High Voltage Battery Recall EXPANDED - ARB6 & ARB7

[Tooney]

In several forum posts, owners were told by fly-in Porsche battery doctors that recharging the HV battery after discharging it to low SoC (below 10 - 15 %) could identify/flag existing battery problems which might not be spotted if battery was not discharged to low SoC.

Whether generating potential battery problems & errors by discharging to very low SoC is a good thing depends on your point of view (and where your car happens to be located if those errors occur and the car is disabled.)

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[Gino]

This sounds like exactly what it is, on board charger failed when trying to charge at DC, possibly when you get the initial very high blast of power.

By any chance, is your "Battery-saving fast charging" checked or not:

I didn’t even know that was an option. I’ll have to check. It may be active since I have never charged above 180kw…

 

[Gino]

^ @Gino, please do not confuse AC and DC when attempting to rebalance your battery. The procedure specifically calling for AC charging as @Tooney is pointing out and ideally at a slower pace than usual, so I do it at 8kW vs. the usual 11kW. My last rebalance gave me almost 3% of SoH back.

Thanks, good information. The dealer wasn’t talking about balancing he just said it doesn’t matter if you are charging from below 5% to 80% or more using AC or DC charging. The onboard charger is designed to handle it. He said he has seen the on board chargers fail and he suspects that’s what happened since it won’t accept charge from either an AC or DC source even at the lowest current level.
All he could tell me is that it is not likely the HV battery itself is the cause of the charging system failure.
I guess I find out soon enough.

 

[Jonathan S.]

I do not think it has any relevance to the OP‘s sitauation. The car should charge just fine from 5% to 100% without any trouble at aDC charger.

It might not give any rebalance result at all , but it should not stop charging! Must be some faults now in the cars charging system .

Quoted for emphasis (in agreement).
It's not like any EV model has guidance to charge only via AC at first if you're run down the battery close to 0% SoC.

 

[whitex]

He said he has seen the on board chargers fail and he suspects that’s what happened since it won’t accept charge from either an AC or DC source even at the lowest current level.
All he could tell me is that it is not likely the HV battery itself is the cause of the charging system failure.
I guess I find out soon enough.

Do you have the 19.2kW (80A) upgraded charger? I know the ROW equivalent 22kW version has been known to be more unreliable design than the 11kW, so curious if we're seeing a wave of NA 19.2kW chargers fail (perhaps that is why it's no longer available in 2025 Taycans). Mine crapped out 2 weeks ago - similar symptoms - will not charge from AC or from DC. I didn't do anything special with the car, same sparse daily driving and AC charging for months. One day got into the car and realized that charging still says "Initializing" from the night before, after that is just said "charging not possible" to anything I plugged into it (AC both ports, DC). The car drove and used recuperative braking without any issues, so there was some indications it wasn't the battery. Took a week to get it diagnosed, turned out it is the onboard charger, parts ordered but holidays will only add time.

 

[Gino]

Do you have the 19.2kW (80A) upgraded charger? I know the ROW equivalent 22kW version has been known to be more unreliable design than the 11kW, so curious if we're seeing a wave of NA 19.2kW chargers fail (perhaps that is why it's no longer available in 2025 Taycans). Mine crapped out 2 weeks ago - similar symptoms - will not charge from AC or from DC. I didn't do anything special with the car, same sparse daily driving and AC charging for months. One day got into the car and realized that charging still says "Initializing" from the night before, after that is just said "charging not possible" to anything I plugged into it (AC both ports, DC). The car drove and used recuperative braking without any issues, so there was some indications it wasn't the battery. Took a week to get it diagnosed, turned out it is the onboard charger, parts ordered but holidays will only add time.

