Air suspension issue on Taycan 4S?? "Chassis level extremely low" Anyone else experience this?

[JRemy]

Hi All

New to this forum but I figured I'd post since this is the first issue I've had with an otherwise amazing car. Last night, on my way home from dinner, I had a notification pop up saying, "Chassis level extremely low. Don't drive, wait until the vehicle has lifted."

I pulled over and tried changing the setting from Low to Lower (I usually always drove on Lower instead of low to avoid bottoming out).

As I switched through the different modes, it didn't seem like the car was raising or lowering properly. At one point, when I hit the raised setting, I could feel the car struggle to try to adjust unsuccessfully.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? What did you do to fix it? I have a service appt set, but the soonest they could squeeze me in was two weeks from now. Should I be concerned? Should I still drive the car?

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[ciaranob]

Might be a leak in the air bags (but would have thought the system would sense this and report but who knows)?

 

[Jayyvr890]

Taycan is know to have many warnings that will eventually resolve on its own. Park the car for a few hours somewhere with good reception and see if problem persists.

 

[JRemy]

Here’s a photo of the dash warning

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

As I switched through the different modes, it didn't seem like the car was raising or lowering properly. At one point, when I hit the raised setting, I could feel the car struggle to try to adjust unsuccessfully.

Can you describe, exactly, what was happening/in which way the car 'struggled'? Normally raising the suspension level requires the speed to be <20mph, and there would be a blinking pictogram on the right side of the instrument cluster. There should be a compressor sound as well, but that may be too faint to hear from inside the cabin. Did you notice any of these?

If you hear the compressor working too long, it's possible an air line disconnected, cracked or is otherwise leaking. At rest, observe the car from every corner to check for any signs of skewing/listing - if it's an issue with an air bag, it's extremely unlikely all of them failed.

In addition to the above, another possible cause could be the suspension level sensor - typically it's a simple articulated 'V', with ends mounted to the frame and a suspension arm, respectively. If this somehow disconnected, or got damaged/is providing a wrong reading, the self-leveling system will make bad adjustments.

Re: is it safe to drive: depends - if it's really lowered/too low as the message says even in a 'normal' or 'high' mode, then it does sound serious (as you'd have no dampening, and could cause further damage). If the message persists but the ride height is normal, it's probably a bogus sensor.

 

[vroomer]

@JRemy: I think you saw my other thread. I had a similar problem. Only fixed after dealer replaced a failed compressor.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

I think you saw my other thread. I had a similar problem.

No, but I had a compressor fail on a MB. Learned the hard way the importance of installing the level sensor correctly.

 

[Leawood CT]

Well, did you have a really large dinner? It could be the suspension was just struggling.

 

[JRemy]

Can you describe, exactly, what was happening/in which way the car 'struggled'? Normally raising the suspension level requires the speed to be <20mph, and there would be a blinking pictogram on the right side of the instrument cluster. There should be a compressor sound as well, but that may be too faint to hear from inside the cabin. Did you notice any of these?

If you hear the compressor working too long, it's possible an air line disconnected, cracked or is otherwise leaking. At rest, observe the car from every corner to check for any signs of skewing/listing - if it's an issue with an air bag, it's extremely unlikely all of them failed.

In addition to the above, another possible cause could be the suspension level sensor - typically it's a simple articulated 'V', with ends mounted to the frame and a suspension arm, respectively. If this somehow disconnected, or got damaged/is providing a wrong reading, the self-leveling system will make bad adjustments.

Re: is it safe to drive: depends - if it's really lowered/too low as the message says even in a 'normal' or 'high' mode, then it does sound serious

(as you'd have no dampening, and could cause further damage). If the message persists but the ride height is normal, it's probably a bogus sensor.

The front is significantly lower than the back. It doesn’t seem to have much suspension travel and the height settings don’t seem to be doing anything. Must be a failed pump or hose/sensor.

 

[magnitude]

There should be a compressor sound as well, but that may be too faint to hear from inside the cabin. Did you notice any of these?

Is that audible in your car? I tried several times, and even in the garage I cannot hear it going from or to the “Lift” setting. It just kind of imperceptibly changes height (first one end of the car, then the other it seems), and it’s kind of spooky in a fun way.

I have the Sedan, can imagine it’s different with e.g. the CT. I feel the noises one hears often are, depending on what gets to the cabin.

Or I’m just old. ?

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Is that audible in your car? I tried several times, and even in the garage I cannot hear it going from or to the “Lift” setting. It just kind of imperceptibly changes height (first one end of the car, then the other it seems), and it’s kind of spooky in a fun way.

Not from the car, though I usually have music on. Just tried a bit earlier in the garage, and there’s definitely some whirring (in addition to relays clicking and other noises; this car is doing a lot of things for just being idly ‘on’).

 

[Tucson_Jim]

I had the exact problem on my Cayenne. Leak in the compression line.

 

[annieland]

Hmm I'm gonna keep an eye on this. I've noticed a few times lately my chassis is showing lowered on the dash when I don't remember pressing anything or switching a mode. I keep thinking maybe I accidentally did something to trigger it. I never got a warning, now I'm wondering if this is a precursor?

 

[violuma]

my chassis is showing lowered on the dash

The manual lists "lower" and "low", so I'm not certain which of those you mean by "lowered", but is it possible that you're in "range" driving mode? I believe that mode automatically lowers the chassis at high speeds in order to reduce air drag.

 

[annieland]

The manual lists "lower" and "low", so I'm not certain which of those you mean by "lowered", but is it possible that you're in "range" driving mode? I believe that mode automatically lowers the chassis at high speeds in order to reduce air drag.

Lower than normal. Arrow down, whatever it is. No I don't use range mode, it's too hot.

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