Electrical System Fault + 12V?

[anonymouse]

Today (after not driving the car for 10 days over Christmas) I have a red "Electrical system fault, Park vehicle safely" but also a white message saying the 12V battery is low.

I'll call for help in the morning if it doesn't magically fix overnight; but given the pair of messages, do you think this means a main battery fault (requiring towing) or just a low 12V which could be jump-started by Porsche Assist?

Or conversely, those who have a flat 12V, do you also get the red electrical system message?

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[DBI]

Can’t comment from experience, but given what I’ve read about the issues with the 12v battery going flat I stuck mine on a Lithium charger during the break. I’d be pretty hopeful yours is just a 12v issue and a jump/charge would get you up and running again. Fingers crossed! It does seem that 12v problems give modern cars, not just EV’s, all sorts of spurious other warning messages.

 

[f1eng]

My car was due for its first service today but when I went to plug it in to charge it it did not unlock. I assume this is a flat 12V battery and I don't get as far as getting into my car so obviously nothing on the display!
I thought I would follow the stupidly elaborate (because of it being electric) procedure to jump start the car but failed at the unlocking the door with the emergency key stage so am now waiting for Porsche assistance.
How I despise modern cars and all the pointless tech that ruins them!

 

[eddieterry]

Rotten luck - something that happens when the weather gets cold and the software for doing the eight charges fails. The emergency key is quite tight when in the lock and needs to be turned clockwise - can be very stiff.
Hope you get sorted quickly.

 

[f1eng]

The Porsche technician showed up and said there was something wrong with the key emergency lock because he thought he might break it he had to turn much harder than normal, perhaps frozen inside, I had to use a heat pad on the keyhole before the key would go in or turn at all. I had never tried before.
Once door open I was under way in 10 minutes, if the emergency key had worked normally I could easily have sorted it myself so a bit of a PITA.
Car now in for service and some standard checks, including the main battery cell investigation.
The software for monitoring the HV battery is not available to download yet.

J1.2 CT4 loan car. Boring black interior and I only remembered to look if it had a glass roof (of course it did) when nearly home, you don't notice it driving. Confirmed I prefer the sculpted ally roof.

 

[anonymouse]

Update: technician appeared. 12V is indeed flat. Once recharged, the other message went away. Currently sitting in the car for half an hour while it finishes recharging.
Still not sure why it went flat in 9 days.

 

[f1eng]

Update: technician appeared. 12V is indeed flat. Once recharged, the other message went away. Currently sitting in the car for half an hour while it finishes recharging.
Still not sure why it went flat in 9 days.

Me neither, mine was 9 days too

 

[anonymouse]

Me neither, mine was 9 days too

I do have a dash cam but it is supposed to make light demand on the battery- it has its own little battery that powers the cam for a few hours when initially parked. That battery does not recharge once it has discharged.

 

[Vercingetorix]

I literally just went out and put some Triflow in my mechanical lock.

 

[Scandinavian]

Very unusual to have the 12 volt battery depleted in such a short time as 9 days. Must have been a very unfortunate string of events, and weird stars aligning, for this yo happen. And I also thought there had been a software release to address the initial shortcomings of the battery charging cycles??

We often do not use my car for 14 days while driving around locally, as the Taycan is too big for parking etc. Never had any problem with these shorter spells.

I once in 2021 had an issue where the car had been parked for 8 weeks I think, at the airport. And then it was stone dead. But could be revived by the process for emergency opening. Never freezing temperatures though.

 

[Johann55]

Still not sure why it went flat in 9 days.

I do have a dash cam but it is supposed to make light demand on the battery- it has its own little battery that powers the cam for a few hours when initially parked. That battery does not recharge once it has discharged.

Well, you latest post answered the first one.

 

[anonymouse]

Well, you latest post answered the first one.

Not really. The little battery that powers the dash cam does not recharge when the car is off -- it just powers the dash cam until it expires. This is how it is designed.

Also, like others posting here, I've parked this car for a month without a problem, then this Christmas it died after 9 days. Something else is amiss.

 

[eddieterry]

Not really. The little battery that powers the dash cam does not recharge when the car is off -- it just powers the dash cam until it expires. This is how it is designed.

Also, like others posting here, I've parked this car for a month without a problem, then this Christmas it died after 9 days. Something else is amiss.

I really think it is a very rare problem which happens when the software controlling the up to 8 charges fails. I now keep a battery jumper in the glove box just in case. It has only happened to me once in a year and a half but the AA chap who came out said he had been called out a few times particularly in cold weather to Taycans - so I can only assume that the charge from the main battery to the small that the new update had installed had failed as there was no drain other than cold weather.

 

[anonymouse]

I really think it is a very rare problem which happens when the software controlling the up to 8 charges fails.

That sounds quite possible. Perhaps the big battery was too cold and therefore refused to supply power. I'm not sure where the "up to 8" comes from though -- reading back through this forum I've found people saying the 12V never charges from the main battery (which is what my OPC told me a while ago); and I've also seen a service bulletin which implies it always will recharge. The whole area seems surrounded in myth and confusion.

What I find most puzzling is that this car must have been designed and tested for German mountain winters which are far harsher than the little bit of cold we have had in the UK.

The OPC says there are many possible causes and they have offered to run a battery drain test where they run it down overnight. However this requires getting my car to them and collecting a day or two later, which is 2x 3 hours driving x 2 people/cars. Or they will give me a loan car in ... March!

 

[Tooney]

@f1eng Sorry you went through that.
Issues were 12v battery depleted and/or "switched off" and manual unlock difficult to open/frozen?

Once door was opened, what did tech have to do? Apply voltage to the 12volt battery to "reactivate it", and then give it a longer charge, or just reactivate it?
Did tech/dealer have any thoughts as to why battery got low?

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