Tortoise / Turtle symbol and reduced power - suspected 12 volt battery issue

[marsh3377]

After having been away for 10 days, I jumped in my Taycan only to find hugely reduced power and the tortoise / turtle symbol. From standstill it was absolutely awful, taking a good 10 seconds to even get up to 5mph. Once I got over this speed it would slowly keep climbing but at any point if I put my foot down to the floor nothing would happen.

Having looked around on the forums I was starting to think it was most probably something to do with the 12 volt battery losing charge after having not driven the car for 10 days. I couldn't find any other posts saying they had a similar reduced power issue - most were that the car was completely dead - but it seemed the most likely scenario to me.

When the car was finally at the OPC the engineer there said (without me prompting him) he thought it was likely to be the 12 volt battery and had seen quite a few similar cases recently.

I'll hopefully find out in the next day or so if this is definitely the case and will update then.

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[Tooney]

Another thread: Turtle/Tortoise Icon
From Good To Know:

Engine performance limited warning light​

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Drive power performance is limited. The high-voltage battery may not be sufficiently charged or may be at a borderline operating temperature due to very cold outside temperatures, for example.​

 

[MHC]

There are two many 12 volt battery issues . I had my car die because it was not driven for about ten days also . This is clearly a design defect. I have had other electric vehicles and none have this issue .

 

[RGBArgee]

After having been away for 10 days, I jumped in my Taycan only to find hugely reduced power and the tortoise / turtle symbol. From standstill it was absolutely awful, taking a good 10 seconds to even get up to 5mph. Once I got over this speed it would slowly keep climbing but at any point if I put my foot down to the floor nothing would happen.

Having looked around on the forums I was starting to think it was most probably something to do with the 12 volt battery losing charge after having not driven the car for 10 days. I couldn't find any other posts saying they had a similar reduced power issue - most were that the car was completely dead - but it seemed the most likely scenario to me.

When the car was finally at the OPC the engineer there said (without me prompting him) he thought it was likely to be the 12 volt battery and had seen quite a few similar cases recently.

I'll hopefully find out in the next day or so if this is definitely the case and will update then.

We went to India for 2 weeks last November- after 8 days alarm went off outside daughters house. Key failed to open and alarm eventually stopped- Porsche Assistant came , jumped car cleared fault codes and advised a run to charge 12v battery- 2 weeks later happened again - dealer REFUSED my suggestion to take car to them - called Porsche Assist who cleared codes and organised rubbish inappropriate loan car. Dealer unable to trace fault due to ‘fault codes being deleted’ - absolute terrible service- Porsche offer - £250 + vat ‘goodwill’ gesture- car now gone - after numerous problems and this was a replacement as first was even worse. 30 years of Audis previously- excellent local dealer and virtually no issues ! I’m inclined to think dealers are under resourced in the service area and certainly my local dealer keen to sell but not so keen to provide after sales - I am not alone - if anyone from Porsche GB is reading this please take note!

 

[marsh3377]

Just had a call from OPC - turns out it isn't the 12 volt battery, but instead a faulty coolant valve.

Done some research online and it seems this is another common problem due to faulty parts manufactured through covid without any proper quality control.

 

[EvFamily]

is your car a 22 ct? That happened to me, Porsche could never fix it though. Tried the coolant valve/modules the last time and it still happened again. Just be careful, it happened to me on the freeway. My car was my daily and it would happen almost 30 days apart each time.

 

[marsh3377]

is your car a 22 ct? That happened to me, Porsche could never fix it though. Tried the coolant valve/modules the last time and it still happened again. Just be careful, it happened to me on the freeway. My car was my daily and it would happen almost 30 days apart each time.

No, mine is a 23 Turbo saloon. Thanks for the heads up - really hoping they get it sorted and I don't have the situation you did.

 

[RGBArgee]

I had this on my 23 CT 4S - Porsche Assistance cleared codes , got it going - did same a week later - no car for a month - Porsche GB think £250 + vat is an adequate good will gesture- so fed up I’ve sold it early at a huge loss . Need and EV so buying a Macan - it had better be ok or it’s going back - think I’ve had all the Taycan problems over last 3 years and totally fed up with local dealer - service folks are great but dealership is awful - too keen to sell - too quick to do nothing when problems occur. Porsche GB Need to get a grip! If anyone is reading this please get in touch!!

 

[marsh3377]

I had this on my 23 CT 4S - Porsche Assistance cleared codes , got it going - did same a week later - no car for a month - Porsche GB think £250 + vat is an adequate good will gesture- so fed up I’ve sold it early at a huge loss . Need and EV so buying a Macan - it had better be ok or it’s going back - think I’ve had all the Taycan problems over last 3 years and totally fed up with local dealer - service folks are great but dealership is awful - too keen to sell - too quick to do nothing when problems occur. Porsche GB Need to get a grip! If anyone is reading this please get in touch!!

Sorry to hear. Customer service seems so different across the different dealerships.

To be fair my OPC have been very good in keeping me up to date. But, just been told today they are having issues and so now there's a chance it "could take weeks". Hoping that's not the case but we'll see.

 

[Lee Chiacos]

A Taycan owner who happens to be sales manager at our local Porsche dealer said the proper way to store the car when you are away is to charge the main battery to about 50%, which is optimum according to him, lock the doors, keep the keys somewhere away from the car, and not to check your app. The car can then safely be left for long periods. I haven't tried that yet, but I hope he is right because we are going on a long trip and leaving the car at home.

 

[marsh3377]

Just an update in case anyone else has a similar issue to mine.

I have now been informed they have found a broken wire deep inside the body which is stopping the replacement coolant valve from being registered by the car. In order to get to the faulty wire they are having to take the windscreen out and then the entire console out. Could be a while yet I'm without the car!

 

[Briguy]

Just had a call from OPC - turns out it isn't the 12 volt battery, but instead a faulty coolant valve.

Done some research online and it seems this is another common problem due to faulty parts manufactured through covid without any proper quality control.

Thought I would add to this thread because my 2025 Taycan 4s CT just experienced the turtle warning light. My experience in operating the car is more or less the same as others have described.

I will update the thread once I know the fix and see if it aligns with others who have flagged the faulting battery coolant valve. Thanks to other posters--I have shared that diagnosis with the dealership.

 

[Lee Chiacos]

We still don't know how long these lithium 12v batteries will last. If they use the lithium to extend their life, and a conventional battery will last four years, what can we expect from these lithium batteries that are warranted for only four years? My service representative says to leave the high voltage battery at 50%, which is considered optimum, and store the key fobs at least 30 feet away when you store the car for a period of time, which hopefully is ok for more than a few days.

 

[Briguy]

Just had a call from OPC - turns out it isn't the 12 volt battery, but instead a faulty coolant valve.

Done some research online and it seems this is another common problem due to faulty parts manufactured through covid without any proper quality control.

by any chance, are you able to locate the part number on the dealer invoice/repair sheet you were provided at pick up? my dealer is trying to solve a similar issue with my car and i would like to share that information. thanks.

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