2008 Porsche Cayenne: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 27 owner complaints on record; most reports concern power train; the 2009 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Aug 2022
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2008 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V446000 (Power Train) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer previously completed the recall remedy. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was sent confirmation of the VIN being clear of recalls. In addition, the contact stated that the VINTool shows 1 recall associated with the VIN however, per the NHTSA VIN Tool shows no recalls associated with the VIN.”Owner report · Power Train · Oct 2025
“The contact owns a 2008 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he smelled a strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that others had also informed him that the vehicle had a strong gasoline odor. The contact stated that the gasoline odor was coming from the rear passenger's side and rear driver's side seats. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure via email. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Jan 2022
“There is a strong odor of fuel coming from the driver's rear wheel well. A recall exists for 03-06 models, but my 08 is suffering the from the same issue.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Oct 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“Coolant distributor barb came unglued causing loss of coolant on highway. Car was in motion on the highway. This is a common issue and porsche has updated the part however will not warranty the defective parts still on vehicles.”Owner report · Engine · Oct 2020
“Porsche cayenne have water drain design issue. When raining or wash the car, the water drain clog will make water flood the inside of the vehicles, and damage the wires under the driver's side and passenger side. This is a common issue, porsche know this, but not fix it.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2020
“Parked vehicle and attempted to turn off got a red alert steering faulty,everything locked up including transmission and window switches..had to be flat bedded to a porsche dealership took a week for them to figure out,had to replace steering column.concern is what would have happened if driving at the time..got no answer”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2019
“This is a porsche cayanne 2008. The windshield wipers on my vehicle will suddenly stop working. This issue can happen if the car is in motion or stationary, street or highway driving. It is very unpredictable. The wipers can stop operation for a variable amount of time. At times I have to turn off the car to get them to work again. Sometimes they will remain inoperable from seconds to 15-20 minutes, and restart on their own. At times if I am driving in the rain the windshield wipers will cut off and not restart or restart after a period of time, preventing proper visibility.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Apr 2019
“Engine running increasingly rough on acceleration. Mechanic found driveshaft failure due to excessive axial play from center driveshaft support bearing. Driveshaft replaced. More than 50 similar failures are documented on gotaclassaction.com. I've attached complaint to porsche, their response and repair invoice. *tt*jb consumer stated parts was ordered. *jb”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2008 porsche cayenne. While the vehicle was idling, an abnormal sound was heard. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the air suspension tank was detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to porsche of south shore (185 w sunrise hwy, freeport, ny) where the failure was confirmed, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.”Owner report · Suspension · Aug 2018
“My car is garage kept and very low miles (70k+) since I work mostly from home. I suddenly started to hear a bad noise coming from the bottom of the car and could feel the car shaking whenever started to accelerate. Took to a porsche specialized mechanic that told me it is a recurring issue on the cayenne. Long store short, spent two thousand dollars to fix the issue.”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2017
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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.
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.
PORSCHE IS RECALLING 5,573 MY 2008 CAYENNE V6 VEHICLES. A FUEL LINE IN THE PLENUM PANEL AREA MAY CONTACT THE REAR ENGINE COMPARTMENT COVER. RELATIVE MOVEMENTS OF THE ENGINE WHILE DRIVING MAY CAUSE KNOCKING NOISES AND CHAFING ON THE FUEL LINE. A FUEL LEAK MAY DEVELOP.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REROUTE THE FUEL LINE AND INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL SPACER RING FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 15, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PORSCHE AT 1-800-767-7243.
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."
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2008 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Cayenne by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Porsche Cayenne reliable?
NHTSA has 27 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 Porsche Cayenne. The most complained-about area is power train.
Does the 2008 Porsche Cayenne have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl). Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.