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2011 Porsche Cayenne S engine problems

12 complaints (71% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 65,000.

owner complaints
12
of this car's complaints
71%
typical mileage
65,000
crashes
0
recalls
1

Which part fails

Owners did not name a specific part.

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Porsche Cayenne S engine problems in other years

200420052006200820112012

Related recalls

EngineReported June 7, 2017 · 18,005 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2010-2012 Panamera S, Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo vehicles, 2011-2012 Panamera and Panamera 4 vehicles, and 2011 Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo vehicles. The affected vehicles have camshaft controllers that may come loose inside the engine, potentially resulting in an engine stall.
Risk
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fastening screws for the camshaft adjusters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 12, 2018. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy is available. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1‑800‑767‑7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AH08.

Recall number 17V368000 · Recall details

What 2011 Porsche Cayenne S owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 3, 2019 · Engine · 54,000 miles · WA

The coolant pipe design is flawed. The barb is glued and pressed in the aluminum body. Over time the glue loses its properties and the barb comes out thus causing massive coolant leak and the engine can overheat. The part was redisgned around 2015 where the barb is now threaded, but the original part is a safey hazard for the older models with potential huge repair costs.

Filed Jan 4, 2018 · Engine, Transmission · 70,000 miles · MD

I was pulling forward on a level city street and turning left from a stop sign. There was a significant amount of shuddering and feeling of a loss of power. This was a significant safety issue due to oncoming traffic. Over a period of several months this had been increasing in severity but the dealer could not identify the problem. I took it to the dealer and was able to repeat the problem for them. They identified the transfer case as the issue. It was replaced. I also had to replace the tires due to the dealers identification that the transfer case had caused differential tread wear damage to a rear tire. As a former military aviator, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a safety issue. Porsche needs to identify what the issues are (design, manufacturing, servicing, etc) and remedy them. Surprisingly, this is a known problem because the service adviser informed me that they keep transfer cases in stock. They retail for $3944, plus the new vent kit (mine does not have it) and then add labor, and tires if they have been damaged. That is a lot of expensive inventory to have on hand if porsche wants to claim there is not a problem.

Filed Dec 26, 2017 · Engine · 48,365 miles · GA

Engine stalled while driving. Car taken to porsche dealership where they determined the camshaft controller needed to be replaced as it was broken. Paid $4000 in repairs in 2016. Porsche has since issued a recall for this issue, however they will not reimburse for the previous repairs as they noted. No response on timing.

Filed Jul 12, 2017 · Engine · 72,000 miles · NJ

The screws holding my camshaft actuator failed and I experienced immediate engine lose as well as braking lose due to no vacuum. At the time of my engine failure it was a known issue for porsche (see wc-22) whereas they did not make public aware or proactively fix the issue. This ended up costing me approximately $7500 out of pocket (in addition to several emotional damage due to financial constraints and the immediate danger when the engine failed at highway speed in the far left lane). Porsche has subsequently issued a recall (recall ah-08 and the federal safety agency campaign 17v368000) but had not contacted affected owners yet. I'd like a full refund of my expenses plus interest. I also feel they should be fined or pay impacted owners like myself a penalty due to their improper mishandling.

Filed Jun 23, 2017 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 140,000 miles · TN

Very scary and dangerous experience engine stalled after filling up with gas. The vehicle required two or three attempts to start. I exited the gas station onto the ramp for the interstate. The car suddenly locked up less than a mile down the interstate while driving 70, MPH. There was no power braking or power steering at all. Fortunately, I remained in the far right lane and momentum carried the vehicle off the next exit ramp before vehicle completely shut off. I have had a host of other issues including psm failures, start/stop mode deactivated errors, ignition problems, braking issues, unnecessary repairs, time/energy, missed work, rental cars, misdiagnoses, etc. I am certain the symptoms are consistent with camshaft defect affecting many other cayenne s, turbo, and panamera s owners per several internet forum discussions. This is really dangerous. I am disappointment earlier notifications were not issued and I hope this matter is addressed before someone dies.

Filed Feb 5, 2017 · Engine · 80,000 miles · CA

The coolant pipe cracks and cause leak

Filed Feb 4, 2017 · Engine · 80,000 miles · CA

The camshaft actuator bolts break and causing internal damage to the engine, the vehicle lose power suddenly and difficult to engage the brake pedal.

Filed Feb 2, 2017 · Engine · 65,000 miles · KY

Snapped aluminum camshaft sensor bolt resulted in total engine failure. This is a known issue by porsche ag has resulted in an amendment in an existing service bulletin (wc-22) and also a recall of over 14000 cayennes and panameras in china.

Filed Oct 24, 2016 · Engine · 33,215 miles · CT

Faulty camshaft bolts in early v8's of this generation (2011 models) resulting in loss of engine power, and sometimes brakes. Vehicle broke down in the middle of a busy road, luckily was not at highway speed or it could have been very dangerous.

Filed Sep 8, 2015 · Engine · 38,000 miles · TX

While driving on the road in a remote national park, the tubing that returns coolant to the engine block from the radiator on my 2011 porsche cayenne s completely blew apart. This aluminum to aluminum tubing connection appears to have been held together exclusively by a thin, incomplete ring of epoxy glue. This is grossly substandard engineering for any such vital connection within the engine. Porsche has neglected to repair this known issue in model years such as mine, but has changed its design in the subsequent model years (likely because they realized this was dangerous and substandard engineering). They have not sent out any bulletin or recall to advise drivers of this defective construction or preemptively repair it. I was left stranded in a desert where I had to walk for hours to get help and had to have $1000 tow to the nearest city, all because of this dangerous design and construction of which porsche is already aware.

Questions about the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S engine

Does the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S have engine problems?

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the engine of the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S, 71% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 2011 Porsche Cayenne S engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 65,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S engine?

Yes, 1 recall: 17V368000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Porsche Cayenne S have bad engine?

The Porsche Cayenne S model years with the most engine complaints are 2004 (17 complaints) and 2011 (12 complaints).

Other 2011 Porsche Cayenne S problems

Transmission 3Brakes 2Driver assistance 1Lights 1Visibility 1

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