2013 PORSCHE CAYENNE Complaints

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.

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 local Porsche dealership is denying in, According to all recall regulations, even still with the EPA, the vehicle was to receive an initial emissions test, then undergo all related repairs/part replacements before the issue resulted in toxic emissions, NOX sensor failures, & premature problems with the DPF system, leading to thermostat problems & the failure of the diesel turbo. Federal regs mandate that vehicle & vehicle equipment manufacturers comply with Early Warning Reporting requirements, submit to NHTSA copies of their manufacturer communications. & update all communications including warranty, policy extensions & product improvement communication sent to dealers, distributors, owners, purchasers, etc. regarding any defect, failure or malfunction beyond normal deterioration in use, failure of performance, flaw or other unintended deviation from design specifications whether it is safety-related or not. Porsche now says my vehicle never showed the recall, despite court mandates that all affected vehicles will be notified communication failed on the sides of both manufacturers. In 2026, if one possesses an eligible vehicle but never received a "Dieselgate" recall notice, options for financial compensation from the original U.S. settlements stated to be likely limited, & I’m not able to find how to proceed with Volkswagen, but regardless, according to EPA and all vehicle standards, I read my vehicle is still entitled to receive an emissions modification at no cost, and that I should be covered by an extended emissions warranty to address all current & related issues.

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 function at all during an accident. Several Cayenne owners have reported this problem to Porsche USA however they will only replace at the owner's request and owners expense which is in the thousands of dollars. Porsche USA said that this is not a recall item therefore they will not pay for the repair.

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

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.

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

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 cover the early models in this series 2011-2013 with the same drivetrain and transfercase. So in effect this failure of the transfer case is not covered on 2014 - 2011 Porsche Cayenne's models with the same transfercase because Porsche delayed the notification to customers. Even though the SUV may have low mileage, they will not warranty or cover my failure.

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 there are other customers complaining of the same issue on the NHTSA website.

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.

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 problem has been duplicated by my husband who has some mechanical expertise, but the next step would be to take it to a dealer. It is available for inspection, but it is not safe to drive. The check engine light and the glow plug lamp came on at the same time. It happened once before on the interstate coming across I-80 on the interstate. In the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service, we were able to pull over, shut off and restart the engine which cleared the code for the rest of the trip. Then it didn’t do this again for nearly two months.