Drone Jammers In Russia Are Causing BMWs And Porsches To Malfunction
- 21.01.2026, 18:25
The jammers interfere with OEM satellite anti-theft systems.
Porsche and BMW owners in Russia are facing massive car malfunctions due to anti-drone electronic warfare (REB) systems. As Mash reports with reference to service centers, drone suppression jammers interfere with the work of regular satellite anti-theft systems. They cause cars to lock up, fail to start or even stall. In Porsche Russland confirmed the existence of the problem confirmed, BMW dealers have not yet commented on the situation.
According to Mash, the problem most affected owners of Porsche Macan and Cayenne 2016-2018. But all Porsche models of 2013-2019 model years are also affected: 911, Panamera, Cayenne, Macan, Boxster and Cayman of 718 series, as well as elite 918 Spyder.
Analogous difficulties are also fixed at BMW - almost the entire lineup with ConnectedDrive system: series 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, crossovers X1, X3, X4, X5, X6, as well as Z4, i3, i8 and M-series. A common feature in all the affected cars is the presence of a factory satellite alarm system. Owners complain that the cars "die" suddenly and require towing. Dmitry Ilyinykh, the owner of Porsche and Krasava59 car service in Perm, said that the problem has been going on for a little over a month and during this time he has been approached by five clients with a problem with Porsche Cayenne. Andrei Kuzin, head of Fit Service "Yaroslavskoye Shosse" auto service, said that such cases do happen and are solved by re-flashing the car.
The car service told Mash that due to jammers, the car unit receives a distorted or "alien" signal. The car "thinks" it is being attempted to be stolen and automatically blocks the engine. Porsche has an eSIM installed inside the motor, which can initiate a defensive scenario - up to and including stopping the engine - if correct communication is lost. One of the drivers of a Porsche Macan car stalled in the middle of the city, and the re-flashing cost 28 thousand rubles without guarantees, the tow truck - another 32 thousand. In Tver, BMW "stood up" according to a similar scheme.
The market has already reacted with the appearance of paid "solutions". The most expensive one is the developed firmware for the engine control unit, which disables satellite blocking (the cost reaches 150 thousand rubles). More affordable options - disabling the VTS block and antennas for 20-30 thousand rubles.
The first wave of such incidents was recorded in early December 2025 and had a single character. Now we are talking about more frequent cases: the services are lining up for re-flashing, and dozens of blocked cars are recorded all over the country.