Front (air) suspension cracking sound over speed bumps

[Bennie]

Thanks byebye! I had the same noise in my car when driving over bumps. During the test ride (in bad weather conditions and -1 degrees C temperature) we couldn’t hear it

The dealer examined the bottom of the car but couldn’t find anything. I just sended them the bulletin, because the complaint was new for them.

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[TomekGnomek]

OK, so my dealer looked at this bulletin and consulted Porsche. At first they responded this issue is specific to US market and does not apply to EU. However they have another demo car with this exact problem and it seems there are more cases. They will apply the fix to their car first to see if this is the case and I'm going back next month.

@Bennie can confirm this is weather based, it's very possible this issue is less annoying in cold temps as metals shrinks. I hear it way less now.

Anyway - if you have this issue as well, go escalate so they know it's not isolated. How to reproduce? Use brakes on speed bumps, which makes it more obvious.

 

[Spyerx]

I've noticed some "clunking" type sound from the front end when lightly riding brakes over speed bumps.

The TSB posted looks easy enough to inspect myself... it's all top side under the trim panels in the frunk area it looks like.

Although it looks like the fasteners are torque to yield type... ugh. so don't touch them

 

[Station]

Thanks, I'll ask. They claim the other demo cars behaves the same way. This noise is only present when applying brakes over bumps. I'll try to record a video after picking up the car.

Yikes, I know that sensation from other problematic air suspensions I've had.... when gently braking over uneven terrain like a speed bump, and the shock compresses a little, there is some slop or knock in that corner (or end) of the car. It always feels like loose lug nuts and the wheel is insecure - even tho that's not the issue. Sloppy knock, not a solid thump like you'd expect.

Gonna be watching this thread!

 

[Cogs79]

Hi,

I just noticed that my front suspension seems to hop/stutter when going over a speed bump. It's a 3.5 week old Macan 4 with the air suspension. Regardless of how slow I am going (while gently holding the brakes), it's like the suspension hits a bump on top of the speed bump. Feels like a rattle. I will need to bring my car in for 5 other issues so I will add this to the list.

C

 

[Bennie]

Hi,

I just noticed that my front suspension seems to hop/stutter when going over a speed bump. It's a 3.5 week old Macan 4 with the air suspension. Regardless of how slow I am going (while gently holding the brakes), it's like the suspension hits a bump on top of the speed bump. Feels like a rattle. I will need to bring my car in for 5 other issues so I will add this to the list.

C

My problem is not solved yet too. The car has not yet been to the dealer. Make sure your dealer knows about the technical bulletin #:2432 that byebye mentioned above in this thread. I think that might be the solution.
It's bizarre that you have to return for 6 things already with a four-week-old Macan...

 

[TomekGnomek]

I'm set for late January to fix this issue according to the bulletin - will let you know.

 

[TomekGnomek]

I’m sure they did check that, in case of… let us know!
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2024/MC-11009902-0001.pdf

OK so my car is at the dealers, they applied this fix, drove the car over bumps and it didn't help.

They made a video of this problem (which affects also some other cars on the lot) and sent it to Porsche, waiting for reply.

 

[Bennie]

OK so my car is at the dealers, they applied this fix, drove the car over bumps and it didn't help.

They made a video of this problem (which affects also some other cars on the lot) and sent it to Porsche, waiting for reply.

That's a disappointment Tomek. I still haven't made an appointment, but I will simply ask the dealer to apply the solution mentioned in the bulletin. I'll keep you informed.

 

[Cogs79]

Hi,

I brought my car to the dealer today for this issue and 5 other ones (Bose cutting out completely, possible rear hatch rattle, plug and charge greyed out etc.). When my advisor saw the list he asked if it was an EV and then said there are lots of problems with Porsche EVs. That's the worst thing I wanted to hear, given that this is my first Porsche, and a car purchase at a price range beyond anything that I have ever spent on a car. Honestly if someone is considering a Macan EV, I would tell them to stay away after hearing this from my advisor. He couldn't believe I had a list of 6 items on a car with 350km (possibly 7 but it could be ice in one of the wheels causing a vibration at 50km/h and I just realized that I forgot to tell him that issue as well). If I had millions of dollars in the bank then I would have thrown them the keys and told them to keep it. I am so discouraged to hear from an advisor that Porsche EVs are a mess.

I got a Macan 4 ICE as a courtesy car. It is noticeably smaller than the Macan EV. Interior feels similar but is somewhat different than the EV. The steering gets really light at low speeds, but tightens up well at higher speeds. It's a somewhat noisier cabin, and the Bose does not sound that great. But it's a nice car to drive in the mean time. Anyway, will keep everyone posted on the progress of my EV. Hope they fix the issues. Thanks for letting me vent about the gut-punching comment from the advisor.

