Porsche Denying Warranty Coverage on High-Voltage Battery – Seeking Advice

[alexgro20]

My 2020 Porsche Taycan has been in the possession of Porsche for 37 days. When I brought the vehicle to the dealership, it was driving and charging normally. I have charging records confirming that the vehicle was charging prior to being dropped off.

Initially, I was informed that the issue involved several battery cells and that the repair would be covered under the manufacturer's high-voltage battery warranty. About 5 days ago, I was informed that the entire high-voltage battery would need to be replaced at an estimated cost of $50,000 and that the warranty claim was being denied due to alleged structural damage they found under the car.

The vehicle is now unable to start, drive, or charge. At this point, the dealership's proposed solution is for me to arrange transportation and remove the vehicle from their lot, since I don't approve a $50k repair.

Originally, the dealership provided three photos of the alleged damage, which I will attach below. From those photos, I could see damage to certain components near the battery, but I could not identify any obvious structural damage to the battery itself. I visited the dealership to inspect the vehicle in person and again observed damage to a metal plate and some underbody components, but I was unable to see any apparent damage to the battery.

After several days of requesting additional information, the dealership eventually provided a photo showing what they described as damage to the battery. The photo appears to show a bent battery casing ear or mounting tab. From what I can see, the battery housing itself does not appear punctured, cracked, or otherwise damaged, although I am not an expert.

I have opened a case with Porsche Cars North America and am trying to understand whether I have a reasonable basis to continue challenging the warranty denial. Based on the information provided, do you believe there is a realistic chance of overturning the decision with PCNA, or is a bent battery casing ear/mounting point generally considered sufficient grounds to deny high-voltage battery warranty coverage?

I would appreciate any opinions, particularly from those with experience in EV battery repairs, Porsche warranty claims, automotive engineering, or insurance-related vehicle damage assessments.

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[JackSparrow]

Here’s my non-expert thoughts on this situation.
1) Did the vehicle have an accident history?
2) Was it purchased as rebuilt/salvage?
3) Did the seller disclose an accident history?
4) If it was in a collision under your ownership, the insurance company did not complete the repair, so you might need to claim.
5) Was there an airbag deployment?
6) Was the car inspected prior to purchase?
7) Was the vehicle purchased from a dealer and damage not disclosed?
There may be recourse in paying for the repair depending on the situation.

If you just want the car back, pay to have them return it to an operational state with the damaged battery intact.

 

[alexgro20]

Here’s my non-expert thoughts on this situation.
1) Did the vehicle have an accident history? No
2) Was it purchased as rebuilt/salvage? No
3) Did the seller disclose an accident history? No accident history
4) If it was in a collision under your ownership, the insurance company did not complete the repair, so you might need to claim. No accidents
5) Was there an airbag deployment? No
6) Was the car inspected prior to purchase? No
7) Was the vehicle purchased from a dealer, and damage not disclosed? The vehicle was purchased from a dealer out of state. Didn't have a chance to inspect it. The dealer didn't mention anything about the damage.

There may be recourse in paying for the repair depending on the situation.

If you just want the car back, pay to have them return it to an operational state with the damaged battery intact.

 

[chun]

They need to return it how it arrived, driving

They also need to prove that they didn't cause the damage, as the car was driving when it arrived, and it no longer is driving. So they might have as well broke it themselves.

I would lawyer up.

As for the damage itself... i see no damage whatsoever. What he is showing in the picture is not even connected to the battery, which is under the "black" metal cover in the middle of the car. Whatever he considers damaged, he needs to present an analysis of how this affects the battery.

Honestly, I would stop communicating without a lawyer. Anything you say at this point could be turned against you, as the slightest hint of you telling them that you did cause the damage is enough for them to deny warranty, even though the damage is not actually to the battery.

