Porsche Macan Forum banner

Suspension system fault

110K views 119 replies 68 participants last post by  OmarsGarage  
#1 ·
So, it's happened to me, which was something of a surprise. At just under 20K the front suspension has lowered, and I have a PASM fault in the dash. Was making some weird noises before hand for about 10 kms and then failed. I was about 300 Kms away from home, actually across the alps so had to drive a mountain pass with the car in this state.

I am surprised the back doesn't lower a bit too so as to make the car more balanced. The lowering button no longer functions so you can't do it manually.

The front emergency springs seem to work fine, obviously not with the same ride quality as before.

Apologies for the bad picture, and I assure you it looks worse in reality than in the picture.

Car goes into the dealer this week. I really hope it is an easy repair, and that I am not blamed or charged for some unknown reason like a punctured air spring!

Image



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
Please post the problem and repair cost (even if its covered by warranty). I'm curious.
 
#7 ·
Bummer; but certainly not the first time we've seen this happen. Hopefully these types of failures will continue to be rare events. Time will tell. Please keep us posted on what component failed. Best of luck getting a quick repair.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Goodwood
#10 ·
Sorry to hear, does not seem to be common so far (you have some of the higher KMs I've seen so that may remain to be seen). I'm sure they will be able to correct it for you under warranty.
 
#11 ·
My thinking is that low mileage failures are good, but high mileage failures are bad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: notmac1
#13 ·
Haha, you are right, of course. But if it's going to fail it better fails early.
 
#15 ·
transfer cases, engines, AS, wow, what's next ;) Good thing @Trek got a trusty, reliable Jaguar or he'd commit Seppuku.


I had AS on my 2004 VW Touareg. 180k miles and never a problem.


I'd get it again and again. Nothing is perfect. Nothing. Not a Rolls, not a Bentley, not a Ferrari. When thousands and thousands of components are manufactured, there's bound to be failures.


Multi-Billion Dollar spacecraft have blown up due to component failure. It's a fact of life. Sucks when it happens, for sure, but no big deal in the scheme of things.
 
#18 ·
It is all relativity compared to other car manufacturers. From what I see and my own experience, Macan (and probably Porsche as a whole) is far less reliable than top reliable car brands, mostly from Japan. At least, CR is right on this.

That's a hard fact and it doesn't change no matter how you spin it. I understood and willingly accepted it when I bought the Macan and I am prepared to pay up, either on extended warranty or in cash. So it is not a surprise to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arnold_T
#20 ·
CR for one. Perhaps the initial quality ranking too.
 
#21 ·
My personal car ownership experience so far.

New cars: 5 Japanese (Nissan, Honda, Toyota) and 1 German (Porsche Macan).
Verdict: 1st year issues - Macan is already the worst (only 9 months to date).

Used cars: 2 Japanese (Mazda, Lexus) and 2 European (BMW, Volvo)
Verdict: the BMW and Volvo are far worse in quality.
 
#22 ·
Can you elaborate on the problems you've had so far with your Macan? Of the German brands I believe Porsche surpasses the rest in reliability, but now that they're owned by VW and many parts are from Audi I'm wondering if that will bring down the reliability of these 'Porsche' vehicles.
 
#23 ·
I had the no turbo boost issue at 2000 miles, which was fixed by dealer. There is a pigeon hoot noise at idle in normal mode that doesn't seem to have a fix so far.

Plus a number of recalls/TSB's (fuel line recall, exhaust, real hatch leak, misc. software updates, etc.) that I will let dealer do at the annual service.

Still Macan is the best car I have driven, and I won't hesitate to own one as long as it is under warranty.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gobobbie
#24 ·
I think we hear about the problems because of the tightness of this forum and who we inform one another. Believe me I've never logged into a Lexus RX350 forum not do I ever intend to. We read about things that we would otherwise never hear about. And sure there are those owners that have had more problems than I on my RX350 and there were problems I never fixed. My steering wheel squeals ever time I do a full turn. The rear shock makes a noise like my grandmothers car when I go over some bumps but I learned to live with it since Lexus said it was the shock that needed to replaced to get rid of this noise and out of warranty.

