Strong odor of gasoline traveling through the vents injected into vehicle. Fuel filter has a crack. Underhood electrical problems that may cause a fire
The worst 2004 Porsche Cayenne problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine10
- Transmission10
- Fuel system9
- Electrical6
- Airbags3
- Lights3
- Suspension2
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Steering1
- Tires1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Porsche Cayenne
Recalls 6
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- 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 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 22V656000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, 2004-2010 Cayenne, 2006 Cayenne Turbo S, 2010-2016 Panamera S, Panamera 4 S, Panamera Turbo, 2011-2016 Panamera, Panamera 4, 2012-2013 Panamera Turbo S, 2013-2016 Panamera 4 GTS, 2014-2016 Panamera 4 S Executive, Panamera Turbo Executive, Panamera Turbo S G1 II, Panamera Turbo S Executive, 2013 Panamera 4 Platinum Edition, Panamera Platinum Edition, 2016 Panamera 4 Edition, Panamera Edition, Panamera Turbo S Executive Luxury Sports vehicles. The bushing that attaches the gear selector lever to the gearbox may degrade over time, causing the bushing to detach. This condition could allow the driver to move the shift lever to Park and remove the ignition key, while the transmission may not be in Park, with no warning message or audible chime.
- Risk
- If the vehicle is exited without the transmission being in Park and without the parking brake being applied, the vehicle may unexpectedly move, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. Owners are instructed to use the parking brake until their vehicle is repaired. The recall began August 9, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1‑800‑767‑7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKB1.
Recall number 19V446000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo vehicles, 2004-2006 Cayenne vehicles, and 2006 Cayenne S "Titanium" Edition vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel filter flanges with new filter flanges that have a protective film, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1‑800‑767‑7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AH10.
Recall number 17V576000 · Recall details
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger cars fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." all three rear seat positions and the front passenger position are equipped with seat belt retractors that have a locking feature which converts the retractor from an emergency locking retractor (elr) mode to an automatic locking retractor (alr) mode for the purposes of child restraint installation. The belt may deactivate the alr mode with certain child restraints.
- Risk
- When involved in a crash, the child restraints may not be properly secured increasing the risk of injury or death to the seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Dealers will permanently install a clip in either of the affected rear outboard seat belts and provide an owner's manual insert. The clips will prevent unwarranted conversion from alr to elr mode with child seat installation. The recall began may 17, 2005. Owners should contact porsche at 1‑800‑545‑8039.
Recall number 04V593000 · Recall details
Seat belts: rear/other
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the rear seat belt latch attachment bolt is insufficient riveted.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the belt buckle latch and, if necessary, replace the latch. Owner notification began on june 1, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1‑800‑545‑8039.
Recall number 04V231000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Certain sport utility vehicles may have had a transfer case installed that could, due to changes in the housing casting, result in the oil pump rotation. Should this occur, oil starvation of the internal gears might result.
- Risk
- Continued operation of the vehicle could result in a fracture of the transfer case housing. Incorrect torque would then be applied to the driven wheels or oil could leak and contact the tires.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transfer case housing and, if necessary, replace the transfer case. Owner notification began on may 3, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1‑800‑545‑8039.
Recall number 04V071000 · Recall details
See all 6 recalls for the 2004 Porsche Cayenne
Defect investigations
Srs warning light illumination
Porsche is initiating a customer notification action to address a condition related to a faulty or loose connector in the side airbag system.porsche's testing has shown that the faulty connector will not prevent side airbag deployment.the faulty connector will cause the circuit resistance to exceed the threshold for illumination of the air bag warning light.porsche has reported a large number of warranty claims for illumination of the air bag warning light and many vehicles have been serviced to correct this condition as described in the cayenne technical information bulletin: group 6, #11/04 airbag warning light activated.porsche will perform this service to all remaining uncorrected vehicles under a new product improvement campaign starting at the end of april 2007.all owners of a subject vehicle built through november 2004 will be notified by porsche to bring the vehicle to a dealer to receive the free modification.vehicles built after november 2004 do not contain the subject connector.in addition, porsche reports that a small number of vehicles built in november and december 2003, may contain an incorrectly manufactured side airbag module.this may also produceillumination of the airbag warning light that would become evident soon after the vehicle is put into service.warranty data indicates that these modules have been corrected and no longer present a risk.porsche has not received any report of non-deployment of the side airbag.the action taken by porsche is sufficient to resolve the issue raised by this investigation.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
EA06005
Srs warning light illumination
During the preliminary evaluation phase, odi identified 76 owner complaints and 6,582 warranty claims related to airbag warning light illumination from either a faulty side-impact airbag module or wiring harness.to date, there has been no allegation of crash, injury or death reported.porsche reports that a bad batch of modules was produced during mid-november to mid-december, 2003.however, porsche?s warranty data indicates that most of the modules replaced under warranty were on vehicles built before and after this period indicating that the issue could be more widespread.porsche reports that the wiring harness malfunction is due to a faulty connector leading to the airbag module as a result of environmental and mechanical stress.in june and november of 2004, porsche added a protective coat of lubricant gel to the connector and rerouted the harness to fix the problem on all future production.porsche has not issued a recall campaign, but it has circulated to its dealers two service bulletins, both in september 2004 to address the above issues.this investigation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-005) and will include my 2006 vehicles.
