2018 Porsche Macan Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2018 Porsche Macan, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags1025.0%
- Steering615.0%
- Fuel system512.5%
- Electrical512.5%
- Seat belts37.5%
- Brakes25.0%
- Driver assistance25.0%
- Exterior lighting25.0%
- Tires & wheels12.5%
- Powertrain (other)12.5%
- Engine12.5%
- Body & structure12.5%
- Interior & seats12.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Air bag light turns to "off" despite passenger sitting in seat. Took car to dealer (Bill Pearce Motors) who "verified customers concern" and "found fault present for passenger seat mat resistance to high" with a recommendation to replace "seat mat and module." This is at our expense (quote of $3700) and two trips to the dealer, being charged diagnostic fee each time. It is noted that a previous recall exists for this issue, however, it did not cover this vehicle. NHTSA ID 21V-131
The airbag light came on in the vehicle. We took it into the dealership, they said we need a passenger airbag sensor mat and seat cushion for the passenger seat airbag system. This item was recalled in 2018 Porche Macon NHTSA Campain ID 21V131000/Recall AMA2. Porche said since our VIN was not included in the recall we have to pay to fix it. They said the only way to get our VIN added was to contact NHTSA. The quote to fix an item that has been recalled was over $1,800. It doesn't seem fair to have to pay for something that has been recalled for this car and is known to be defective. The vehicle is ready for inspection anytime. The passenger safety is at risk as defined by the recall. "The air bag will not deploy during a crash if a front passenger is undetected, increasing the risk or injury." The problem first appeared last year around May 2023 and it took a while to get an appointment at the dealership. I was not aware of this recall until today when I did a Kelly Blue Book value on the vehicle. I just called Porche and they said there is nothing they can do and to contact NHTSA to get our VIN added to the recall list. Attached is the repair estimate from the Porche dealership.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
Upon routine 80k service, discovered that steering wheel column loose due to faulty bushings. Individual bushings could be replaced but manufacturer insists that entire steering column needs replacement. Manufacturer should provide replacement bushings for technician to replace instead of entire column. This is simply an 8mm plastic piece!
The steering of the vehicle completely failed while driving. The steering column detached from the steering rack and steering the vehicle was no longer possible. There was no warning and its only by luck that nobody was killed. The defect was confirmed and repaired by the dealer. There is a single bolt that attaches the column to the rack, which if not torqued properly can fall out and lead to this complete failure of steering. I reported to incident to the manufacturer, but they have not responded to my case at all. Please also see: NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V493000 for exact same issue with different model/year. This is a much larger issue that originally thought and has a very high chance of death or injury especially for a high performance vehicle.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Macan. The contact stated that while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's wife noticed an unusual odor in the interior and the exterior of the vehicle. In addition, the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed a fuel leak on the ground underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The contact stated that the vehicle was a fire hazard and unsafe to drive. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V077000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however the VIN was not included. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 44,920.
My fiancé was driving the car normally on the elevated interstate at about 130 in the morning central time on Monday, April 20 when the suddenly burst into flames! The entire vehicle is destroyed bumper-to-bumper the fuel pump on these models are apparently reason for recalls because of this exact reason.my fiancé's life was endangered because of this fire.thank Goodness there was no collision.police inspected and towed the vehicle
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
My fiancé was driving the car normally on the elevated interstate at about 130 in the morning central time on Monday, April 20 when the suddenly burst into flames! The entire vehicle is destroyed bumper-to-bumper the fuel pump on these models are apparently reason for recalls because of this exact reason.my fiancé's life was endangered because of this fire.thank Goodness there was no collision.police inspected and towed the vehicle
I am writing to formally submit a safety complaint regarding my 2018 Porsche Macan. I have experienced a significant issue with the vehicle’s headlights, which I believe poses a serious safety risk. Description of the Issue: The headlights on my 2018 Porsche Macan have failed without any prior warning or indication. There were no dashboard alerts or error messages to notify me of a problem. The failure occurred suddenly while driving at night, resulting in a complete loss of forward illumination. This created a hazardous situation, as I was unable to see the road ahead and other drivers were unable to see my vehicle clearly. Safety Concerns: The headlight failure happened unexpectedly and without any warning. This issue significantly increases the risk of a crash, especially when driving at night or in low-visibility conditions. Upon inspection, I was told the entire headlight assembly would need to be replaced, which is costly and concerning for a relatively new vehicle. Request for Investigation: I am aware that other owners of the 2018 Porsche Macan have reported similar headlight failures. I urge NHTSA to investigate this matter, as it appears to be a widespread and potentially dangerous defect. Reliable headlight operation is essential for safe driving, and sudden failure without warning is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if you require any additional information or documentation.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Macan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side seat belt alert was inoperable. The contact stated that while a passenger was seated in the front passenger’s side seat without the seat belt buckled, the seat belt alert failed to activate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the feature was not installed in the vehicle when the vehicle was manufactured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.
Forgot case number with Porsche it is 800053607 Porsche says car is unsafe to drive. My case number with NHTSA is 11522971
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
I purchased this vehicle from The Collection Dealer Coral Gables, Florida. I brought the car in to have them check the brake pedal travel. It seems to me that the brake pedal response to applying the brakes is spongy or too much travel. It feels like the lines have air in them. The Service advisor says it is normal for this Macan S to feel that way. I still don't think is right. Also, it has been a few times when I am parking the car seems like it wants to accelerate all by itself and I have to apply the brakes not to go over the parking spot stopper or if inside my garage, not to go thru the wall and end up inside my living room.
