What breaks most · 2003 to 2019 model years
Porsche Cayenne problems by year
Owners have filed 185 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Porsche Cayenne across model years 2003 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2006 for fuel system complaints, 2004 for engine complaints and 2005 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2017, 2003 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2004, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2017, 2003, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 1852003 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 200633 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 44 fires · 2 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 52kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 46Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 27 | 1 | 6 | Engine (9) | |
| 23 | 1 | 4 | Fuel system (8) | |
| 33 | 1 | 3 | Fuel system (12) | |
| 16 | 0 | 3 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 13 | 0 | 3 | Engine (7) | |
| 13 | 0 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (7) | |
| 12 | 0 | 3 | Engine (5) | |
| 20 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 10 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | Brakes (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Engine (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 6 | Unknown or other (1) |
What fails on the 2006 Porsche Cayenne
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 36% |
12 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Porsche Cayenne |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 18% |
6 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
5 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Porsche Cayenne |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 15% |
5 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Porsche Cayenne |
| Air bags | 12% |
4 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 9% |
3 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Porsche Cayenne |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
3 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Porsche Cayenne |
| Equipment and infotainment | 3% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
NHTSA recall number 17v-576...pending since nov, 2017 for possible leak fuel filter flange. My porsche dealership still does not have the parts from manufacturer to complete the repairs.
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Porsche lurches,jerks,thuds,intermittent power loss when accelerating to pass another car. Engine,transmission/turbo system faulty and hazardous as power loss occurs when quick speed-up when passing power is critically needed. This power failure problem has occurred since car was bought new ivy me in 2004.
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I called 3 times to have my recall remedied and porsche denied me each time but your website says i have an open recall, they told me it is because the recall wasn't that important
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Porsche Cayenne years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2004, 2005 carry the most filings on the Porsche Cayenne. The 2006 alone has 33 complaints, led by fuel system.
What is the most common Porsche Cayenne problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is fuel system with 12 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Porsche Cayenne problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Porsche Cayenne complaints that include mileage is about 52,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.