Hey guys, first time posting here. I drive a 2010 Panamera Turbo with 65,000 miles. I love everything about this car. Drives amazing, and takes off like no other. Hopefully my next few threads will be performance part related and not repair.

So a few days ago I turn into my local supermarket, when, after a sharp left turn, my power steering deactivates. Just completely goes out after working perfectly fine. This happened a few times in the past after doing some donuts, but would always return to normal soon after. This time, the power steering never returned. I’ve spent the last 2 days trying to figure out the cause. I never had any power steering noises or issues other than the fore mentioned. I checked the power steering hoses to see if I could feel anything moving through them, and what do you know, the pump seemed to still be working, as I could feel the flow of fluid in the line.


my next step was to check fuses, only fuse that seemed to have anything to do with the power steering was fuse 23 on the drivers side fuse panel. I checked the fuse and it was fine.

now I’m dumbfounded. Now power steering leak, no power steering noises, nothing!

my issue almost sounds like the software issue recall on the 2017-2018 models, but obviously my 2010 would not be applicable.

 

Bump

 

Hi Panameezy, I have same problem. Can you let me know how you got it resolved?

Cheers, Shackle

 

Since you verified the pump is working, the seals in the steering rack could have failed. I’ve never heard of this before and would expect a gradual failure especially in cold temperatures. I would check with the dealer or Indy. Steering rack is too big of a job for a guess on the problem.

 

If you have PDCC you need change steering oil tank (the black).

 

I have same problem. Can you let me know how you got it resolved?

my powersteering just died after half donut on snow. And I can’t see any leaks and belt and oil level I fine.

 

I have had total failure a year or so back. The car basically shat all fluid from the pdcc lines. Mines a 2010 too, plus we have heavily salted roads over winter which really don’t help. Had to replace the feed and return pdcc lines that run up the right hand cill looking from the front. They go into a valve block at the rear of the car , easy to mistake them for brake lines . These might help


Hole in the pipework behind the bracket

 

Hey everyone, I’m Mark. I’m 18 and recently picked up a wrecked 2010 Panamera Turbo. I had a very similar issue to what @Panameezy described—power steering not working, but everything else seemed fine. No warning lights, fluid level was good, no leaks, no weird noises.



Long story short: it turned out to be a bad pump.



My car has PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control), which uses a tandem power steering pump. This pump has two chambers—one for PDCC (~185–200 bar) and one for power steering (~128 bar). It’s mounted above the A/C compressor and about the same size.



In my case, the shaft inside the pump snapped between the two chambers. So PDCC still worked, but power steering didn’t. You’d never know unless you disconnected the lines and checked. The reservoir has 3 ports: 1 feed (which splits into 2 going to both chambers) and 2 returns (PDCC + steering). The reservoir also has a built-in filter and should be replaced every 50k miles.



Sadly, these pumps are expensive:

• New OEM: $3–5k
• AliExpress: $1–2k
• Used on eBay (if you’re lucky): $600–900

If you want to DIY, it is possible to get the pump out without dropping the engine or pulling the front end apart. Here’s how I did it:

1. Disconnect all intake ducts between the radiator and engine.
2. Drain steering fluid via the steering cooler.
3. Remove the radiator fan.
4. Take off the serpentine belt (I replaced mine since it was cracked).
5. Remove the driver-side wheel and fender liner—some fittings and bolts are only accessible from there.
6. Unbolt the A/C compressor to get extra clearance.
7. Important: Remove the pulley from the pump before trying to pull it out, or it won’t fit past the radiator.
8. With everything loose, twist and maneuver the pump forward—it should just clear the radiator (or maybe the condenser—I forget which one is right behind the fan).

I might be missing a few steps, and I’ll update this later. But here’s the twist: my new pump just failed again. Same symptoms. It happened right after a sharp turn, and I’m still figuring out why the shaft snapped again. If anyone knows, please let me know—I’m actively researching it.



Also… if anyone wants to sponsor a new pump, I’d really appreciate it. I’m 18, and clearly already making questionable life choices buying a Porsche 😅. Don’t get me wrong—amazing cars, ahead of their time—but repairs are no joke.



