Porsche Diagnostic Trouble Codes – OBD-II

Explaining Common OBD-II Fault Codes Seen on Porsche Vehicles

Identifying and Explaining Porsche Specific Diagnostic Trouble Codes – Porsche OBD2 Codes

Your Porsche will identify and store trouble codes within a series of on-board control modules. On-Board-Diagnostic (OBD2) trouble codes are one of the ways to identify mechanical problems with your Porsche car or SUV systems. Listed below are the most commonly seen powertrain fault codes on Porsche vehicles.

Most instances of mechanical trouble that trigger a fault code, will also set a warning light on the dashboard. However, there are a relatively small number of dash indicator lights and more than 5000 potential codes that could trigger them.

Use Caution When Reading Porsche OBD2 DTCs

Your Porsche, like every car built since 1996, has an OBD2 compliant fault output system. The goal of the OBD2 compliance is to map problems, which the cars onboard diagnostic system has identified, into a common fault definition that is used by multiple manufacturers.

Extreme caution should be used before assuming you have the answer by reading a DTC fault code. We have an article that covers how to interpret the codes that you read from your Porsche here. We recommend you seek out the diagnostic skills of a trained professional at one of our recommended Porsche specialists – an accurate diagnosis typically saves you money and hassle.

Types of Trouble Codes Seen on Porsche Cars & SUVs

Each trouble code generally consists of one letter and four digits, such as P1234. The codes prefixed with a “P” are the most discussed and are shown in the list below. However, OBD2 trouble codes are categorized into four different vehicle systems by using the prefix identifying letters P, C B and U. More details on those in our article here. This page focuses on P codes – powertrain trouble codes.

P prefixed codes – Powertrain – (P0XXX, P1XXX, P2XXX, P3XXX) This category covers vehicle systems that include engine, transmission, and associated drivetrain components.

Some P prefixed codes starting P1XXX, some P2XXX, and P30XX to P33XX are specific to Porsche.

Most recently a set of codes to help identify hybrid-based vehicle issues has been incorporated into the OBD system. P0AXX, P0BXX and P0CXX are all related to the hybrid propulsion system. These are shown separately at the bottom of the list. We also list P codes specifically related to the Porsche PDK transmission on a separate PDK page.

Porsche Specific DTC Codes

As you can see from above, there are essentially two types of code. Those that are universally accepted and those that are specific to Porsche. Going a little deeper, the Porsche specific codes are different from chassis to chassis and different between the models within a chassis range. That could mean a Porsche specific fault code seen on a ‘07 911 could well have a slightly different meaning to the same fault code when seen on a 2020 Macan. Again, the code is a strong clue and not the complete answer. We highly recommend you use the services of a Porsche specialist to diagnose your Porsche problem.

Don’t Believe The Codes Give the Full Answer – Prove What The Codes Indicate is The Problem

Reading the DTC codes from a Porsche only provides clues to the problem and rarely gives a complete answer. If you’ve used a generic OBD scanner to read a Porsche specific code (as identified above) you may well have the wrong answer – that can be expensive.

You need a Porsche specific code reader and a good set of skills to really understand the problem. Excellent technicians at professional Porsche specialist shops have chassis, model-based, and often factory  code scanners combined with the skills and experience to understand why a fault is being set. Understanding “why” is critical to cost effective and efficient repairs. Guessing is expensive!

Cascading System Faults – Multiple Fault Codes

Modern Porsche vehicles have highly interconnected systems. Therefore, a single faulty component can set off alarm bells ringing in many different systems. For example, a misfiring engine can set engine faults, transmission faults, emission related faults and PSM faults. Multiple system failures are rare, so identifying what caused the cascading set of faults is critical to an efficient repair.

There are plenty of “we fix everything” mechanics out there and reading the codes is simple. Understanding what needs to be done and accurately diagnosing a problem is a rare skill that is disappearing rapidly. We highly recommend you visit a specialist Porsche shop.