I think I have the 11kw…

 

[Corkage Time]

Do you have the 19.2kW (80A) upgraded charger? I know the ROW equivalent 22kW version has been known to be more unreliable design than the 11kW, so curious if we're seeing a wave of NA 19.2kW chargers fail (perhaps that is why it's no longer available in 2025 Taycans). Mine crapped out 2 weeks ago - similar symptoms - will not charge from AC or from DC. I didn't do anything special with the car, same sparse daily driving and AC charging for months. One day got into the car and realized that charging still says "Initializing" from the night before, after that is just said "charging not possible" to anything I plugged into it (AC both ports, DC). The car drove and used recuperative braking without any issues, so there was some indications it wasn't the battery. Took a week to get it diagnosed, turned out it is the onboard charger, parts ordered but holidays will only add time.

i had exactly the same issue on my 2023 ST. I was selling it back to Porsche same day it failed so I left it with them. But yes, it couldn’t charge with either AC and DC and I had the onboard 22kW charger.

 

[mikeyyn]

My 2021 4S was booked in for the ARB6 recall on Friday. Apparently to review the battery condition , and then again in 60 days.
It was cancelled on Christmas Eve by text saying it was to be done OTA.
I called the dealer and Porsche UK who both said that was correct. They couldn’t explain why the advice had changed.
The advice from both was to charge it away from buildings and only to 80% as recommended previously.
Not happy.
Maybe the mothership has changed its mind, or Porsche UK have decided they won’t pay. Who knows.
Anybody else had this happen?

 

[FlyingPoint]

My 2021 4S was booked in for the ARB6 recall on Friday. Apparently to review the battery condition , and then again in 60 days.
It was cancelled on Christmas Eve by text saying it was to be done OTA.
I called the dealer and Porsche UK who both said that was correct. They couldn’t explain why the advice had changed.
The advice from both was to charge it away from buildings and only to 80% as recommended previously.
Not happy.
Maybe the mothership has changed its mind, or Porsche UK have decided they won’t pay. Who knows.
Anybody else had this happen?

I am only speculating but it looks like the OEM is using the monitoring software to determine if there is a flawed battery pack/modules. This software was originally to be installed via the workshop, but appears they are now pushing OTA.
The advice to charge max 80% and not near any structures is probably just a precaution until they obtain the data to determine the battery status. All this is not a situation or result commensurate with what these cars cost. This is a real mess.

 

[snstevens]

I’m not seeing this the same way.

I think an OTA update followed by remote diagnostic on the battery is a very efficient way to deal with a large number of vehicles. If I don’t have to bring my car in and leave it with the dealer, that’s a plus for me. Let’s just see if this works here in the US or not.

On a slightly different tack, I don’t know of any instances that have been reported on this forum of a battery fire related to a short circuit. Perhaps I missed it, but it just seems like a very rare potential risk. Does anyone know of any real examples?

 

[FlyingPoint]

I’m not seeing this the same way.

I think an OTA update followed by remote diagnostic on the battery is a very efficient way to deal with a large number of vehicles. If I don’t have to bring my car in and leave it with the dealer, that’s a plus for me. Let’s just see if this works here in the US or not.

On a slightly different tack, I don’t know of any instances that have been reported on this forum of a battery fire related to a short circuit. Perhaps I missed it, but it just seems like a very rare potential risk. Does anyone know of any real examples?

Here is what I found using ChatGPT:

As of December 2024, there have been several reported incidents of Porsche Taycan battery fires:

• February 16, 2020: A Taycan caught fire while parked in a residential garage in Florida.
  Wikipedia
  
  
• April 2, 2021: A Taycan caught fire while charging in Skjeberg, Norway.
  Wikipedia
  
  
• October 12, 2021: A Taycan Cross Turismo caught fire in Red Hill, Victoria, Australia.
  Wikipedi
  

 

[snstevens]

Here is what I found using ChatGPT:

As of December 2024, there have been several reported incidents of Porsche Taycan battery fires:

• February 16, 2020: A Taycan caught fire while parked in a residential garage in Florida.
  Wikipedia
  
  
• April 2, 2021: A Taycan caught fire while charging in Skjeberg, Norway.
  Wikipedia
  
  
• October 12, 2021: A Taycan Cross Turismo caught fire in Red Hill, Victoria, Australia.
  Wikipedi

Thanks for looking this up. Interesting that there were only 3 cases and they were 3-4 years ago. I read the Wikipedia info and the Cross Turismo was a "new" car. The others were likely 2020 versions.

