2018 PORSCHE Panamera Problems

Complaints Reported

Complaints by Component

POWER TRAIN

3 complaints

On my 4th visit to the Porsche dealership and the problem is still not resolved. There are MANY references to the same problem online. The problem: error message on the dash stating REVERSE NOT AVAILABLE and car goes into 3RD gear only and stays there. Only final solution is new transmission which Porsche resists doing It has happened 6 times now. attaching a photo and I have many more of these from 2024

Jan 16, 2025

Transmission fault causes car to be stuck in gear and will not shift. This issue appears to be happening quite frequently with these ecars, regardless of mileage. It's dangerous, especially if it occurs on the highway .

Jul 19, 2024

The auto in question was, and is, under the new car warranty - While driving forward, one of the automobile's display screens displayed an error message stating "Transmission error - Reverse gear not available"; this in itself is not a major issue as the car was in a forward gear. The major safety issue is that the car would not shift gears once this error message cam up. The error has occurred multiple times and, thankfully, did not happen at a critical time - i.e. merging onto a highway. The first time this happened was on August 6, 2020. Porsche was notified of the issue and I was told there was no fix at the time. It happened multiple other times and every time the dealer told me that there wasn't a fix. Porsche did apply a "temporary" fix in the November/December, 2020 timeframe, but this was not permanent and the error happened at least once more after the fix. I continued to check in with the dealer and was always told there was no resolution. In June, 2021 I reached out to Porsche directly, they responded one month later and said they would investigate. In July I was told that there might be a fix by the dealer, but was never called back. I have requested that Porsche buy-back the vehicle given this history, but they indicated that there was a fix and that they would not provide any further resolution. The dealer has applied a software "fix", but I have no faith that this will be permanent, given their history and that it took longer than a year to possibly resolve. This is not unique to my vehicle, per online message boards

Oct 07, 2021

ENGINE

2 complaints

This vehicle has an engine which has rocker arms that are known to fail. The manufacturer has not issued a recall to fix this issue which can result in a catastrophic engine failure. They have acknowledged the rocker arms in pre 2018 models to be defective and insufficiently reinforced to handle the strain of the valve train.

Jul 27, 2025

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 PORSCHE PANAMERA. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT 10 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (PORSCHE WEST BROWARD, 4641 SW 148TH AVE, DAVIE, FL 33331, (954) 719-0199). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,186.

Jan 09, 2018

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V033000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact to park the vehicle outside the garage until parts became available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

May 08, 2023

Technology change from 3g to 5g. This discontinues the safety notifications including crash /location alerts. Porsche offered a free replacement, and after dealers had difficulty in installing, Porsche offers a minimum compensation, instead of fixing problem. this will affect all Porsche from 2018 and prior that were set up for 3g network connection . Thank you

Mar 02, 2022

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

1 complaint

The main water pump on my 2018 Porsche Panamera 4S failed prematurely. This is not a simple external coolant leak; the internal seal failed, allowing pressurized engine coolant to migrate into the vehicle's vacuum system. The coolant traveled through the vacuum lines and contaminated the vacuum solenoids and change-over valves. This failure mode presents a significant safety hazard because the vacuum system controls critical engine components, including turbocharger wastegates and exhaust flaps. Contamination of these components can lead to sudden loss of power, "limp mode" activation while driving at highway speeds, or unexpected engine behavior, increasing the risk of a crash. Cross-Reference to Known Defects: This vehicle utilizes the EA839 V6 engine platform, which is shared with Volkswagen and Audi vehicles (specifically the Audi S4, S5, SQ5, and Q7). Audi and Volkswagen have already acknowledged this specific manufacturing defect in the class action settlement Fiscina v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Case No. 2:21-cv-11251). Under that settlement, Audi extended the warranty on this water pump to 10 years/80,000+ miles for the exact same failure mode (coolant migration into the vacuum system). Despite my vehicle using the same engine and suffering the exact same mechanical failure, Porsche refuses to offer coverage or acknowledge the defect. I am requesting an investigation into why Porsche models equipped with the defective EA839 engine are excluded from the safety remedies and warranty extensions provided to Audi owners.

Dec 08, 2025

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

1 complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Park Vehicle" in red letters was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that there was a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, but was not diagnosed; however, the contact was advised by the dealer that the failure could be related to the coolant pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Nov 12, 2025

SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE

1 complaint

The contact owned a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that when he was parking the vehicle, as he had shifted from reverse (R) to drive (D) to straighten the vehicle in the parking spot, the vehicle had inadvertently accelerated at an unknown speed. The contact stated that the vehicle ran through an intersection and crashed into five parked vehicles. The contact stated that he had depressed the brake pedal and was not able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that his vehicle was stopped by the last vehicle he had crashed into. The contact stated that the police had arrived and issued a report. The contact stated that the vehicle air bags had deployed and that he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact stated that he had bruises on both his ankles and calves and that he had bruises on both wrists and hands. The contact stated that the driver's front fender, door, and quarter panel had been damaged by the crash. The contact stated that the driver's front wheel had sheared off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an impound lot and his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Apr 28, 2025

Crash: 1

Injuries: 1

AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 complaint

Porsche dashboard leather shrunk and pealing out. Vehicle will not deploy the airbags if in accident. It needs to be replaced. It is a common issue. It is a safety hazard.

Jun 25, 2024

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4.9/5.0

100 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 2018 PORSCHE Panamera have?

The 2018 PORSCHE Panamera currently has 11 owner-reported complaints according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 2018 PORSCHE Panamera?

The most common problems reported for the 2018 PORSCHE Panamera are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 2018 PORSCHE Panamera problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 2018 PORSCHE Panamera comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.