happen as there zilch you can do.

Wow.. I didn’t even know that at all. This is really scary to hear tbh

 

[FirstEV]

I feel for you - my case is very similar. The only difference is that my car has been in and out of the shop, and I’ve also had loaners for weeks at a time. These problems have been there since delivery (Sept 2024).

I have most of the same issues, but with one difference: the errors aren’t always persistent. They usually disappear before assistance arrives, which makes them very hard to diagnose.

It’s crazy how many problems I’ve had so far:

• Assistance systems (LKA, BSM) causing dangerous situations
• Doors opening on their own on highways
• Rear plastic lightbar (with Porsche logo) cracking
• BOSE system shutting down with no sound
• Car turning itself off in different situations (mostly after DC charging)
• Tons of red and yellow errors (suspension, charging, e-sound, you name it)
• Car vibrating at 130–150 km/h
• Front suspension cracking noises over speed bumps
• Strange buzzing from speakers or AC
• Problems keeping a straight line on highways (even after several alignments)
• Higher than normal energy consumption compared to 2025 loaners

My dealer really tries to handle these issues, but it’s clear they don’t know the root cause. They escalate to HQ with very little success so far. At the moment, I’m even driving on winter tires in the middle of summer because they sent my summer tires back to Michelin under warranty (yet another attempt to fix handling and vibration problems).

I’ve tried to escalate this directly to Porsche, but they completely ignore my emails.

This is by far the worst new-car experience I’ve ever had. I’ve owned many top BMWs, and while they had their share of problems, the dealer was always able to fix them quickly. In this case, everything takes months, and it seems no one knows how to actually solve it. At first, I got the usual excuses (“we don’t see any problem,” “the road is what it is,” “all cars behave like this,” etc.), which was very frustrating. Only after the issues started piling up did they finally admit something is wrong.

What’s interesting is that some of my friends with other Porsches share the same frustration. One friend even had his Spyder sitting in the garage for 6 months after delivery because parts weren’t available to fix it.

Overall, I’m deeply disappointed and just waiting for the lease to end so I can go back to BMW.

I don’t know what to say than I know exactly how you feel. It’s almost like reading my own experience, which actually mad me really angry to hear. Especially with that you have been given the same treatment of excuses because they don’t know the root cause.

Are the issues gone now or is it handled? This isn’t that’s acceptable in the least, I am really sorry to hear this and don’t wish this upon anyone.

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