Porsche Recalls 40,000+ Taycan Models over Power Issues

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Electric vehicles are taking over the automotive industry. Many major automakers have publicly claimed to cut down on gas-powered vehicles by 2040 drastically. As EVs become more common and popular issues become more common as well. EV technology is still in its infancy for many companies, and bugs are still being worked out. Porsche just recalled over 40,000 Porsche Taycan models due to power issues.

EV growing pains

Tesla Car Dealership | Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Though EVs and hybrid models are becoming regular fixtures in lineups, they are still in their early days in the automotive industry. Unfortunately, consumers have been doing their fair share of troubleshooting unintentionally. Now that automakers are producing these innovative vehicles in mass, there are bound to be hiccups.

Companies like Tesla have experienced issues with their electric vehicles. Tesla has been working on EV technology for much longer than most automakers, so recalls are expected. Some issues with newer EVs are minor, but some very serious issues are arising as well.

Porsche’s intro to electric vehicles: The Porsche Taycan

A white Porsche Taycan car is displayed during the 19th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2021, at National Exhibition and Convention Center.
The Porsche Taycan | Zhe Ji/Getty Images

The Porsche Taycan is German automaker Porsche’s luxury, fully electric car. It officially debuted in 2019. The Porsche Taycan is Porsche’s first fully electric vehicle and the company’s future as a manufacturer of emission-free automobiles.

Now, according to Car and Driver, the Porsche Taycan has hit a major pothole on the road to success. The 2020 and 2021 four-door models are being recalled. The luxury cars have been experiencing power issues, completely dying at times. To make matters even worse, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received numerous complaints about the Porsche Taycan losing power while being driven.

The recall affects over 43,000 Porsche Taycans internationally. Porsche is currently issuing a software update to fix the issue. Taycan owners are getting their vehicles fixed for free at Porsche dealerships. The update will be installed during the production process for new vehicles.

Is the damage to the Porsche Taycan irreparable?

A blue Porsche Taycan.
The Porsche Taycan | Porsche

Porsche Taycan owners can get the issue fixed and move on with their lives but is the damage to the nameplate already done? The cheapest Porsche Taycan starts at $79,900, so a power issue can be extremely discouraging to consumers who have spent that much on an EV. Several EVs on the market have yet to have major reliability issues and are a fraction of the Porsche Taycan’s price.

None of the Porsche Taycan models boast high ranges compared to other EVs either. The Taycan 4S has the furthest driving range with a 227 mile EPA estimate. The Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y are both cheaper alternatives with driving ranges above 300.

Porsche’s EV is luxurious and sporty, but a recall of this magnitude could be hard for consumers to forget anytime soon. Porsche may continue to expand its EV lineup over the years, and now the German luxury automaker has some experience with the complications of EV production. There may still be hope for the Porsche Taycan. Still, Porsche and other potential EV manufacturers should take this incident as a lesson as the automotive industry produces EVs on a larger scale.

RELATED: The EPA Claims the 2021 Porsche Taycan Has More Range

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Tesla’s Cybertruck Will Have 4 Wheel Steering Like Hummer’s Crab Mode

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The forthcoming Tesla Cybertruck is sure to be a lot of things; revolutionary, high-tech, animal-like. Yes, that’s right: animal-like. Elon Musk has confirmed that the yet-to-be-revealed Tesla Cybertruck will have four-wheel steering, like a crab. 

The Tesla Cybertruck | Tesla

So the Cybertruck will have four-wheel steering; what does that mean?

Yahoo has confirmed that the Tesla will have four-wheel steering, or rear-wheel steering, as Musk has called it. Four-wheel steering means that the Cybertruck will have the ability to move side to side without having to turn the way regular cars do. Imagine a crab; they scuttle left and right, their beady little eyes watching you warily, right? That’s what the Cybertruck will do, but it probably won’t scuttle. It may have eyes. 

Although the ability to move side-to-side makes it sound like you could just choose to drive sideways, four-wheel steering actually just gives your rear wheels some control over their direction independently of the front wheels. 

What other vehicles move like a crab?

The Hummer EV has ‘Crab mode,’ which, as the name suggests, allows the Hummer to move laterally across wet rocks in tidepools. Okay, fine, it just moves side to side, but it’s still pretty cool. Crab mode will likely come in super handy when you get tired of driving your car with the front of your car leading the way and want to freak people out as you pull into your driveway like you’re power sliding. Also, if you’re trying to fit into a tight parking space. 

In the case of the Hummer, the wheels can move diagonally in a straight line. The Hummer can only move at a ten-degree angle, not a ninety-degree angle as the same suggests. Plus, the Hummer doesn’t even have claws, so maybe Crab Mode isn’t as great as it sounds. 

Elon Musk confirmed the Cybertruck will have four-wheel steering

Elon Musk says, “We’re adding rear wheel steering, so it can do tight turns and maneuver with high agility.” 

Yahoo notes that the Cybertruck and the Hummer EV are both coming with 1,000 horsepower, which makes them very powerful electric vehicles. They can also get from 0 to 60 in three seconds, though hopefully, they have to be driving straight for that kind of acceleration. 

Perhaps the biggest difference between the Cybertruck and the Hummer EV will be the cost. While the Hummer EV is set to cost $112,595, the Cybertruck is a much more affordable (kind of) $79,990, even with Full Self-Driving (which isn’t quite full self-driving yet).

