What's Wrong with the 2nd Generation (2011–2020) Cayenne?

Cayenne owners have made 31 complaints about the 2011–2020 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it second to last in overall reliaibility, with significant engine and windows concerns.

Compare With Other Cayenne Generations

Common 2011-2020 Porsche Cayenne Problems

Some of the worst issues 2nd generation Cayenne owners have to deal with.

  2. 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 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

2nd Generation (2011–2020) Cayenne Key Numbers

  1. 6 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 31 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 12th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 13 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 2nd Generation Cayenne Owners

  • 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 2nd Generation (2011–2020) 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.

What Cayenne Owners Say About This Generation

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.'