I PURCHASED THIS PORSCHE MACAN BASIC MODEL FROM A PORSCHE DEALERSHIP IN DESTIN IN OCT 2018 WITH 4,000 MILES, CERTIFIED PRE OWNED. THE BRAKE PEDAL HAS TOO MUCH PEDAL TRAVEL. I HAVE TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN TO FAR BEFORE I FEEL THE BRAKES ENGAGE. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR. IT HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE. ON MAR 29, 2019 I'M GOING TO TAKE IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE 3RD TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. I'VE WENT ONLINE AND DID A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THERE'S SEVERAL FORUMS WITH THIS SAME BASE MODEL MACAN WITH THE SAME PEDAL TRAVEL ISSUE. ALTHOUGH THIS CAR IS NOT THE 440 HP TURBO MODEL MACAN, IT HAS 250 HP AND IT NEEDS TO HAVE BETTER BRAKES THAN IT HAS. THAT IS WHY I'M WRITING THIS TO BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION INCASE NO ONE HAS DONE THIS YET. I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE BRAKES DON'T WORK, I'M SAYING THERE'S TOO MUCH PEDAL TRAVEL BEFORE THEY ENGAGE AND IT'S SCARY WHEN I PUSH ON THE BRAKES AND THEY TRAVEL TOO FAR BEFORE THEY ENGAGE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
Engine failure
Rear camera and vehicle proximity sensors are not working Due A Flaw with water moisture entering the rear cabin where modules are located. This us a common problem with this vehicle.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
I am writing to formally submit a safety complaint regarding my 2018 Porsche Macan. I have experienced a significant issue with the vehicle’s headlights, which I believe poses a serious safety risk. Description of the Issue: The headlights on my 2018 Porsche Macan have failed without any prior warning or indication. There were no dashboard alerts or error messages to notify me of a problem. The failure occurred suddenly while driving at night, resulting in a complete loss of forward illumination. This created a hazardous situation, as I was unable to see the road ahead and other drivers were unable to see my vehicle clearly. Safety Concerns: The headlight failure happened unexpectedly and without any warning. This issue significantly increases the risk of a crash, especially when driving at night or in low-visibility conditions. Upon inspection, I was told the entire headlight assembly would need to be replaced, which is costly and concerning for a relatively new vehicle. Request for Investigation: I am aware that other owners of the 2018 Porsche Macan have reported similar headlight failures. I urge NHTSA to investigate this matter, as it appears to be a widespread and potentially dangerous defect. Reliable headlight operation is essential for safe driving, and sudden failure without warning is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if you require any additional information or documentation.
2018 PORSCHE MACAN. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DIM LIGHTING SETTING BEING A SAFETY HAZARD. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE HEADLIGHTS APPEARED TO BE POINTING IN A DOWNWARD POSITION. *J'S
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
265/45ZR20 104Y Tire shop has been unable to balance tire since there's a defect with the brand new tire itself. Vehicle vibrates excessively at highway speeds, feels unsafe to drive. I've reached out to vendor for tire replacement and hasn't made an effort to replace tire in a timely manner. I use my vehicle everyday. Tires were purchased from tireagent.com
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
The Macan engine cooling system is defective and dangerous. It is made with a plastic cooling lines that are poorly placed (and concealed) where they are subject to high heat and pressure and therefore break suddenly. The danger is that it happens suddenly and you have to pull over right away even in dangerous road situations to avoid complete engine damage/failure. My husband and I drove the Macan to Mammoth Lakes for instance for the holidays and had to pull over in a dangerous side of a windy cliff, which posed great risk to our safety. Not to mention the difficulty and danger for a tow truck to access us. It was further pitch dark and snowing. We waited hours for the tow truck which thankfully came but we easily could have had to spend the night in a dangerous spot. Porsche should have let its customers know about this vulnerability so we could have changed these plastic lines even at our cost to avoid such a possible situation. They were sued for this same defect on the Cayenne. It's something I would have paid for and changed but they are not wanting to publicize this dangerous issue. They are putting customers' lives at risk. When we were (luckily) towed to Mammoth, Mammoth does not have the Porsche parts nor many mechanics so the mechanic (who was booked out for weeks) there did a temp fix and we risked our lives on the way back as well. We paid around $700 for the temporary repair and maybe another $1341 for the permanent change of the lines when we returned. This is a serious problem. We need to be able to trust otherwise reputable manufacturers like Porsche and our government entities. Happy to provide receipts. This vehicle needs to be recalled. At very least, the customers need to know about the issue because the plastic cooling tubes are concealed and not obvious. Further the lines cannot be replaced where the vehicle stalled and have to be towed to a mechanic.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
OIl leak from "Brocken aluminum bolts" that do not hold up and are failing to hold up from basic car use. A safety recall on this manufacturing parts issue should have been mandatory back in 2015. When this issue started and Macan 2015-2022 all have this issue and are now been replaced with steel bolts. It is costing consumers $2000-$8000 in repairs do the safety issues of bad manufacturing of bolts used . [XXX] Sounds similar to the fiasco with the 958.1 gen Cayenne V8s using aluminum bolts for the Variocam adjusters in the engine which eventually resulted in a NHTSA mandated recall due to the bolt heads sometimes shearing off and causing all sorts of nastiness (my Cayenne Turbo had this recall). Of course the Cayenne's instance of using inappropriate aluminum bolts/fasteners resulted in much more serious consequences \than a just slow oil leak/seepage as is the case as its not been totally documented with the Macan V6s yet , but not good in either case. <sigh> should have recalled on all V6 MACANS also! A partial repair was done by Porsche in Sep 2023 and in [XXX] I have another oil leak from another aluminum bolt breakage . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
Engine failure
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
I cannot use my car for fearing of legal actions if I put anybody onto the front passenger seat. This recall has been on since April this year— that’s almost 5 months. I’ve contacted the Porshe dealership so many times and they still haven’t received the parts from the manufacturer.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .