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What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (51)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (24)Transmission & drivetrain (16)Airbags (3)Brakes (3)Electrical system (3)Engine & cooling (2)Lights (2)Speed control (2)Driver assistance (1)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)

2 of 51 complaints match · Engine & cooling · clear filters

Sep 2, 2011Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrain

WHEN ROLLING SLOWLY (<15MPH) 1-2 SECOND STALL/BOG AFTER PRESSING ACCELERATOR BEFORE CAR ACCELERATES, CREATING A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE ESP WHEN MERGING WITH TRAFFIC, CHANGING LANES, ETC. *TR PORSCHE NORTH AMERICA DENIES THIS IS A PROBLEM AFTER INSPECTION AND SAYS ITS "PERFORMING TO SPECIFICATION". SEPARATELY, SEVERAL PORSCHE DEALERS HAVE VERBALLY ACKNOLWEDGED AND/OR CONFIRMED THIS ISSUE AND CALL IT A "FIRST YEAR" HYBRID MODEL PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 10423070

May 18, 2011Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrainElectrical system

VEHICLE FAILS TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP INTERMITTENTLY. VEHICLE HESITATES/ BOGS DOWN FOR 5 TO 8 SECONDS BEFORE ACCELERATING REGARDLESS OF THE THROTTLE POSITION. THIS INTERMITTENT FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED OR REPLICATED BY THE DEALER NOR REPAIRED. IT IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IT IMPAIRS THE DRIVERS ABILITY TO ENTER FLOWING TRAFFIC SAFELY. THE FAULT HAS OCCURRED 9 TIMES ALREADY.

NHTSA ODI 10401992

Working with the data? Download all 51 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Porsche Cayenne S verdict →