Reliable Auto DB

2018 Porsche Panamera reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Porsche Panamera over 9 years — 0 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Panamera years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Electrical system, Instrument cluster, and Electric power steering.

2012 Porsche Panamera
Photo by Johannes Maximilian, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

12

Per year

0

Recalls

6

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (4 of 12), then Powertrain (4) and Electrical system (3). The most filings arrived in 2025 (5 of 12). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Panamera has 1 complaint, 0 per year, and the 2019 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Porsche Panamera. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall Electrical system 2023-01-27 · NHTSA campaign 23V033000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera GTS and Panamera Turbo vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of specific model names and model years. Humidity may enter the external coolant pump for the climate control system and cause an electrical short circuit.
Remedy Dealers will replace the external coolant pump and inspect and replace the plug-in connection, if necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed March 6, 2023. Owners will receive a second notice once remedy becomes available, anticipated July 2023. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is APA1.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2019-10-16 · NHTSA campaign 19V735000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017 Panamera 4, Panamera Turbo, Panamera Turbo Executive, 2017-2018 Panamera, Panamera 4S Executive, Panamera 4S, 2018 Panamera Turbo S Hybrid, Panamera 4 Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 Hybrid, Panamera 4 Executive, 2019 Cayenne Hybrid, 2019-2020 Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, 2020 Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne Turbo Coupe, and Cayenne S Coupe vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when the brake pads are worn out. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."
Remedy Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall is began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKB8. Note: This recall supersedes recall 19V115 and includes vehicles that were previously remedied under that campaign.
Recall Electrical system 2019-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 19V180000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc is recalling certain 2018 Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 E- Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera 4S, Panamera Turbo, Panamera Turbo Executive, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, vehicles. Incorrect soldering of a control unit may result in the intermittent failure of various systems, possible affecting vehicle driveability.
Remedy Porsche Cars North America will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected control units, free of charge. The recall began May 17, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKA5.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2019-02-20 · NHTSA campaign 19V115000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2018 Panamera 4 Executive, Panamera 4S Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 Hybrid, Panamera 4 Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Executive, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo and Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Sport Turismo vehicles, 2017-2018 Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera Turbo Executive, Panamera 4S, Panamera Turbo and Panamera 4S Executive vehicles and 2019 Cayenne S and Cayenne vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when the brake pads are worn out. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."
Remedy Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began April 19, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKA1/AKA0.
Recall Electric power steering 2018-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 18V898000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Porsche Panamera, Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera Turbo, Panamera 4S Executive, Panamera Turbo Executive, 2018 Panamera 4 Executive, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive, Panamera S E-Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, Panamera 4S Sport Turismo, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, and Panamera Turbo S Sport Turismo vehicles. A software failure may result in an intermittent loss of electric power steering assist.
Remedy Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the power steering control unit, free of charge. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AJ13.
Recall Hydraulic brakes 2018-11-28 · NHTSA campaign 18V841000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Hybrid, Panamera Turbo S Hybrid, Panamera 4 Hybrid Executive, Panamera 4 Hybrid Sport Turismo, and Panamera Turbo S Hybrid Sport Turismo vehicles. The brake lines installed on the front axle may corrode over time. Corrosion inside the line may affect the front braking performance.
Remedy Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake line, and any damaged brake components, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AJ11.

Complaints by component (12 total)

Engine
4
Powertrain
4
Electrical system
3
Air bags
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Service brakes
1
Suspension
1
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12018120211202212023220245202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The ride height sensor on the right front suspension is mounted to the upper control arm via a plastic bolt and bracket. This plastic mounting component failed under normal driving conditions. The failure caused the…"
    Suspension · filed 2026-02-26
  • "The main water pump on my 2018 Porsche Panamera 4S failed prematurely. This is not a simple external coolant leak; the internal seal failed, allowing pressurized engine coolant to migrate into the vehicle's vacuum…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2025-12-08
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Park Vehicle" in red letters was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2025-11-12
  • "This vehicle has an engine which has rocker arms that are known to fail. The manufacturer has not issued a recall to fix this issue which can result in a catastrophic engine failure. They have acknowledged the rocker…"
    Engine · filed 2025-07-27
  • "The contact owned a 2018 Porsche Panamera. The contact stated that when he was parking the vehicle, as he had shifted from reverse (R) to drive (D) to straighten the vehicle in the parking spot, the vehicle had…"
    Service brakes, Engine · filed 2025-04-28

