Hundreds of Porsche cars have been taken out of service in Russia due to problems with their satellite security systems, according to local reports.
Owners have reported various problems with their vehicles, including the engine not starting or stalling shortly after ignition. Others said they were locked out of their cars.
The root cause of the problem is unclear, but representatives of Russia’s largest dealer group told local media it may have been an act of sabotage.
“This may have been intentional,” a spokesman for Rolfe told RBC News, without providing any evidence.
Russian Porsche owners received no official support after the German manufacturer suspended commercial operations in Russia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
No other countries appear to be affected by the problem.
Some dealers have reportedly issued fixes for affected cars that involve manually resetting the alarm unit.
Rolf dealers first began reporting an increase in service requests on November 28, RBC reported.
“Currently, all models and types of internal combustion engines are not connected,” Rolf’s service director Yulia Trushkova told the publication.
“Any vehicle can be blocked. Currently, blocking can be bypassed by resetting the factory alarm device and disassembling it. We are continuing to investigate this issue and options for mechanics to unlock the vehicle.”
This issue affects all vehicles manufactured after 2013 that are equipped with the Anti-Theft Vehicle Tracking System (VTS).
When the satellite connection is lost, VTS interprets this as a potential theft attempt and stops the engine.
“Porsche Vehicle Tracking is designed to operate seamlessly and discreetly, without the need for routine activation and deactivation,” the automaker’s website states.
independent Porsche has been contacted for further information on this issue.
