Porsche Panameras, Bentley Continentals Recalled over Fire Risk

• Porsche has announced a recall for 24,467 units of its 2017–2022 Panamera over a fire risk caused by a faulty external coolant pump.
• When humidity enters the climate control system’s external coolant pump, Porsche says, it could cause a short circuit and thermal damage that could result in a fire.
• Bentley is also separately recalling 650 of its 2020 Continental models due to the same issue.

There’s a faulty external coolant pump that could cause a vehicle fire on certain 2017–2022 Porsche Panameras, so the company will recall 24,467 to fix the problem.

In its filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Porsche says problems occur when humidity enters the climate control system’s external coolant pump. Not only can this lead to a short circuit, but it can also cause thermal damage. While Porsche says it’s rare, if the thermal damage goes unnoticed, it could result in a vehicle fire.

Among the nearly 25,000 cars involved in the Panamera recall that spans multiple model years are both rear-drive and all-wheel-drive base models, plus GTS and Turbo models. Porsche says the affected vehicles will be fixed at dealerships free of charge. Dealers will replace the faulty pump as well as the plug-in connection, if necessary.

In a separate NHTSA filing, Bentley said it will recall 650 2020 Continental GT and GTC models over the same issue. While the company says the problem will require the hardware to be replaced, it also says the full solution is still being investigated and will be reported to NHTSA when concluded.

Bentley did also state in its NHTSA filing that a new pump from a new supplier went into production in July 2019. So, vehicles built after that point shouldn’t be affected, as the new pump has a seal that prevents liquid build-up.

Owners of both Bentley and Porsche models will be notified of the recall in March. In the meantime, they can check the NHTSA recalls site for information about the recall and to see if their vehicle is affected.