Cash App: https://cash.app/$MarkShimanskiy



English isn’t my strongest subject, so I used ChatGPT to help clean this up and make it easier to understand. I reviewed everything to make sure it still reflects my experience.


I’m not a Porsche tech, just someone who loves wrenching and learning. Hope this post helps someone. If you’ve got questions, feel free to ask—I’ll do my best to help. Just know everything I say is based on my own experience. Do it at your own risk!

 

If your new PDCC snapped internal shafts twice, clearly a sign a massive pressure resistance and something has to give - in your case, the shaft. I've never heard of this before, so unchartered territory... I would surely examine all the high pressure lines to/from the rack, as well as the rack itself. Actually, I would replace the rack first as you can them for a few hundred dollars used - and also get a set of used PS lines. Once done, sadly have to resolve the original issue of the pump. If you purchased an 'off shore' pump, I would suggest that is the issue as they just don't seem to last...

I have two pumps I believe - a rebuilt version and another low mileage unit... but, as you noted, they are expensive and locating one on Ebay is hard to do...

Rick

 

I mean your theory on high resistive pressure does make sense but once I replaced the pump the first time, It worked fine for a month or so. Never had any funny sounds and it felt perfectly fine. I wouldn’t think there were any resistive pressures because the steering was very light and it did stiffen up with higher speeds because of the option on the car. Just after a really sharp turn it decided to snap I think unless something else can cause it to go out. The pump came from a used newer macan or cayenne I believe and fitment was perfect.

I will check the lines again and the rack once I get some time but for now it’s arm day every day

I would greatly appreciate if anyone who has experienced this or that could point me into the right direction could help me out. Also if anyone knows of a stronger part to replace it with or how to rebuild the steering pump, that would help a lot!

thanks!

 

also how much will you sell those pumps for, or where can I find your listings?

 

So... I've been thinking about this more... for a moment, let's rule out the PS rack, lines, hoses, etc. I would first ensure the pump is properly aligned and mounted, as to not impart any side deflection/stress on the pump. Assuming it's aligned right, need to ensure the belt tension is not too tight from a failing belt tensioner or other. Assuming all that is correct, I think the issue becomes more complicated... take a read of this doc (it's for a Chevy truck) as the premise is the same - two failed pumps and broken shafts... something is surely not right in the overall system and could relate to the steering wheel angle or other. SImply, there is way too much stress being imparted onto the shaft, thus resulting in breakage.https://www.motor.com/magazinepdfs/062007_02.pdf

 

I read through the article and I believe that could be a possibility of improper alignment or even over tensioning. When I put the pump on I just placed it in using the original pulley and torqued it to spec I never checked it if it’s truly aligned but it seemed straight to me. I don’t really see how over tensioning would cause this problem other than excessive wear on the bearings, but I did struggle putting on the new belt. Not sure if I understood this correctly but it seems as if it has an electronically controlled power steering pump pressure. I think in the Panamera it has a mechanical valve that I guess it’s calibrated to 128 bar and any excessive pressure would bleed through the valve back into reservoir . This would eliminate a faulty electronic component.



I don’t think I mentioned this before but when I had my car on the lift, and when both the car is off and on, before power steering pump was replaced, I turned the steering left and right many times and bubbles would come up out the reservoir. It sounded like air was getting into the steering rack. Technically if there was air in it, I would turn steering lock left and right many times to get all the air out. I did this many times with the car on and off for over an hour. The amount of bubbles didn’t decrease and the oil level never dropped. Assuming there is a leak where air can get in, then there could be a place where oil can come out. After inspecting everything, I couldn’t find any leaks. After replacing the pump and topping off the fluids and running the car for a bit and making sure levels are good again, the same issue persisted with engine only off. So I only get bubbles with the car off and steering lock left and right.

 

Would appear a bad oring is allowing air to be drawn into the system when moving the rack.... odd that it wouldn't leak under pressure, but air is clearly being drawn in.
I would replace all the orings on the PS lines and ensure all the clamping points are also secure. Often times the lines get old and hard, thus allowing air to enter.