Your lawyer should also bring up the fact that the cells that they identified as broken are actually covered by a RECALL and not warranty They MUST replace them, even if outside warranty, as they are covered by a RECALL. As in, they were broken since they manufactured them.
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...arterly-reports-to-nhtsa-april-13-2026.34858/

Several battery recalls, where bad cells are identified via software as broken since manufacturing, as they have, and they must be replaced. This is not part of the warranty, it's a recall enforced by NTHSA

To be honest, i'm 99% sure they will back away from warranty denial as soon as a lawyer contacts them.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Let me follow the chain of events, so please confirm:

- You brought the car that was working but did you have any errors indicating that there was anything wrong with the car
- When you bring the car in, at least here a couple hours away from you, in Indianapolis, the car is scanned including the bottom so there is no question on how it was brought in, so do they have a scan machine like that to confirm that you brought the damaged car

If the car had any errors or odd behavior related to battery and the external influence can be established such as driving over something that damaged the battery cover plate or surround components, then warranty would not apply. Your only option is insurance claim and $50k is the new number for a battery replacement as it will be J1.2 that will certainly be challenged by insurance.

Either way, you are on a long journey to get this resolved as we have a 3mm case damage that ended up with insurance replacing battery at a clip close to $50k and I met the owner of that car with a long thread on this forum about this ordeal.

 

[alexgro20]

Let me follow the chain of events, so please confirm:

- You brought the car that was working but did you have any errors indicating that there was anything wrong with the car
- When you bring the car in, at least hear a couple hours away from you, in Indianapolis, the car is scanned including the bottom so there is no question on how it was brought in, so do they have a scan machine like that to confirm that you brought the damaged car

If the car had any errors or odd behavior related to battery and the external influence can be established such as driving over something that damaged the battery cover plate or surround components, then warranty would not apply. Your only option is insurance claim and $50k is the new number for a battery replacement as it will be J1.2 that will certainly be challenged by insurance.

Either way, you are on a long journey to get this resolved as we have a 3mm case damage that ended up with insurance replacing battery at a clip close to $50k and I met the owner of that car with a long thread on this forum about this ordeal.

Thank you for the response,

The issue originally began when I received a yellow "Electrical System Error" warning on the dashboard. As soon as the warning appeared, I contacted Porsche and scheduled a service appointment. The earliest available appointment was approximately three weeks later.

During those three weeks, I continued to drive and charge the vehicle without any issues. The vehicle operated normally, and I did not experience any charging problems or loss of drivability.

I don't think they have a scan machine here in Cincinnati

Additionally, it has been very difficult to obtain clear information from the service manager. When I started asking questions about why the vehicle would no longer start or charge, and requested more details about the diagnosis, I was informed that the time spent responding to my questions and fulfilling my requests would be billed at a rate of $240 per hour. This made it challenging to understand the situation and obtain the information necessary to evaluate the condition of the vehicle.

 

[chun]

Thank you for the response,

The issue originally began when I received a yellow "Electrical System Error" warning on the dashboard. As soon as the warning appeared, I contacted Porsche and scheduled a service appointment. The earliest available appointment was approximately three weeks later.

During those three weeks, I continued to drive and charge the vehicle without any issues. The vehicle operated normally, and I did not experience any charging problems or loss of drivability.

I don't think they have a scan machine here in Cincinnati

Additionally, it has been very difficult to obtain clear information from the service manager. When I started asking questions about why the vehicle would no longer start or charge, and requested more details about the diagnosis, I was informed that the time spent responding to my questions and fulfilling my requests would be billed at a rate of $240 per hour. This made it challenging to understand the situation and obtain the information necessary to evaluate the condition of the vehicle.

A lawyer might be cheaper than 240 an hour, and they will be forced to answer

 

[SergeyIndy]

That is their new corporate posture to charge for q and a time.

Electrical error indicates bad cells. So they should provide you with a diagnostics report and proof of external influence. Pictures you shared do not tell me anything is wrong.

Next step is to have your insurance involved stating road hazard and adjuster will en able to determine if in fact that is the case.

The thing going not in your favor is that you cannot prove that that did damage to the car while they had it. I have been to that dealer before and who knows what they may have run over that could have been inside the shop or they may have lowered it into something from loft and damaged.

Please do inquire if they have an all body scan machine.

 

[alexgro20]

That is their new corporate posture to charge for q and a time.

Electrical error indicates bad cells. So they should provide you with a diagnostics report and proof of external influence. Pictures you shared do not tell me anything is wrong.

Next step is to have your insurance involved stating road hazard and adjuster will en able to determine if in fact that is the case.