Rear-wheel steering isn’t the only cool thing the Cybertruck will have

Tesla filed a patent that indicates that the Cybertruck will have capabilities beyond any other vehicle we’ve seen so far. Its camera-based systems will likely allow the Cybertruck to do things like identify who is driving, and adjust temperature and drive controls for that person. 

Until the Cybertruck comes out, just exactly what it will include remains a mystery. It will be interesting to see whether the Cybertruck has four-wheel steering and how it works. Still, there’s reason to believe that it will be a truck that changes the futures for pickup trucks as well as EVs. If the Tesla Cybertruck will have four-wheel steering, it can only add to its appeal. 

RELATED: Tesla Scraps Radar, Ships Cars Without It

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You Can Buy Jay Leno’s Tesla Model S Right Now

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Jay Leno’s 2015 Tesla Model S P90D is for sale and you can buy it right now. As you can imagine, it is a loaded Model S. Though the subsequent P100D Model S had almost 150 hp more, the P90D can surely hold its own. 

Leno’s Tesla Model S is loaded with just about all options

Jay Leno with his blue Tesla Model S | BAT

That’s because for starters it has the Ludicrous Mode upgrade. It is also packing Autopilot, Smart Air suspension, and 21-inch Silver Turbine wheels with 245/30 front and 265/35 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. It also was ordered with the Premium interior package, glass panoramic roof, carbon-fiber interior trim, and High Fidelity sound system. 

But it also comes with some extras. The Tesla motor vehicle purchase agreement goes with the sale. There is also a charging cable, recent service records, a range of Jay Leno Car Care products, and a California title in Leno’s name. 

Leno is upgrading to a Model S Plaid

Jay Leno's blue Tesla Model S
Jay Leno’s blue Tesla Model S | BAT

Leno is selling his Model S because he’s sliding into a Model S Plaid. Why not? And it has even had recent replacements as soon as last month. A new dash pad and liftgate drain plug were installed in June 2021. 

The Deep Blue Metallic exterior with black leather interior Model S has about 23,000 miles, put on it mostly by Leno. Maintenance has been performed like clockwork throughout those 23,000 miles. The purchase invoice shows Leno originally paid $140,200 for the S. It is listed on Bring a Trailer and as of this writing, bidding was at $60,000. 

The $60 K price seems like it might go $10-20 K more before bidding ends

Jay Leno Tesla Model S interior
Jay Leno Tesla Model S interior | BAT

With such low mileage, features, maintenance, and conversation-starting backstory; the $60,000 price seems like a decent number. But the bidding isn’t over, so who knows what the Tesla will finally sell for? 

What we can say is that 60 Gs is about what a 2015 Model S with Ludicrous and about this many miles would sell for. That’s based on random sampling from CarGurus and Auto Trader. So our guess is that this will shoot up another $20,000 at least before the bidding ends. But even without the great provenance, it sounds like a great used Model S should one be looking for that. 

Jay Leno Tesla Model S wheel detail
Jay Leno Tesla Model S | BAT

RELATED: What Do Tesla Model S Owners Complain About?

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Jeep Grand Cherokee Recall: Engine Failure Could Result From Sensor Fault

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is the news again with another recall. FCA is no stranger to recalls of its vehicles. Some of them even affect millions of vehicles all at one time. However, this time the recall is for SUVs made in Australia.

According to CarAdvice, this recall affects over 11,000 vehicles. So, what is the problem, and how will FCA Australia address it?

What is the problem with the Jeep Grand Cherokee models in Australia?

Jeep Grand Cherokee | Stellantis Media

It seems that the powertrain in 2014 and 2015 models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is having issues. A signal in the crankshaft position sensor tends to fail, which could cause the engine to lose power or stall on the road. It also may affect the ability to restart the engine. This issue increases the risk of a serious accident. 

This problem affected vehicles sold in Australia from June 1, 2013, to January 1, 2019. In total, there were approximately 11,632 SUVs that Jeep recalled. For a list of the vehicle identification numbers on the recall, you can go to Australia’s CarAdvice website and check out their PDF. 

FCA Australia will notify owners of the affected vehicles to inform them of the recall and encourage them to take their vehicles to an authorized Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep dealer to get repaired for free. 

Is my Jeep Grand Cherokee on the recall list?

If your Jeep Grand Cherokee VIN is on the list, but you didn’t get any notification from the company concerning the recall, there are a couple of things you can do. One is to contact FCA Australia by calling 1300-133-079 and discuss the matter with one of the company’s representatives. 

You can also contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to inform them of your situation. They will guide you in the right direction to get the sensor problem fixed on your SUV. Additionally, a third option is to can contact your local Jeep dealer. Let them know what’s going on, and they can schedule an appointment with their service department to fix the failed sensor. 

Does this affect models in America?

The recall is only for certain models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee in Australia. It doesn’t affect any American models. However, this SUV model has seen its fair share of recalls in the last few years in the states. 

In 2018, the company recalled thick floor mats that prevented proper use of the accelerator pedal and increased the crash risk. They fixed that with free floor mats for the affected vehicles. The 2018 model had a recall similar to what the Australians are facing, which is an engine stalling problem, but this was due to a faulty voltage regulating chip. 

For the 2014 to 2016 models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, a recall came out for a problem with the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel, which could split apart into layers. This recall also affected some Ram 1500 models as well.

It looks like the Jeep Grand Cherokee is facing another recall for their SUV in Australia. But, it seems FCA Australia will make good on it with a free repair to fix the issue with the crankshaft sensor. If you own one of these affected models, be sure to get it in for repair. 

RELATED: Never Ever Buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee From This Model Year

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