There are 3 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2013 Porsche Cayennein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
AT 52361 MILEAGE, FOUND OIL LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE. THE FRONT ENGINE COVER IS LEAKING AND WILL NEED TO BE RESEALED. ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REMOVED AND ALIGNMENT WILL BE NECESSARY DUE TO DISRUPTION OF SUB FRAME AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS.
THE PORSCHE CAYENNE DIESEL IS DESIGNED TO NOT RESTART WHEN THE ADBLUE EXHAUST CHEMICAL IS TOO LOW. THIS SEEMS REASONABLE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE IS ALSO DESIGNED TO NOT RESTART WHEN THE ADBLUE REACHES A LOW POINT, EVEN WHEN IT IS REFILLED TO FULL CAPACITY. ACCORDING TO PORSCHE THE VEHICLE MUST BE BROUGHT TO AN CERTIFIED PORSCHE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS TO BE RESET, SO THE CAR CAN BE DRIVEN. AGAIN, THIS OCCURS EVEN WHEN THE ADBLUE IF REFILLED TO FULL CAPACITY. THIS SEEMS TO BE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AND/OR EXPENSIVE SITUATION SHOULD THE ADBLUE REACH THIS LOW POINT AND THE VEHICLE IS A SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE FROM A CERTIFIED PORSCHE DEALERSHIP.
I EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH MY 2013 CAYENNE S THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY INVESTIGATED (PE13-009) BY THE NHTSA IN THE PORSCHE 911. WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY THE COOLANT HOSE COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE HOUSING CAUSING THE CAR TO RAPIDLY OVERHEAT WITHOUT WARNING. EXCESSIVE SMOKE FORCED MY WIFE TO PULL OVER AND TO EXIT THE VEHICLE WITH 2 SMALL CHILDREN IN AN UNSAFE AREA OF THE HIGHWAY. A PORSCHE SERVICE FACILITY DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AND REPLACED THE COMPONENT AT A COST OF $5,343.56. THE VEHICLE WAS 4.5 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF THE REPAIR. IN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE I FOUND NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE AND FOUND A RESPONSE FROM PORSCHE RELATING TO PE13-009 DATED 9/17/2013 (ATTACHED). IN PORSCHE'S RESPONSE TO QUESTION 10, THEY CLAIM THAT THE ADHESIVE APPLICATION WAS AUTOMATED AND THERE WERE NO FURTHER MODIFICATIONS OR CHANGES PLANNED. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY SUBSEQUENTLY BEGAN THREADING THE PART IN QUESTION INSTEAD OF SIMPLY USING ADHESIVES. IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION 13C PORSCHE LISTED ONLY 2011 TO 2014 CAYENNE MODELS THAT USE A SIMILAR COOLANT PIPE CONNECTION METHOD (ADHESIVE) HOWEVER IT APPEARS THE CAYENNE GOING BACK AS FAR AS 2007 HAS A SIMILAR CONNECTION BASED ON INTERNET COMPLAINTS. IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION 14A PORSCHE LISTS RACETRACK USE AND LOW OR NON APPROVED COOLANT AS CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. IN MY SITUATION THE CAR IS USED MORE AS A MINIVAN THAN A RACE CAR. IT HAS BEEN SERVICED AT ALL RECOMMENDED INTERVALS AND ONLY AT PORSCHE SERVICE LOCATIONS. FINALLY I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE CAYENNE AND PANAMERA ARE BOTH FRONT ENGINE VEHICLES AS COMPARED TO THE 911 THAT WAS INITIALLY INVESTIGATED RAISING NEW CONCERNS ABOUT THE LOSS OF TRACTION FROM THE LEAKAGE LOCATION. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THE ISSUE BE RE-EXAMINED BASED ON THE ABOVE AND GIVEN THERE ARE FAR GREATER NUMBERS OF CAYENNES ON THE ROAD THAN THE 911. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026