2018 Porsche Panamera Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Panamera years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Porsche Panamera. That ranks 4th out of 17 Panamera model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (4 complaints, 33%), typically at around 43,093 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 injury. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 12owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2018 Porsche Panamera problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 4 | 33% | 43,093 | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 33% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 3 | 25% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 8% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 8% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2018 Porsche Panamera recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system
Problem: 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; electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Problem: 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 cluster may not provide a visual warning when the brake pads are worn out. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."
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
Problem: 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; electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Problem: 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 Cayenne S and Cayenne vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when the brake pads are worn out. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."
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
Problem: 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 failure may result in an intermittent loss of electric power steering assist.
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
Problem: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
Other Porsche Panamera years
← 2017 Panamera · 2019 Panamera →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Panamera | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 Panamera | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 Panamera | 2 | 2 |
| 2023 Panamera | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 Panamera | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 Panamera | 2 | 3 |
| 2020 Panamera | 5 | 1 |
| 2019 Panamera | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 12 | 6 |
| 2017 Panamera | 1 | 4 |
| 2016 Panamera | 3 | 4 |
| 2015 Panamera | 5 | 3 |
| 2014 Panamera | 14 | 3 |
| 2013 Panamera | 12 | 3 |
| 2012 Panamera | 13 | 5 |
| 2011 Panamera | 34 | 5 |
| 2010 Panamera | 5 | 1 |
See all Porsche Panamera problems by year, every Porsche model, or the Porsche VIN decoder.
Similar Porsche models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Porsche Panamera?
Owners most often report engine, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 4 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Porsche Panamera?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2018 Porsche Panamera a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Panamera model years, the 2018 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.