IllustrationWHEN DRIVING CAR, IT FEELS ROUGH AND IS HARD TO ACCELERATE SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE TRANSFER CASE. THE TRANSFER CASE SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURE PROBLEM AND IS COMMON AMONG THESE CARS. IT'S UNSAFE AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY .
2012 Porsche Cayenne S
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cayenne S years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 3 of 6 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
6 reportsTHE TRANSFER CASE HAS GONE OUT FOR THE 4TH TIME SINCE IF WENT OVER 50K, AT LOW SPEEDS ITS CLUNKY AND DRAGS AND BUMPY WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. I FOUND OTHER INDIVIDUALS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM MUTLI TIMES AS MYSELF AND THIS IS NOT CHEAP TO FIX. THE DEALER KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT HELP WITH COST
TRANSFER CASE FAILURE. CARE CLUNKS/DRAGS IN LOW GEARS.
THE PORSCHE DEALER INFORMED ME THE BUMPING NOISE WHILE ACCELERATING IS THE TRANSFER CASE. IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON ALL 2012 CAYENNE CARS. THE TRANSFER CASE WILL MAKE THE BUMPING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING. IT WILL EVENTUALLY SLIP TO THE DANGEROUS POINT. THIS IS WHEN YOU ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC AND THE TRANSFER CASE ONLY SLIPS AND…
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THE PORSCHE DEALER INFORMED ME THE BUMPING NOISE WHILE ACCELERATING IS THE TRANSFER CASE. IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON ALL 2012 CAYENNE CARS. THE TRANSFER CASE WILL MAKE THE BUMPING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING. IT WILL EVENTUALLY SLIP TO THE DANGEROUS POINT. THIS IS WHEN YOU ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC AND THE TRANSFER CASE ONLY SLIPS AND LEAVES THE SITTING IN TRAFFIC UNABLE TO MOVE. THE REPAIR IS $5000 AND REPLACES THE TRANSFER CASE. THE NEW TRANSFER CASE CORRECTS THE DESIGN FLAW. THE FLAW WAS IN THE TRANSFER CASE VENTS THAT WOULD ALLOW WATER TO BUILD UP IN THE CASE. THE NEW CASE COMES WITH VENT TUBES INSTALLED SO THE CASE CAN VENT PROPERLY AND WATER DOESN'T BUILD UP IN THE TRANSFER CASE FLUID. IT IS A SHAME THAT THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS BETWEEN 30,000 AND 80,000 MILES. IF I PAY $60, 000 -$100,000 FOR A CAR I WOULD EXPECT TO GET PAST 100,000 MILES BEFORE A MAJOR REPAIR. HOPEFULLY I DON'T GET KILLED IN TRAFFIC WHEN IT STARTS SLIPPING MORE.
FAULTY TRANSFER CASE THE CAR HAD A BUMPY AND VIOLENT SHUDDER AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. FEELS LIKE MISFIRING AND THEN GRINDING AND THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR. IT WAS DANGEROUS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC. I CALLED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND WITH A SIMPLE EXPLANATION THEY DI…
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FAULTY TRANSFER CASE THE CAR HAD A BUMPY AND VIOLENT SHUDDER AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. FEELS LIKE MISFIRING AND THEN GRINDING AND THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR. IT WAS DANGEROUS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC. I CALLED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND WITH A SIMPLE EXPLANATION THEY DIAGNOSED IT OVER THE PHONE. THE DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THESE TRANSFER CASES WERE FAILING REGULARLY AND THAT THE PARTS WERE REDESIGNED AND EVEN STOCKED IN THE DEALERSHIP SINCE IT HAPPENS SO REGULARLY. WITH A BASIC SEARCH OF THE INTERNET IT IS APPARENT THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AND THAT PORSCHE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE DESIGN FLAW BUT THEY ARE NOT CHOOSING TO RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURER WHETHER THE CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 PORSCHE CAYENNE S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V368000 (ENGINE). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFI…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 PORSCHE CAYENNE S. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V368000 (ENGINE). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. *TT
Official recalls
222V656000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Aug 30, 2022
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
12V065000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Feb 21, 2012
PORSCHE IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CAYENNE, CAYENNE S, CAYENNE S HYBRID, AND CAYENNE TURBO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 8, 2010, THROUGH JANUARY 31, 2012 BECAUSE THE HEADLAMPS MAY COME LOOSE AND DETACH FROM THE FENDER.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A DETACHED HEADLIGHT COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF VISIBILITY AND AN INCREASED RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: PORSCHE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLAMP LOCKING ASSEMBLIES, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PORSCHE AT 1-800-767-7243.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.