All,
I wonder if anyone knows of this issue. This is a true story, not a joke!
I have a red 2007 GT3, some of you in the bay area may have seen it. I keep the car in fantastic shape. A few days ago, nice sunny day out here in Ca, I go to the garage to start the car up to have a fun ride. I put the key in the ignition, turn it, and BANG, I hear a very loud noise from the front compartment, smoke emanates from the front, and I am thinking something went wrong very badly. Thinking the car had caught fire, I try to open the trunk, all electrical systems are down and the trunk can't be opened. Smoke still coming out, I try to find out if there is any type of manual release for the hood, none! It cannot be opened. Now, my other car is right next to the Porsche, thick smoke coming out, and I can't move the car out of the garage, I am thinking, God, trouble: the fuel tank can explode, the other car can catch a fire, and the whole house can be burned down! Ran inside, took my wife and son out of the house and anxiously observed the car from outside until smoke stopped coming out and there was no sign of fire. I cautiously approached the car and see this water-like fluid coming down the entire front end of the car. At this point, I am guessing the battery exploded and the water-like fluid is perhaps acid battery. I pour baking soda on it; rest assured, it is battery acid! The car was a total mess, I towed it to the dealership and they confirmed the exploding battery. Now, this was a battery that was completely functional before the incident and always maintained using Porsche charger. The cost to clean up the car and replace the battery >$1000! I call Porsche and asked them to address the issue, I got this lady explaining to me the lead-acid battery physics (I am a PhD in Physics!!) and saying that Porsche cannot cover any of the expenses and it is expected that lead-acid batteries can explode from time to time! I am thinking, WOW, am I talking to Porsche or some used car dealership trying to deny responsibility. Funny (and unfortunately) enough, at the dealership, the service adviser tells me that it once happened at the dealership in the shop as well and the noise was so loud that they could hear it inside the showroom.
Have you guys heard of such a thing? This was an OEM Porsche battery in perfect working condition and just exploded out of the blue. It could have easily exploded the fuel tank and God knows what would have been the result with the car parked in the garage, me in it, my other car right next to it, etc. etc. I am even more amazed at Porsche's response and denial of any responsibility, financially or otherwise. This has left a very bad taste of Porsche in me, in general. I am so upset, this may be my last Porsche ever.
I am telling you all, I have never seen a battery explode like this. Going bad, I understand, exploding, this is a first ever for me. And, the battery was not dry, as evidenced by the acid all over the car and on the floor of my garage.
Be warned, there is something wrong with Porsche OEM batteries and even if it causes serious damage to your car or other property, personal injury, or even death, Porsche will not take responsibility. This is what the lady told me on the phone!
Any comments or suggestions?
Kevin.

 

sorry to hear that. If you do a search in the forums, it actually happened to forum members before. If the battery has been charged for a long time, I guess there is some sort of gas air got trapped under the hood to cause the explosion when start the first time. I usually pop the hood and let air flow for a few minutes before starting the car.

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me & yes the cost was approx $1100 for clean up & a new battery(Interstate this time). The only explanation I could come up with is the vent tube came off & allowed the gas to sit there instead of being vented out of the compartment.

When this happened I had to use my battery charger to jump the fuse box so I could open the hood & douse the battery compartment with baking soda & water mix.
Luckily I was able to stop any damage from the acid.

Oh & yes it had been on the Porsche trickle charger for a month before this happened.

I still use the same charger with the Interstate battery but I open the hood & allow it to vent if it has been on the charger for an extended period of time.

 

I saw this happen to a CGT at Sebring once. Guy just went to start it and BOOM... Never seen anything like that before. At least you are your OK..

 

You know guys; batteries are not supposed to explode out of the blue. I understand if the battery is dry or cooked; this might happen. But, for a well maintained battery; come on now!
Also, if with battery tender device, you had to go through all the venting and opening things to make sure nothing explodes, 1) Porsche should not sell them and 2) what's the point? After all with the battery tender you are supposed to just connect through the cigarrette lighter and done.
Further, there are devices that prevent arc (arc suppressors) and this should be part of the circuit. This is a DESIGN issue!

On another note, occasionally I cannot fill the tank to its full capacity. As it turns out, it is a vent issue with that too. Porsche cannot design proper vent tubes for batteries and fuel tanks?!! That is a joke.

 

Do you think this would happen to one of the Optima batteries that uses the dry cell technology?

 

You are frustrated and it is understandable. I have seen people overcooking batteries with battery maintainers. Use them only if absolutely needed and take precautions.

Re fuel tank.. you have to understand the space/volume tradeoffs of the car's design. You cannot have your cake and it too. Those who understand the tank issue learn to fill it without issues.

 

With the battery tender, if you had to open the hood, provide vent, etc. etc., might as well disconnect the battery and get it done with!! What's the point of a battery tender then? I am very confused...

On the fuel tank; I don't understand your comment at all. You should be able to fill a fuel tank, no matter what. This is purely a design issue and a very simple one to resolve. I have heard it from other owners having the same problem. There is not another car manufacturer on the planet with this problem!!

 

If a Porsche product, it might!! And worse than that, if it does happen, there is not a thing you can do with Porsche; they would say not their problem; batteries catch fire from time to time!!

Is Optima battery the low weight Li-ion battery pack? Someone on Rennlist told me the batteries did not have enough crank A to start the car and Porsche is not responsive.

 

I have heard this can happen if the vent line comes off. Never heard of a Battery Tender cooking a battery although nothing would surprise me. It sux never the less and sorry you are going through this.

 

The battery he mentioned is the optional Porsche Lightweight Li-ion battery, not an Optima.

Greg A

 

Kind of unrelated but I had to get a new battery for my other car. Optima batteries have gone down hill and are not as good as they use to be. Check out Odyssey these have an incredible reputation

 

Unfortunately this is not uncommon for an overcharged battery. The hydrogen gas that is produced gets trapped and easily set off by an electrical spark.

 

Yes and if the battery has a spot not making a good connection it can spark..and with the tender making the battery hot..boom.

battery chargers heat up the battery..

In general its a good idea to replace your battery after no more then 5 years MAX.regardless of use.

working on cars for 20+ years maybe once a year one would blow on us..
very uncommon..

battery chargers can up those odds 100 X's

although $1000 bucks to clean it is crazy..baking soda to neutralize the acid then a good wash down is all you need.

 

Guys, I understand this is an emotional issue, but it's a very low probability risk with all lead acid batteries. This really isn't a Porsche issue, it's a technology issue. You may be able to hold the battery manufacturer responsible, but trying to say this is Porsche is not fair. The battery was 4 years old. It was subject to temperature changes, multiples stints on a trickle charger, possibly an unvented environment and who knows what else. There are 10's of millions of batteries sold in cars every year. The ones that explode are an extremely low percentage and are subject to some type of external condition. If this was a significant problem across the industry it would have been on the news and in the courts by now. Someone would be suing for $10million because they were traumatized by the boom. It's unfortunate that it happened and it's aggravating that Porsche wasn't more sympathetic. I'm just surprised that your dealer wasn't more accommodating.

As a side note, I keep multiple fire extinguishers in may garage at all time. Never hurts to have one handy if your car is smoking under the hood.