Porsche Cars Have Begun Dying in Russia; Experts Say It Might Be a Deliberate Attack

Reports of hundreds of Porsche cars becoming mysteriously undrivable have surfaced in Russia following a failure in the satellite-linked VTS security module.

Porsche owners in Russia watched their cars shut down without warning. Engines didn’t start, and doors remained locked. Other cars suffered engine shutdowns, and some stalled mid-route. According to reports, owners described their cars as “bricks.” 

Reports from RBC, the dealership group Rolf, say that the malfunctions began to manifest in late November and spread across major Russian cities.

Cars across Moscow, Krasnodar, and other regions lost connectivity to their onboard Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), which is a satellite-linked module designed to secure and protect the car.

When VTS lost its satellite channel, the car reacted as if someone had attempted a theft. That one failure turned hundreds of connected vehicles into stationary cars. 

The VTS Module

Dealership specialists confirmed the core issue: the VTS module malfunctioned and triggered the immobilizer across all Porsche models equipped with it.

The system normally protects the car by monitoring:

· Vehicle location tracking (GPS/GSM)

· Detection of unauthorized vehicle movement (e.g., towing)

· Detection of tampering or sabotage attempts (including jamming alerts)

When VTS detects an abnormality, it sends a signal to the control center. If that signal doesn’t go through or if VTS loses connectivity, the car locks itself. Russian services also say that the system controls door or window openings.

When the cloud link breaks, the car breaks

According to reports, technicians had to dismantle and reset the alarm unit manually. Some owners temporarily restored their cars only after disconnecting the battery for 10 hours.

The failure didn’t discriminate. It hit sedans, SUVs and sports cars. RBC quotes experts who say “there is a possibility that this was done deliberately.” 

Porsche AG stopped deliveries in Russia back in 2022, but continues its warranty obligations.