TSB: For Recall ARA5 - Checking High-Voltage Battery and Replacing Cell Block Module if Necessary - May 8, 2024

[Tooney]

Dealer instructions for recall ARA5:
(Note information in the TSB about Over the Air (OTA) Vehicle Analysis Logs which can reduce need for workshop visits.)

Concerns: High-voltage battery

Cause: Under certain circumstances, there is a possibility that the supplier of the battery cell/battery
module may have had production issues with the Affected Vehicles. In this case, a short circuit
within the battery modules during the vehicle’s service life cannot be ruled out under certain
circumstances, which could lead to thermal events and later to a fire in the vehicle.
For this reason, additional tests are required. The Affected Vehicles may only be delivered to customers if
these tests were carried out successfully beforehand.

If these tests were not carried out successfully, the Affected Vehicles may not be delivered to customers.

If the results of the tests show an abnormality, the affected battery modules must be replaced before
delivery to customers. The Affected Vehicles may not be delivered to customers without prior module
replacement.
. . .
Action:
An evaluation of the state of the module cell block of the Affected Vehicles is carried out by the PAG
internal analysis of the VALs.
Valid (complete) workshop and OTA VALs are taken into account for the evaluation.
For vehicles for which no OTA VALs are available until the action is carried out, 1 to 3 workshop VALs
must be created and transmitted to PAG depending on the vehicle population, taking into account defined
process steps.
• Population 1 – blocked vehicles without an existing, valid VAL – create 3x VAL
• Population 2 – customer vehicles without an existing, valid VAL – create 3x VAL
• Population 3 – customer vehicles with an existing, valid VAL – create 1x VAL
. . .
OTA Vehicle Analysis Log (OTA VAL)
Due to the constant transmission of OTA VALs, vehicles can be evaluated in advance. In this case, the
analysis results are documented in the Steering Tool list and assigned directly to the scope, meaning that
a workshop visit is no longer required to create a VAL.
After the OTA-VAL results are available, affected customers must be actively contacted and informed
about the test result. Either they are asked to schedule a workshop appointment to carry out the
WRE1/2/3 campaign or else no further actions are required due to the positive test.

The prerequisites for transmitting online data such as VALs are as follows:
• Active Porsche Connect package (if generally available in the market)
• Online software update activated in My Porsche
• Consent for product improvement activated in My Porsche
• Data connection established successfully
• Privacy mode deactivated

Affected Vehicles: Only vehicles assigned to the campaign (see also PCSS Vehicle Information).

Up to 3 VALs may be needed. One VAL requires an idling time of 66 hours and a second VAL requires an idling time of 6 hours. Results of the VALs determine whether battery modules need to be replaced.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2024/RCRIT-24V217-5724.pdf

See related forum post for more about recall ARA5: https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...s-may-short-circuit-ara5-march-20-2024.19408/

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[Tooney]

1. Charge to 100%.
2. Idle vehicle (ignition on) for 72 hours.
3. See what happens.

@ciaranob and @daveo4EV , this looks like a different battery test procedure - the short circuit test.

 

[whitex]

How are they going to obtain a OTA VAL after 6hrs of idling? Last I checked Porsche times out way before them and shuts off the car (no Camping Mode like Teslas).

(Note information in the TSB about Over the Air (OTA) Vehicle Analysis Logs which can reduce need for workshop visits.)

One thing that caught my attention here is that the OTA VAL seems initiated by and interpreted by your service department, not Porsche mothership. Also the fact that the dealer has to contact you even if there was no issue - I wonder if that's because the car will inform the owner that a remote OTA VAL was generated and sent out? This also has a negative implication, if your dealer service is backed up, your car may not get scanned for weeks.

And here I thought the heater recall being complete means I finally have a car I do road trips this summer without worrying about it being a ticking time bomb. I logged into my Porsche account to check, my car is not showing any recalls anymore (even though APB6 should still be showing since they have not received new cables yet, so I never gave them the old one).

 

[Tooney]

How are they going to obtain a OTA VAL after 6hrs of idling? Last I checked Porsche times out way before them and shuts off the car (no Camping Mode like Teslas).

My guess is that either the car is connected to PIWIS device during the idle which prevents shutdown, or dealer has some other method to keep ignition on.

 

[Tooney]

One thing that caught my attention here is that the OTA VAL seems initiated by and interpreted by your service department, not Porsche mothership. Also the fact that the dealer has to contact you even if there was no issue - I wonder if that's because the car will inform the owner that a remote OTA VAL was generated and sent out? This also has a negative implication, if your dealer service is backed up, your car may not get scanned for weeks.

Per the TSB:

OTA Vehicle Analysis Log (OTA VAL)​

Due to the constant transmission of OTA VALs, vehicles can be evaluated in advance. In this case, the analysis results are documented in the Steering Tool list and assigned directly to the scope, meaning that a workshop visit is no longer required to create a VAL.​

After the OTA-VAL results are available, affected customers must be actively contacted and informed about the test result. Either they are asked to schedule a workshop appointment to carry out the WRE1/2/3 campaign or else no further actions are required due to the positive test.​

I interpret that to mean that if the car has enabled transmitting diagnostic info to Porsche (ie. constant transmission of OTA VALs), that OTA information has been collected for vehicles in the recall, assessed by Porsche, and results provided to the dealer by Porsche. The dealer's job is to contact those owners of recalled vehicles, let them know pass/fail from OTA VALs, and if fail, set up a dealer visit for repair.