C

 

[W1NGE]

Hi,

I brought my car to the dealer today for this issue and 5 other ones (Bose cutting out completely, possible rear hatch rattle, plug and charge greyed out etc.). When my advisor saw the list he asked if it was an EV and then said there are lots of problems with Porsche EVs. That's the worst thing I wanted to hear, given that this is my first Porsche, and a car purchase at a price range beyond anything that I have ever spent on a car. Honestly if someone is considering a Macan EV, I would tell them to stay away after hearing this from my advisor. He couldn't believe I had a list of 6 items on a car with 350km (possibly 7 but it could be ice in one of the wheels causing a vibration at 50km/h and I just realized that I forgot to tell him that issue as well). If I had millions of dollars in the bank then I would have thrown them the keys and told them to keep it. I am so discouraged to hear from an advisor that Porsche EVs are a mess.

I got a Macan 4 ICE as a courtesy car. It is noticeably smaller than the Macan EV. Interior feels similar but is somewhat different than the EV. The steering gets really light at low speeds, but tightens up well at higher speeds. It's a somewhat noisier cabin, and the Bose does not sound that great. But it's a nice car to drive in the mean time. Anyway, will keep everyone posted on the progress of my EV. Hope they fix the issues. Thanks for letting me vent about the gut-punching comment from the advisor.

C

Far from ideal indeed.

Taycan has been around now for some years and continues to have niggly software issues some of which have been carried through to the recent facelift model. Evidence enough that all is not perfect and has been well documented.

First release of a new EV is probably not the one to purchase but we're all human and can't resist something new.

My wife has an ICE Macan T which has been nothing short of perfect since day 1. We have a Macan 4S EV for an extended test drive this weekend coming and interested to compare and contrast with this and my Taycan GTS ST.

The steering is speed sensitive (Power Steering Plus) and logically lighter at low and parking speeds progressively stiffening at speed - perhaps you don't have this option but should be a default tick on the options list if not standard. Available on all Porsche models.

 

[TomekGnomek]

I brought my car to the dealer today for this issue and 5 other ones

Please let me know how it goes.
Mine is still not resolved.
Make them escalate this to Porsche.

Sorry to hear this story but I'm optimistic once these issues are resolved this would be a very solid car. I've had my share of problems with new cars from many brands. My M3 had the drivers seat skewed to the left, my friend's GLS AMG sits in the shop for 6 weeks after delivery due to transmission problems, other friend's Spider has issues with gauge cluster. It's crazy how common these problems became after covid. Honestly the only car I've had that didn't required any maintenance after delivery was VW CC years ago when cars were much more analog.

 

[Cogs79]

My local dealer is looking at this issue among others as we speak. I had a right-charge port error and assistance services limited error but there were no stored active codes. However there are 200+ passive errors stored. I appreciate the service department's direct calls and texts about the status. Good service so far but let's hope they experience the front and rear rattles now.

Regarding Plug and Charge, apparently I will have to go over a 19 page instruction manual to get it to stop being greyed out. I'll will try it out when I pick up the car.

 

[Cogs79]

Hi Folks, I got my Macan back and unfortunately the dealer says they could not reproduce front rattle the issue. They did fix the rattle at the rear, and it's exactly as other's have posted here, the rear hatch had to be adjusted. It was not installed correctly. I will see if the front clunk happens when I leave the office today as I always have to drive over speed bumps here.

They checked a number of other issues (not on topic with this thread but might as well mention it here anyway):

Plug and charge: They gave me a 30-page manual to get it working. I will look at it tonight. Apparently it's something on my end (app, configuration etc) so will see what that's about.

Assistance limited: No active codes, a few passive codes that were deleted but they suspect it was dirty sensors.

Bose radio completely cuts out and needs to be physically power cycled: It only happened once to me, and they could not reproduce it. They found "too many" active and passive faults to be able to troubleshoot correctly. All codes were deleted, and all module firmware was up to date. Need to have it happen again for them to troubleshoot it.

Right charge port fault, needs servicing: The charge port works but they found that the Secure Onboard Communication (SOC) anti-theft functions (VKMS) was not taught. This fault was in other systems as well so they reprogrammed the car, had a communication issue, and were forced to reprogram my keys again. All programming worked, no more faults and no more communication bus issues.

They washed the car inside and out, but did not charge it. The service at this dealer was excellent, and really felt premium. Even the guy shoveling the snow outside took the time to say Hello to me, while everyone inside were also on another level of friendliness and professionalism. I think I offended them when I did not drink anything while waiting . Anyway, the dealer is not far from where I work so I didn't really test anything. But excellent support from them. I enjoyed the Macan S ICE courtesy car, and miss it's excellent sounding exhaust. But $60 CAD of gas in 1 week is foreign to me, as I barely needed $30 per year for my beloved Chevy Volt. Couple of interesting things about the Macan S: I love the torque-split graphic! I like knowing more about what the car is doing (I am a computer engineer) so I basically kept that graphic on all the time. I love the serenity of an EV, but controlling the Macan S's exhaust note to enable more pops and burbles was sweeeeet. It is clearly a different platform than the Macan EV. The S was noticeably smaller, and little bit less "tight". But lots of fun to drive, and I really liked the red/burgundy interior color. Anyway, long post, hope some of the info here helps. I also hope I don't hear the front clunk anymore despite nothing being done to it.

C

 

[CandianPorsche83]

What did you mean less “tight”?

Ie the interior or you mean overall size and proportions of the vehicle.

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