And now for my Macan. I never had any of the issues or weird noises people were describing but the fact I'm on this forum and was alerted to it made me more in tune with listening to those noises. I did have the rear washer issue which seemed to clear up itself. Other than Porsche willing to repair the rear camera which is fantastic now is the only problem I've had other than waiting for the fuel line recall to be fixed. It might less relaible than Acura or Lexus but I'll take that over a Nissan, Mercedes, Land Rover or BMW any day.

My point is all cars have issues but what is the severity of it? I'm dealing with inlaws with huge issues on two Nissans. One which is actually Infinity was a piece crap pretty much from day one or around 15K. Problems started creeping up and new ones keep popping up.

Sorry for the ramble but really which one would you rather have? I'll take the Macan any day. As long as it keeps pace with the current reliability I'm loving it.
 
#25 ·
@Tayden10. My wife's Rx350 has basically been trouble free, though same rear shock problem. I replaced both for close to a thousand dollars and they make the same noise and the rear sounds like a bucket of bolts going over bumps. Sucks actually. I completely agree with you.

My son's Maxima, 2013, keeps experiencing a dead battery, thus stranding him numerous times.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Another air suspension failure at front

I haven't seen anything on the outcome of your suspension problem but cant wait to hear the end of the story.

We have the same issue and it started sometime around November / December of 2015. I'm a car mechanic by trade, so I understand these issues can and will happen. As of yesterday, our Macan has the same stance as yours in the pic (butt up, nose down).
When this all started, I took pics of the on-screen error and promptly took the Macan to the dealer. After giving it the once over, the Service Tech said, "we see the error msg. but all seems to be working for the moment; if it happens again, please bring it back".

Now that the rear is stuck in the air I will take it back on Monday (already called yesterday, their service dept. is closed over the weekend). The fact that it has a problem isn't really my frustration, what Pi**es me off is the dealership is reluctant to give us a loaner vehicle. I went there several months ago and they had to replace the muffler and I really had to raise a big stink B/C of the same issue. Dealer stated B/C I purchased from Porsche factory direct, they would rent me a vehicle but would not give me a loaner for warranty work. In the end they did but, as I stood there talking to them about the air suspension problem last month, the whole loaner issue came up again. Don't really understand, according to Porsche HQ Stuttgart, dealers only need to submit the paperwork and they will receive full reimbursement for all.

ANYWAY, how did it go with your issue and what was the problem???
 
#28 ·
Hahhahhahahha, ya got me there Fantom, but at the time, I had no clue and it wasn't on the running list of problems with the vehicle. But if I had to do it again, I think I would still click the AS option, the ride is freaking awesome!!

thx for the comment
 
#29 ·
Well,

after contacting the Porsche hot line, they recommended not driving the Macan to the dealership and sent over the rescue and recovery team (Driver +Tow Truck). Even with a broken suspension, she still limped off the playing field under her own power and as they drove her away to the hospital, I think I heard her say"I'll be back"!! sniff, sniff.
 
#31 ·
I had the front left air suspension collapse at under 5,000 miles. Frustrating but I expected some issues buying a first year model. They replaced the front left air cylinder (presumably a leak - they were cagey about specifics). 15 months and 15,000 miles later, no air suspension problems.

I agree with the previous comments about early failures. I want everything that could break to break as soon as possible. All under warranty, don't have to fight that I might've done something that broke it, etc. Means very little about about the Macan's long-term reliability. That's one of the reasons J.D. Power does separate surveys for initial quality vs long-term.

On the other hand, my view will turn much more pessimistic if 2017s have similar problems.
 
#32 ·
Can someone please clarify if with an air suspension collapse, can the car be safely driven to the dealer? Safe for both the driver and also not causing further damage?

I had an Audi Allroad that left me stranded twice with failed airbags. Given my interest in remote mountain activities, if a Macan, like the Allroad, can't be safely driven on failed bags, that option will be a must-avoid for me.

Thanks!
 
#34 ·
This just happened to me. Goes in tomorrow. When i turn it off, all "OK" for a few miles then, it comes back on, car feels like it hits every bump in road, but drivable...
just a PIA, they promised a loaner... So according to the wording, i guess if the fail is this, its "ok" to drive...
 

Attachments