 

[whitex]

My guess is that either the car is connected to PIWIS device during the idle which prevents shutdown, or dealer has some other method to keep ignition on.

Ok, so not OTA then.

 

[whitex]

Per the TSB:

OTA Vehicle Analysis Log (OTA VAL)​

Due to the constant transmission of OTA VALs, vehicles can be evaluated in advance. In this case, the analysis results are documented in the Steering Tool list and assigned directly to the scope, meaning that a workshop visit is no longer required to create a VAL.​

After the OTA-VAL results are available, affected customers must be actively contacted and informed about the test result. Either they are asked to schedule a workshop appointment to carry out the WRE1/2/3 campaign or else no further actions are required due to the positive test.​

I interpret that to mean that if the car has enabled transmitting diagnostic info to Porsche (ie. constant transmission of OTA VALs), that OTA information has been collected for vehicles in the recall, assessed by Porsche, and results provided to the dealer by Porsche. The dealer's job is to contact those owners of recalled vehicles, let them know pass/fail from OTA VALs, and if fail, set up a dealer visit for repair.

Why would they do that? If Porsche already knows the result, why not send it via MyPorsche app message to the user, or maybe also show it in the vehicle on entry, and if dealer visit is required, both inform the dealer, plus keep on showing it every time you start the car, as this sounds urgent. Of course I would assume that for every car that falls under the recall test requirement, there should be a pending recall showing on MyPorsche as well (like other recalls do). For cars which disabled the telemetry, message should be shown to enable it or visit the dealer, else risk a fire.

 

[chun]

Why would they do that? If Porsche already knows the result, why not send it via MyPorsche app message to the user, or maybe also show it in the vehicle on entry, and if dealer visit is required, both inform the dealer, plus keep on showing it every time you start the car, as this sounds urgent. Of course I would assume that for every car that falls under the recall test requirement, there should be a pending recall showing on MyPorsche as well (like other recalls do). For cars which disabled the telemetry, message should be shown to enable it or visit the dealer, else risk a fire.

The reality is that Porsche software is shit because they have a 0.50$ budget for software. So they probably can't do much of that without complex work.

 

[Deleted member 7215]

I cannot believe I got a battery recall letter that says my car might catch fire and we have no replacement parts AND we’ll get back to you someday!
What will this do to my resale value already on a car that has depreciated a ton?

 

[whitex]

I cannot believe I got a battery recall letter that says my car might catch fire and we have no replacement parts AND we’ll get back to you someday!
What will this do to my resale value already on a car that has depreciated a ton?

That's pretty much what Chevy did with the Bolts - worse actually, they suggested you don't park it anywhere a fire might cause safety issues. Toyota on the other hand offered to pick up the BZ4X when they recalled it due to wheels falling off, and either buy it back from you or give you a brand new ICE Toyota to drive until they can fix the BZ4X. Different approaches by different brands, perhaps risk management at work (more likely to die from a wheel falling off at speed than an EV fire that typically provides plenty to warning for people to exit the car)?

As for resale value, it will slightly depress it until the recall is completed because Porsche dealers will not want the car until then as they cannot sell them with this recall pending, so you can only sell privately or through non-Porsche dealers. After the recall is done, negligible to no effect on resale value.

All that said, I'd be just as upset as you if Porsche told me that. IMO in situation as you describe, they should be taking the cars in, storing them somewhere safe, and providing replacements to drive until the car is safe. Then, crank out the parts ASAP to perform the test and repairs.

 

[Tooney]

I cannot believe I got a battery recall letter that says my car might catch fire and we have no replacement parts AND we’ll get back to you someday!
What will this do to my resale value already on a car that has depreciated a ton?

What is the Porsche campaign code for your battery recall? (or NHTSA number).

 

[Deleted member 7215]

What is the Porsche campaign code for your battery recall? (or NHTSA number).

Ara4 and ara5 I believe…I’m not at home so I don’t have the two letters in front of me. But #5 says potential problem identified with your specific vin number charge to 80% max an wait to hear back from us.

 

[D00]

For UK owners to share progress and experiences on this, I’ve created a separate UK thread
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...-batteries-may-short-circuit-ara4-ara5.19989/

 

[unbiased]

I received the letter for recall ARA5 and called my local Porsche dealer. They said they had no info of any recall for my vehicle and referred me to Porsche USA. I called Porsche USA and they said same, no recall in their system for my vehicle.

Any explanation why I got the letter in the first place? Asked local dealership what to do next they basically shrugged their shoulder.

To make matters more complicated, I actually had my battery pack replaced a month ago for red ring of death message so the recall letter probably refers to the prior battery pack...

 

[D00]

I received the letter for recall ARA5 and called my local Porsche dealer. They said they had no info of any recall for my vehicle and referred me to Porsche USA. I called Porsche USA and they said same, no recall in their system for my vehicle.

Any explanation why I got the letter in the first place? Asked local dealership what to do next they basically shrugged their shoulder.

To make matters more complicated, I actually had my battery pack replaced a month ago for red ring of death message so the recall letter probably refers to the prior battery pack...

Perhaps you were selected to receive a letter before your car’s records were updated with the replacement battery. It wouldn’t be a surprise if recall letters were based on an old data export to a separate system/spreadsheet.

I have the ARA4 ‘prenotification’ letter but both Porsche and Uk Government recall info sites do not show any recalls for my VIN. That could be because these are updated after the prenotification stage. Or it could all just be bad IS/IT.

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