The thing going not in your favor is that you cannot prove that that did damage to the car while they had it. I have been to that dealer before and who knows what they may have run over that could have been inside the shop or they may have lowered it into something from loft and damaged.

Please do inquire if they have an all body scan machine.

Thank you, will check with them

 

[Torv]

My 2020 Porsche Taycan has been in the possession of Porsche for 37 days. When I brought the vehicle to the dealership, it was driving and charging normally. I have charging records confirming that the vehicle was charging prior to being dropped off.

Initially, I was informed that the issue involved several battery cells and that the repair would be covered under the manufacturer's high-voltage battery warranty. About 5 days ago, I was informed that the entire high-voltage battery would need to be replaced at an estimated cost of $50,000 and that the warranty claim was being denied due to alleged structural damage they found under the car.

The vehicle is now unable to start, drive, or charge. At this point, the dealership's proposed solution is for me to arrange transportation and remove the vehicle from their lot, since I don't approve a $50k repair.

Originally, the dealership provided three photos of the alleged damage, which I will attach below. From those photos, I could see damage to certain components near the battery, but I could not identify any obvious structural damage to the battery itself. I visited the dealership to inspect the vehicle in person and again observed damage to a metal plate and some underbody components, but I was unable to see any apparent damage to the battery.

After several days of requesting additional information, the dealership eventually provided a photo showing what they described as damage to the battery. The photo appears to show a bent battery casing ear or mounting tab. From what I can see, the battery housing itself does not appear punctured, cracked, or otherwise damaged, although I am not an expert.

I have opened a case with Porsche Cars North America and am trying to understand whether I have a reasonable basis to continue challenging the warranty denial. Based on the information provided, do you believe there is a realistic chance of overturning the decision with PCNA, or is a bent battery casing ear/mounting point generally considered sufficient grounds to deny high-voltage battery warranty coverage?

I would appreciate any opinions, particularly from those with experience in EV battery repairs, Porsche warranty claims, automotive engineering, or insurance-related vehicle damage assessments.

I believe that this should be covered by your comprehensive insurance policy. I'd make a claim through them since there's damage to the underbody from some foreign object.

 

[69Mach390]

Oof this stinks. It should be exactly like everyone is saying-

Physical damage = insurance claim.

Get it all in writing exactly what caused the battery failure and submit an insurance claim.

Dealership should be able to help you with the insurance claim. But it will end up in the vehicle being totaled.

Where and when did you buy the vehicle?

 

[Solid]

Agreed on go to your insurer. Let their lawyers deal with it instead of spending your own money on it. I would be very clear that the vehicle was operating normally when you dropped it off and now it will not power on or operate. Make it clear that they are claiming the battery pack is damaged and that the damage caused the module failures - even though the modules are subject to a recall and known to fail. Worst case you end up with a comprehensive claim on your insurance, they total the car, and you roll the pay out into a CPO.

 

[SergeyIndy]

I think the most probable outcome is that the car will be totaled since this is a 2020 4S and its current market value regardless of miles will be less than the $50k quoted to replace the battery. Keep in mind that the replacement will include the battery, the cooling system, and the battery cover since all of these are damaged.

The issue with it being totaled is how much payout you will get from it vs. what you paid for the car. I have actually reached out to my insurance, and they will not commit to any numbers on what a payout would be when totaled. This is another risk in the ownership of an expensive EV, when bought new, because if it is totaled, your payout will be really small given monster level depreciation.

This is the only one on the finder that is a 2020 4S and CPO. $57k is too high for what it is.

 

[Solid]

I have recent experience with this. The payout was actually not too far off the price of a similar CPO. I did have to negotiate a bit - basically they didn't have a complete list of the options on the car, and the names they had for some of the features were weird. "Does your car have the memory package?" "The what?" I had to figure out that they meant seat memory which AFAIK is all of them. They also weirdly thought the car did not have the "optional" panoramic roof after inspecting it. I think it was technically an option but no cars were made without it and how the person inspecting the car could miss the huge sheet of glass is beyond me. Anyway I got a couple grand more out of the process just from challenging the valuation that way.

 

[RAHRCR]

My guess is that this vehicle has "seen some things" over the past 6 years. If you drop the VIN into the thread, I am sure that one of the folks in this gaggle can look it up for you.,

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