Porsches across Russia suddenly stop working

Hundreds of Porsche cars have stopped working in Russia due to an issue with a satellite-based security system, according to local reports.

Owners reported various issues with their vehicles, including not being able to start the engine, or it shutting down soon after ignition. Others said that they had been locked out of their cars.

The root cause of the issue is not yet known, though a representative for Russia’s largest dealership group told local media that it could be an act of sabotage.

“It’s possible this was done deliberately,” the Rolf spokesperson told the RBC news website, without providing any evidence.

There is no official support for Russian Porsche owners after the German manufacturer suspended commercial operations in the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

No other countries appear to be impacted by the issue.

Some dealerships have reportedly issued a fix for impacted cars, which involves manually resetting the alarm units.

The Rolf dealership first began reporting an increase in service requests on 28 November, according to RBC.

“Currently, there is no connection for all models and types of internal combustion engines,” Rolf’s service director Yulia Trushkova told the publication.

“Any vehicle can be blocked. Currently, the blocking can be bypassed by resetting the factory alarm unit and disassembling it. We are continuing to investigate the issue and the mechanics’ options for unlocking the vehicles.”

The problem impacts any model built after 2013 that is fitted with an anti-theft Vehicle Tracking System (VTS).

When there is a loss of satellite connectivity, the VTS interprets it as a potential theft attempt and immobilises the engine.

“The Porsche Vehicle Tracking System is designed to seamlessly operate in a covert fashion, eliminating the need for daily activation and deactivation,” the automaker’s website states.

The Independent has reached out to Porsche for more information about the issue.