2012 Porsche Cayenne S problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (5) · Engine (1)
Safety recalls (2)
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2022-08-30 · campaign 22V656000 · 222,858 vehicles
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 Federa
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.
Fix: 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.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2012-02-21 · campaign 12V065000 · 20,278 vehicles
Defect: PORSCHE IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CAYENNE, CAYENNE S, CAYENNE S HYBRID, AND CAYENNE TURBO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 8, 2010, THROUGH JANUARY 31, 2012 BECAUSE THE HEADLAMPS MAY COME LOOSE AND DETACH FROM THE FENDER.
Risk: A DETACHED HEADLIGHT COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF VISIBILITY AND AN INCREASED RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: PORSCHE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLAMP LOCKING ASSEMBLIES, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PORSCHE AT 1-800-767-7243.
Service bulletins (422)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 28-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c40 engine oils. note that this bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which c40 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 27-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c20 engine oils. note that the bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which c20 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 26-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c30 engine oils. note that the bulletin includes all models back to model year 1984, for which c30 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 25-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche a40 engine oils. note that this bulletin covers all vehicles from model year 1997 to 2020, for which a40 engine oils are assigned. model years 1997-2001 are not available for selection in the system.
Wheels 2026-09-14 · SPTL2609 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
special tools and equipment information for alignment machines - q3 2026 software spec update available
Electrical System 2026-09-01 · No. 12-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical information for damage to nano plug contacts due to utilization of incorrect measuring equipment
Showing the 6 most recent of 422 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-03-01 · Power Train · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“when driving car, it feels rough and is hard to accelerate so i took it to the dealer and was told it was the transfer case. the transfer case seems to be a manufacture problem and is common among these cars. it's unsafe and almost impossible to drive on the highway .…”
2019-02-28 · Power Train · 102,000 mi“the transfer case has gone out for the 4th time since if went over 50k, at low speeds its clunky and drags and bumpy when trying to accelerate. i found other individuals having the same problem mutli times as myself and this is not cheap to fix. the dealer knows this is a problem but will not help with cost…”
2018-12-27 · Power Train · 79,000 mi“transfer case failure. care clunks/drags in low gears.…”
2018-12-10 · Power Train · 85,000 mi“the porsche dealer informed me the bumping noise while accelerating is the transfer case. it is a common problem on all 2012 cayenne cars. the transfer case will make the bumping noise when accelerating. it will eventually slip to the dangerous point. this is when you accelerate into traffic and the transfer case only slips and leaves the sitting …”
2018-01-03 · Power Train“faulty transfer case the car had a bumpy and violent shudder at slow speeds when attempting to accelerate. feels like misfiring and then grinding and the car does not respond to the accelerator. it was dangerous when attempting to accelerate into traffic. i called to make an appointment and with a simple explanation they diagnosed it over the …”
2017-12-13 · Engine“tl* the contact owns a 2012 porsche cayenne s. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v368000 (engine). the parts to do the repair were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the issue and …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.