PE05060
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Porsche Cayenne 432
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils
- Special Tools and Equipment Information for alignment machines
2004 Porsche Cayenne fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 14 | 18 | 15 |
| 4.5L 8‑cyl | 4WD | 12 | 17 | 14 |
What 2004 Porsche Cayenne owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact is a car seat technician. The contact worked with a family who owns a Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 Max Convertible Car Seat, as the technician was inspecting the car seat she noticed the chest clip was not working as needed. The magnetic piece that clips on the chest area comes out easily.
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a recall repair appointment, he noticed that the steering wheel had a quarter inch of play. The U-Joint connection was severely corroded. The dealer diagnosed that the steering column and steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 266,969.
There is a significant smell of gasoline inside the cabin of the vehicle. There was a recall on the same make, model, and year for fuel pump filter flange leaks, which are indicative of a strong smell of gas inside the car. This can potentially cause the car to start on fire. The dealer stated due to the VIN, the vehicle was not covered under the existing recall.
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 22V656000 (Exterior Lighting), 19V446000 (Power Train), and 17V576000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the fuel gauge failed to read accurately. The headlamp wiring had been deteriorating causing the headlights to malfunction. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. Parts distributions disconnect.
I returned after being away for a few weeks, in May 2021. The solar panel had been on the inner windshield of the car following installation a few months prior. I found the car's 12V battery was almost dead (about 4 Volts), and the solar panel's plastic frame was severely melted, causing it to deform and lift away from the glass solar panel. Photos uploaded below. From reading reviews on this product on the Harbor Freight website, I now see that this is a common problem. I don't know what the cause is. Could be that the cheap plastic is just not made to withstand summer heat (although I have 2 more of these in my other cars, with no problems), and that the severe deformation of the frame somehow shorted something electical inside the panel that caused the car's 12V battery to discharge, heating the glass panel and melting all the surrounding plastic. Or it could be that an electrical problem was the trigger, causing the battery to discharge, etc. Harbor Freight is so far making it extremely difficult to try to raise the problem with them. I think this could be a serious issue, perhaps leading to a car fire. And if it is indeed an electrical fault that triggers this, then it could happen when parked in a garage (no solar heating needed), possibly leading to worse.
The cam shaft actuator has gone out.. Recalled on newer vehicles mine is 2004. Front airbag is also non operational
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 porsche cayenne s. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact heard a loud "boom" noise and fire started coming from the glove box in the interior of the vehicle. Fire marshals were called onto the scene to attempt to extinguish the fire, after 3 hours the fire was extinguished. A report was made with the fire marshals. The contact stated no injuries were sustained at the scene. The vehicle was not towed and remains on contacts property. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with, the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v069000 (electrical system) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that since they did not purchase the vehicle from a porshe dealer there was nothing they could to do assist the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 porsche cayenne. The contact stated he parked the vehicle in his drive way without the emergency break engaged and left to enter his residence. The contact stated within 2-3 minutes later, when exiting his residence, the vehicle inadvertently shifted gears to reverse and rolled away from his residence. The contact stated the vehicle hit two trees, a fence, continued to roll away and hit a second fence which detained the vehicle. Air bags did not deploy. The contact state no one was injured. The contact stated he had to break the rear passenger side window to enter and turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a body shop for body damage repairs. The contact state at that moment he did not contact the dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. The contact states he received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v446000 (power train) in september of 2019. The vehicle was taken porsche of omaha (6625 l st, omaha, ne 68117) where the recall repairs were serviced. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
2004 porsche cayenne. Consumer writes in regards to transmission shift lever safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the vehicle was parked and rolled into another vehicle which, then crashed into a vehicle. The transmission shift lever failed and was replaced. The consumer requested to be reimbursed for the repairs to the vehicles. *js *js - (recall related incident) ts
Compare the 2004 Porsche Cayenne
Other model years
20032004200520062008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Questions about the 2004 Porsche Cayenne
Is the 2004 Porsche Cayenne reliable?
Owners have filed 38 complaints about the 2004 Porsche Cayenne, 1.4 times a typical Cayenne model year.
What is the 2004 Porsche Cayenne year score?
The 2004 Porsche Cayenne scores 53 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Porsche Cayenne: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Porsche Cayenne?
Engine and cooling, with 10 complaints, typically around 91,000 miles. Next is transmission (10).
How many recalls does the 2004 Porsche Cayenne have?
6 recalls, covering exterior lighting, power train and fuel system, gasoline.
What year does the Porsche Cayenne have bad engine?
The Porsche Cayenne model years with the most engine complaints are 2011 (12 complaints) and 2004 (10 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2004 Porsche Cayenne get?
Official estimates for the 2004 Porsche Cayenne range from 14 to 15 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.2L 6-cyl, 4WD) gets 14 city and 18 highway.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Porsche Cayenne?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history