 

[Gino]

My 2021 4S was booked in for the ARB6 recall on Friday. Apparently to review the battery condition , and then again in 60 days.
It was cancelled on Christmas Eve by text saying it was to be done OTA.
I called the dealer and Porsche UK who both said that was correct. They couldn’t explain why the advice had changed.
The advice from both was to charge it away from buildings and only to 80% as recommended previously.
Not happy.
Maybe the mothership has changed its mind, or Porsche UK have decided they won’t pay. Who knows.
Anybody else had this happen?

If Porsche feels their batteries are such a risk to cause a fire that they warn owners to not charge inside buildings like garages and never above 80% then they deserve the class action suit coming their way. If it is considered unsafe to charge above 80% and to not park inside buildings because of the potential fire risk then they should have disclosed these warnings during the sales process & clearly in the owners manual.
Porsche cannot get around the fact they are reducing the range of every vehicle by 20% after the fact and making the very thin argument that charging the battery above 80% will shorten the battery life.
Porsche is responsible for repairing or replacing the battery inside the 8 year, 100K mile warranty. Porsche could care less if the battery lasts beyond the 8 year, 100K warranty mandated by law. They will be happy to charge customers full cost to replace their batteries at that time. They are worried the batteries won’t make it to 8 years which apparently is a pretty good bet that many won’t at great expense to Porsche.
So far I have not been told directly by my Porsche dealer or Porsche USA that I should not charge at home in my garage. If they did I would reluctantly require them to take the car back with a full refund. As beautiful as my 2021 Taycan is, it is not worth burning my house down.
The only way I would even consider keeping the car if I can’t charge in my garage would be for Porsche to give me free charging at EA as long as I own the car.
I don’t actually care if my battery range will be reduced significantly beyond the 8 year warranty if I charge to 100% like all other EVs can & will do. I am prepared to live with reduced range after warranty with normal use (charging to 100% is normal use) People with ICE cars don’t fill up to 80% of their tank’s capacity when they are close to empty. Asking EV owners to stop at 80% is simply ridiculous.
I know there will be battery replacements by 2030 & beyond which are more reasonable than the cost to replace a battery today.
If Porsche ever states charging to 100% is dangerous then they would be forced to reduce the range on every single car to 80% & pay their owners for the mandatory reduced range.
Instead they will continue to try to manage their battery issues by making strongly worded “suggestions” to not charge beyond 80% and not inside garages or buildings.
Eventually the VW group will be pressured into making restitution with owners who have been short changed.

I will continue to disregard charging to 80% and will charge in my garage starting in January when my EA free charging subscription expires.
If my battery dies before the 8 year warranty expires or my house burns down, it will be the full responsibility of Porsche under the VW group’s management.
Most people don’t realize the risk of fire charging to 100% does not get Porsche off the hook after the 8 year warranty. Porsche will still be liable for any fire caused by one of their batteries as long as it was not serviced by an unlicensed shop or the vehicle was in an accident which breached the integrity of the main battery & it’s components.
I’m beginning to get the feeling I’m rolling the dice that Porsche will eventually do the right thing and fully support their EV products but I’m not holding my breath…

 

[Gino]

Thanks for looking this up. Interesting that there were only 3 cases and they were 3-4 years ago. I read the Wikipedia info and the Cross Turismo was a "new" car. The others were likely 2020 versions.

I am hoping the risk of fire is overblown because I do charge my Taycan to 100% every time I charge.
I could care less about the battery life beyond the 8 year warranty being reduced as long as it’s not below 50%.
I have always filled up every one of my ICE vehicles to 100% and I’m not about to be conned into only charging to 80% to keep my batteries “healthy”. Porsche should have thought of that before they promised 225 mile range on the early Taycan’s. If Porsche said the range is 20% less back then, telling potential customers you actually shouldn’t charge to 100%, people would have looked at them like they were crazy.
Today Porsche is trying to get customers to elect to only charge to 80% but this is purely self serving to Porsche to mitigate battery repairs/replacements under warranty.
Any fire risk is 100% on Porsche unless it was damaged in an accident or improperly maintained at non Porsche service centers.
The good news is that there have not been a rash of Taycan’s catching fire so Porsche is managing the vehicle’s with risk of fire very well so far by identifying the vehicle’s with the underlying precursors of fire risk and replacing the components responsible for the threat of fire.
I just hope their record of spontaneous combustion Taycan’s stays at zero since January 2022 when my Taycan was delivered.

