After Taycan, Audi E-Tron GT sudden power loss issue prompts recall

The Porsche Taycan made the rounds last week for a rather unpleasant reason as software gremlins have prompted a recall involving approximately 43,000 cars. The issue stems from a miscommunication between the electric sedan’s powertrain controller and the power electronics, causing a sudden power loss. The driver gets a dashboard warning and while power is lost, the EV can still be steered and braked to a halt.

Porsche says that it takes about 90 seconds for the car to come to a complete stop if the issue appears while the Taycan is doing 75 mph (121 km/h). Turning the car off and then on again would solve the problem, but there’s a risk it could happen again, hence why a relatively large recall has been announced. Essentially all Taycans made before June 2021 are being recalled, but it’s worth noting only 0.3% of the cars have been plagued with the sudden power loss, so things could have been a lot worse.

Based on new intel, it appears the very same software problem is impacting sister model Audi E-Tron GT and the high-performance RS E-Tron GT. That’s not all too surprising considering the two electric sedans ride on the same J1 platform and are very much alike underneath their different skins.

An exact number about how many E-Tron GTs are being recalled has not been provided by the German luxury automaker. However, significantly fewer vehicles need the software fix seeing as how Audi kicked off series production at the Neckarsulm site in December 2020. For what it’s worth, 58 cars have been recalled in the UK and 46 of them have already stopped by a dealer to have the issue sorted out.

Porsche says it has identified and solved the issue as part of the “learning process” and therefore it will not impact the Taycan going forward. That should also mean all newly built E-Tron GTs won’t come bundled with the risk of losing power all of the sudden. The Zuffenhausen brand has learned its lesson and won’t let that happen again in the Macan EV.

As a final note, Porsche mentions the company’s current crop of plug-in hybrid models is not affected by the software issue.

Source: Audi