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Porsche Panamera 4 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Executive 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4 Executive 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4 Sport Turismo 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4S 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4S Executive 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 4S Turismo 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera 5 HB RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Executive 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-HybridSport Turismo 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo 5 HB AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Panamera 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Rear-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $3300
Panamera 4 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Four-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $3450
Panamera 4 Executive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Four-wheel drive 21 27 23 MPG $3450
Panamera 4 ST 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Four-wheel drive 20 26 23 MPG $3450
Panamera 4 e-hybrid 2.9L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 20 25 22 MPG / 480 mi range $3650
Panamera 4 e-hybrid Executive 2.9L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 20 25 22 MPG / 480 mi range $3650
Panamera 4 e-hybrid ST 2.9L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 20 25 22 MPG / 480 mi range $3650
Panamera 4S 2.9L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Four-wheel drive 21 28 23 MPG $3450
Panamera 4S Executive 2.9L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Four-wheel drive 21 28 23 MPG $3450
Panamera 4S ST 2.9L, 6-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) Four-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $3650
Panamera Turbo 4L, 8-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3800
Panamera Turbo Executive 4L, 8-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3800
Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid 4L, 8-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 19 23 21 MPG / 450 mi range $3800
Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid Executive 4L, 8-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 19 23 21 MPG / 450 mi range $3800
Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid ST 4L, 8-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 19 23 21 MPG / 450 mi range $3800
Panamera Turbo ST 4L, 8-cyl Automatic (AM-S8) All-wheel drive 18 23 20 MPG $4000

Specs and fitment

Second generation (971), 2017–2023
Body styles Sedan, Sport Turismo
Oil 0W-20, 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30, or 5W-40 (engine dependent; confirm on cap)
Tire size 265/45R19, 275/40R20 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 19V-322 covers certain 2010-2016 Panamera 4S and Panamera S models for a seat belt anchor concern; verify campaign applicability to your VIN. Recall 22V-656 is a multi-model Takata inflator program that includes Panamera model years in its population list.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Porsche Panamera See every Porsche Panamera model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Porsche Panamera reliable?

Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Porsche Panamera over 9 years — 0 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Panamera years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Electrical system, Instrument cluster, and Electric power steering.

What are common problems with a 2018 Porsche Panamera?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (4 of 12), then Powertrain (4) and Electrical system (3). The most filings arrived in 2025 (5 of 12). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2018 Porsche Panamera more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Panamera has 1 complaint, 0 per year, and the 2019 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Porsche Panamera been recalled?

The 2018 Porsche Panamera has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Porsche Panamera?

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the 2018 Porsche Panamera with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Porsche Panamera get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Porsche Panamera is 22 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a US Porsche Panamera use?

0W-20, 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30, or 5W-40 (engine dependent; confirm on cap)

What tire sizes fit a US Porsche Panamera?

Published US specs commonly list front 265/45R19, 275/40R20 (trim dependent) and rear 265/45R19, 275/40R20 (trim dependent); confirm on the door jamb placard for your trim.

What NHTSA recalls affect the US Porsche Panamera?

NHTSA recall 19V-322 covers certain 2010-2016 Panamera 4S and Panamera S models for a seat belt anchor concern; verify campaign applicability to your VIN. Recall 22V-656 is a multi-model Takata inflator program that includes Panamera model years in its population list.