Porsche is planning a global recall of its Taycan electric car to fix a software issue that can cause a sudden loss of power, according to people familiar with the matter.
The move follows reports of cars switching to emergency mode in the U.S. that prompted an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in May, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the plan is not public.
An official announcement may be made in coming days, the people said. There have been no reported accidents or injuries, one of the people said.
A spokesman for Porsche declined to comment.
A recall of Porsche's first full-electric car underscores the technical challenges of rolling out vehicles packed with increasingly sophisticated software gadgetry on a large scale.
Tesla was ordered to make a fix to software in more than 285,000 of its cars in China to address risks associated with the autopilot feature.
Earlier this year, some Porsche drivers complained about the Taycan, which is powered by an 800-volt system, suddenly stalling. In a filing on May 17, the NHTSA described the problem as "loss of motive power while in motion at any speed."
All complaints detailed that the problem occurred without warning or error messages about a battery fault, according to the filing.
The Taycan, unveiled in 2019, is the Volkswagen Group brand's first full-electric model in the costly shift to EVs. Porsche's healthy margins are critical for VW. Sales of the EV during the first quarter almost matched those of the iconic 911 sports car.
