Porsche Cayenne Reliability Problems

Cayenne owners have made 59 complaints over 17 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it dead last in overall reliability, with significant cooling system and engine concerns.

3 Common Porsche Cayenne Problems

A list of some of the most common issues Cayenne owners have to deal with.

  1. Blinding Dashboard Glare

    Porsche has a glaring problem according to a lawsuit filed by two California residents. The duo claims Porsche's beige-colored dashboards produce a dangerous amount of glare on the windshields. Should've went with the black interior, I gu…

    Continue reading article "Blinding Dashboard Glare" Over exaggerated dashboard glare in a Porsche interior

  3. Porsche Coolant Leaks

    Owners have noticed coolant leaking from the thermostat housing, intake manifold, water pump, and busted coolant pipes. After being sued 8 times Porsche, reluctantly, agreed to a settlement for some owners.

    Continue reading article "Porsche Coolant Leaks" Owner image of a Porsche engine with a coolant leak

What Cayenne Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

Full Lists on CarComplaints.com

Cayenne Generations

The Cayenne has 2 generations, each with their own issues. Using the same PainRank™ system we've determined that you're better off avoiding the 2nd generation (2011–2020).

Cayenne Key Numbers

  1. 59 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  2. 316 service bulletins

    Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.

  3. 17 recall campaigns

    Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Cayenne Class-Action Lawsuits

The Cayenne has been named as a class vehicle in the following lawsuits.

  • Dismissed

    Padilla and Shames, et al., v. Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

    1. Dismissed

      In dismissing the lawsuit one last time, the judge ruled the plaintiffs do not allege any precise statements, documents or misrepresentations made by Porsche or how such statements misled the plaintiffs.

    2. Case Filed

      Porsche Cayenne and Panamera coolant pipes and leaks have caused a proposed class-action lawsuit that alleges the epoxy adhesive falls apart and fails, causing the coolant pipes to separate from the thermostat housings.

    Problem
    Porsche Coolant Leaks
    Class Vehicles
    • 2010-2016 Porsche Panamera (V8)
    • 2011-2019 Porsche Cayenne (V8)
    Location
    Florida

Recent Cayenne News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  2. Porsche appears to have sent out a software update to their infotainment systems that causes them to constantly reboot.

    That's annoying enough on its own, but according to a new lawsuit the never-ending reboots also do fun things like drain the car's battery and spin the infotainment's harddrive into a death spiral. Oh and just for good measure each reboot produces a loud static POP to drive home the point that failure is inevtiable.…

    keep reading article "Sirius Infotainment Update is Causing Constant Porsche Infotainment Reboots"

  7. The government has released new settlement details for 83,000 owners of 3.0-liter TDI diesels, and it varies based on if you're driving a Porsche, Audi, or VW.

    While some Touareg and Q7 owners will be eligible for buyback options, owners and lessees of 2013-2016 vehicles will be getting a fix that VW says won't affect the performance of their cars. But that's not all they're getting:

    "Once the repairs are approved, owners and lessees will keep their vehicles and each receive compensation ranging from $8,539 to $17,614. Former owners of the newer cars will each receive $4,269 to $8,807 in compensation."

    Hot dang, even if you don't even own a Porsche Cayenne TDI anymore you may be eligible for significant financial payout. And if you're leasing one, you'll soon be getting a check and the option to get out of your lease early. There's more details on CarComplaints.com.

    keep reading article "New Settlement Details for 3.0L Cayenne Diesel Owners"

  8. A settlement has been reached for about 83,000 owners of 3-liter TDI vehicles with v6 diesel engines. This will affect any owner of a 2013-2016 Porsche Cayenne diesel.

    There are still some details to be ironed out and the agreement won't be final until it's approved by the court.

    "VW has agreed to recall about 63,000 model year 2013-2016 Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen 3-liter V6 vehicles to fix the emissions systems, dependent on if regulators approve the recall modifications. If the automaker cannot fix the vehicles, a buyback offer will be made and leases will be terminated."

    keep reading article "3-liter Diesel Settlement Reached"

See All Cayenne News

What Owners Say About Their Cayenne

The car is black with the standard beige interior. When I drove the car for the first time I was shocked to discover the total blinding reflection of the dashboard in the windshield. I find this to be completely distracting and unsafe. After almost two weeks, and not hearing from them, I called and spoke to a Customer Commitment Associate.

The dashboard’s image gets reflected on to the interior of windshield, thereby blinding the driver. Recently there while I was driving the vehicle and was behind a Bus, the sun rays were falling on the dash board and the effect was so bad that I just could not drive the vehicle further as nothing was visible through the wind shield.

[A service manager] then asked , 'Well didn't you test drive the car?' I explained that my husband had and the test car had a black interior. He said we could put a mat on the dashboard, and get a pair of sunglasses. He then said that 'Porsche will NOT do anything.'

Other Porsche Models