2008 Porsche Cayenne S

Routine

Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine4
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Exterior Lighting › Headlights22V656000
Filed Aug 30, 2022222,858 vehiclesPorsche Cars North America, Inc.

Defect. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2020 Porsche Macan, Cayenne, Panamera, and Cayman S, 2001-2004 Boxster, Boxster S, 2004 Boxster 50 JAHRE SPYDER 550 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all affected models and model years. The caps that cover the low-beam headlight horizontal adjustment screws are missing, which can allow the headlights to be improperly adjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk. Improperly adjusted headlights may not illuminate the road properly, or cause a glare to oncoming drivers, which can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect the headlights for sealing caps and install missing caps as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is ANB4.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine
Filed Sep 14, 2018120,000 milesCA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL, HIGH PRESSURE, AND PRESSURE PUMPS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

Engine
Filed Jan 22, 2018129,000 milesCA

COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BOLTED TO THE BACK OF ENGINE BLOCK HAS A GLUED -IN PIPE THAT CONNECTS TO A HOSE. THE GLUED-IN PIPE IS LEAKING AND HALF WAY PUSHED OUT OF THE DISTRIBUTOR. THE IMMINENT FAILURE OF THIS PART COULD HAVE CAUSED IMMEDIATE OVERHEAT AND FIRE DUE TO CATASTROPHIC COOLANT SYSTEM FAILURE. THE REPAIR IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. PORSCHE HAS A NEW PART THAT HAS THE PIPE THREADED IN INSTEAD OF GLUED. PORSCHE SHOULD RECALL THIS AND PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND SAFETY ISSUE. IMAGINE 8 GALLONS OF HOT COOLANT DISCHARGING ALL OVER, SAY A MOTORCYCLIST GOING 70 MPH. THIS ISSUE WAS NOTICED WHILE DOING OTHER COOLANT SYSTEM MAINTENANCE THAT WAS ALSO NECESSITATED BY POOR DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE.

Engine
Filed Oct 19, 201698,000 milesMI

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. ACCELERATING AS I WAS MERGING INTO THE HIGHWAY. I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK. CHECK COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I STOPPED I SAW COOLANT EVERYWHERE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE GLUE FROM THE COOLANT TUBES FAILED AND NEEDS TO INSTALL NEW COOLANT PIPES. *TR

Engine
Filed Feb 2, 2016111,000 milesIL

THE DISTRIBUTOR COLLECTOR COOLANT SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE PIPES HAS FAILED. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY THE PORSCHE CORPORATE OFFICE THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OR RECALLS ON FILE. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. ON THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE COOLANT LIGHT APPEARED (NO OTHER SYMPTOMS), I DID NOT HIT A BUMP, IT WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AS IF IT WAS ON FIRE.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Feb 24, 201010,000 milesID

ON MY 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S ( PURCHASED IN MARCH 2007) I HAVE AT LEAST 3 TIMES EXPERIENCED A INCORRECT DOWNSHIFT INITIATED BY THE AUTOMOBILE IN ALL CASES THE CAR/COMPUTER OBVIOUSLY WANTED TO SHIFT DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR ( GOING UP A STEEP HILL AT HIGHWAY SPEED, TRAVERSING A STEEP PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEED) ETC RATHER THAN SHIFTING ONE GEAR THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE SHIFTED 2 OR 3 GEARS AT ONE TIME THE ENGINE REVVED TO ABOUT 5000 RPM WITHIN THE RED LINE LIMITS- VERY NOISY AND DISCONCERTING I EXITED THE PROBLEM BY MANUALLY SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL WHICH CLEARED THE PROBLEM THEN BACK TO DRIVE I REPORTED THE ISSUE TO MY DEALER WHO OBVIOUSLY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE VERY INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, HE ALSO SAYS HE CHECKED THE COMPUTER LOG AND COULD NOT FIND ANY REPORT AND THAT THERE NO SERVICE BULLETINS RELATING I THINK THAT THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BEING POTENTIALLY A MAJOR DRIVER DISTRACTION. *TR

5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2004
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20240100Routine
20210100Routine
20201100Routine
20190100Routine
20150100Routine
20140100Routine
20130100Routine
20126210Routine
201117300Routine
20090100Routine
2008 — this page5100Routine
20071000Routine
200613300Routine
200510400Routine
200448900Routine
20034900Routine

Compare every Cayenne S year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Aug 30, 2022. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.