Porsche has recalled 9,735 Taycan sedans from model years 2022-2023 because they can inadvertently deactivate the passenger’s side airbag.
Today’s airbags help keep adults safer in an accident, but can injure children. That’s why the safest place for children is in the back seat. However, most cars also have a device called an occupant classification system that uses a sensor in the front passenger’s seat cushion to determine whether the seat is in use by an adult or a child. If someone under adult weight sits in that seat, the airbag deactivates for their safety.
Porsche tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the occupant classification system in some Taycan models “can trigger a fail-safe mode due to a manufacturing error, which deactivates the airbag in the front passenger seat.”
A wire connection inside the seat cushion may not have been properly made. That can leave adult passengers without airbag protection.
They’ll have some warning, Porsche says. “Should a malfunction occur, vehicle occupants will be alerted by illumination of the airbag warning light, an error message displayed in the instrument cluster, and by the status of the Passenger Airbag OFF indicator light.”
Dealers will fix it by replacing the seat cushion with a new one with proper wiring.
Recall repairs are always free. But millions of us miss recall notices every year and unknowingly drive recalled vehicles. Find out if your car needs any free safety repairs at our easy recall center.