 

[snstevens]

If Porsche feels their batteries are such a risk to cause a fire that they warn owners to not charge inside buildings like garages and never above 80% then they deserve the class action suit coming their way. If it is considered unsafe to charge above 80% and to not park inside buildings because of the potential fire risk then they should have disclosed these warnings during the sales process & clearly in the owners manual.
Porsche cannot get around the fact they are reducing the range of every vehicle by 20% after the fact and making the very thin argument that charging the battery above 80% will shorten the battery life.
Porsche is responsible for repairing or replacing the battery inside the 8 year, 100K mile warranty. Porsche could care less if the battery lasts beyond the 8 year, 100K warranty mandated by law. They will be happy to charge customers full cost to replace their batteries at that time. They are worried the batteries won’t make it to 8 years which apparently is a pretty good bet that many won’t at great expense to Porsche.
So far I have not been told directly by my Porsche dealer or Porsche USA that I should not charge at home in my garage. If they did I would reluctantly require them to take the car back with a full refund. As beautiful as my 2021 Taycan is, it is not worth burning my house down.
The only way I would even consider keeping the car if I can’t charge in my garage would be for Porsche to give me free charging at EA as long as I own the car.
I don’t actually care if my battery range will be reduced significantly beyond the 8 year warranty if I charge to 100% like all other EVs can & will do. I am prepared to live with reduced range after warranty with normal use (charging to 100% is normal use) People with ICE cars don’t fill up to 80% of their tank’s capacity when they are close to empty. Asking EV owners to stop at 80% is simply ridiculous.
I know there will be battery replacements by 2030 & beyond which are more reasonable than the cost to replace a battery today.
If Porsche ever states charging to 100% is dangerous then they would be forced to reduce the range on every single car to 80% & pay their owners for the mandatory reduced range.
Instead they will continue to try to manage their battery issues by making strongly worded “suggestions” to not charge beyond 80% and not inside garages or buildings.
Eventually the VW group will be pressured into making restitution with owners who have been short changed.

I will continue to disregard charging to 80% and will charge in my garage starting in January when my EA free charging subscription expires.
If my battery dies before the 8 year warranty expires or my house burns down, it will be the full responsibility of Porsche under the VW group’s management.
Most people don’t realize the risk of fire charging to 100% does not get Porsche off the hook after the 8 year warranty. Porsche will still be liable for any fire caused by one of their batteries as long as it was not serviced by an unlicensed shop or the vehicle was in an accident which breached the integrity of the main battery & it’s components.
I’m beginning to get the feeling I’m rolling the dice that Porsche will eventually do the right thing and fully support their EV products but I’m not holding my breath…

Pardon me @Gino but this seems a bit over the top, and your worries overstated. This is a safety precaution recall, and we can all deal with it without worry that our houses will burn down.

Here is a summary of how I'm responding to this recall --

• Charging On the Road or within 50 miles of Home - Charge to whatever SOC makes sense to me with no upper limit. Sometimes this is 90%, sometimes 95%. Generally the charge is going to be less by the time I reach home so when I park in the garage I expect it to be in the 80% ± 5% range.
• Charging at Home - I currently limit to 80%, and since there is a dearth of news items of fires occurring in Taycans (other than the 3 mentioned above), I sleep well and don't worry about the house burning down.

To be honest, this reminds of of the time my Lexus GX 350 had a fuel pump recall, except that there was nothing I could do (like charge to a lower SOC) to reduce risk. I wish there had been, as it took several months for the replacement fuel pumps to become available, and in the meantime I crossed my fingers.

I appreciate that you might see things differently, but I hope my perspective helps.

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