2013 Porsche Cayenne problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (14) · Seat Belts (4) · Fuel/Propulsion System (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Porsche Cayenne model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
24 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2016-03-23 · campaign 16V169000 · 88,300 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Cayenne vehicles manufactured April 28, 2010, to January 11, 2016. The brake pedal pivot pin may be missing a circlip, allowing the pivot pin to move and the brake pedal to dislodge.
Risk: If the brake pedal dislodges, the driver may not be able to apply the brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal assembly circlip, installing any missing circlips, free of charge. The recall began on July 8, 2016. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AG02.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2013-10-17 · campaign 13V506000 · 207 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cayenne and Cayenne GTS, model year 2013 Cayenne Diesel and model year 2014 Cayenne S, S Hybrid, Turbo, and Turbo S vehicles manufactured May 27, 2013, through July 10, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the calculated range of the remaining fuel displayed on the instrument cluster may be higher than the actual range. Additionally, the fuel level indicated by the fuel gauge may also be higher than actual amount i
Risk: The fuel display inaccuracies may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software free of charge. The recall began on December 5, 2013. Owners may contact Porsche at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's recall number is AD03.
Service bulletins (501)
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 501 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-07 · Structure:body“the leather dash has "shrunk" so badly and is so distorted that there is no way the passenger airbag would properly inflate in an accident. porsche tells me that this defect is "cosmetic" and of no consequence to vehicle safety. i do not agree with this position and feel that porsche should be liable for this defect.…”
2026-03-16 · Fuel/Propulsion System“this vehicle qualified for the volkswagen emissions recall, yet from the start of the recall through 2018 settlement lawsuit dates , no correspondence was sent (by porsche nor vw). according to all recall regulations, my vehicle should have among the ‘recall’ with the 85k plus others, yet no correspondence was sent (by porsche nor vw) & now the loc…”
2025-09-02 · Unknown Or Other“the factory leather dashboard has detached/ungluded in places both on the driver and passenger side. now the dashboard cover in the passenger area does not properly line up and has bubbled up on top of the passenger air bag door. there is a high possibility that this defect will prevent the passenger air bag from properly functioning or not funct…”
2025-04-01 · Unknown Or Other“porsche dashboard leather has shrunk and now doesn’t properly cover airbag which is a major safety hazard. porsche said they would not cover cost to replace which they quoted $9k. there are tons of reports of this happening to other porsche cayenne owners and need to be addressed via recall …”
2025-01-17 · Unknown Or Other“leather dashboard cover is separating from the dashboard with staples being pulled up. i am concerned the airbag in the dash may deploy improperly and/or dangerously.…”
2024-10-08 · Unknown Or Other“porsche cayenne dashboard leather shrunk and staples pulled out. the airbag in the dashboard may not deploy properly in the event when there is an accident. porsche dealer recommended the dashboard to be replaced. many vehicles have this issue after warranty is out…”
2024-09-18 · Power Train“the drive train consists of an engine, transmission, transfercase, driveshafts and differentials. the transfercase has failed prior to the normal life cycle. porsche recognizes this problem on this series of suv and extends the warranty for 10 years and unlimited mileage. porsche announced this extension in june 2024. however this does not cove…”
2024-08-19 · Seat Belts“just purchased this vehicle from an independent dealer. each time i test drove the vehicle, i put my seat belt on and after a few seconds of driving the driver's seat belt would come unlatched. sales person told me that perhaps i wasn't latching it (false latch). after purchase, it has unlatched during my first day of driving it. i see that the…”
2024-07-29 · Unknown Or Other“the optional leather dashboard is peeling away from the base of the windshield. the cutout in the leather that aligns with the passenger airbag is now out of alignment and there is concern if the airbag will deploy properly in an accident. …”
2024-01-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“engine light came on and vehicle decelerated while making a turn in traffic. based on the owners manual and code test, it comes up as a dpf issue. we could have been seriously injured had the oncoming traffic been closer to us or had someone attempted to follow me on the turn. when the car lost power, i could not accelerate to complete my turn. the…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.