What 13 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Porsche Cayenne

The high-voltage battery pack in my 2018 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] , approximately 81,000 miles) has experienced a noticeable and progressive reduction in battery range and performance. On February 20, 2026, Porsche White Plains (an authorized Porsche dealer) performed an inspection but was unable to duplicate an active fault code and declined to generate a battery State of Health (SoH%) report. No warranty repair was authorized. Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), Case #XXX, has since moved to close my statutory warranty claim, citing the absence of a duplicated fault. However, under New York State's adopted CARB emission warranty standards (6 NYCRR § 218-9.1), high-voltage propulsion batteries in TZEV/PZEV vehicles are warranted for 10 years or 150,000 miles from the date of original sale. My vehicle was placed in service in 2018 and remains within that statutory coverage window through 2028. PCNA has not addressed this statutory obligation or provided written confirmation of coverage. I also have not received the inspection documentation I formally requested on March 17, 2026, despite no case closure having occurred at the time of that request. As of the date of this filing, PCNA has not responded to my follow-up correspondence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11735314

Driving through a parking lot, less than five miles an hour, and suddenly heard a horrible knocking sound. Stopped and looked under the car. Nothing. Drove it very slowly to mechanic less than a mile away. Front drive shaft had collapsed and fallen down, according to the mechanic.

NHTSA ODI 11706265

The contact owns a 2018 Porsche Cayenne equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Latitude Sport, Tire Size: 295/35/R21, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front passenger’s side of the vehicle, and the front passenger’s side tire started deflating. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road and was later towed to the local dealer who determined that the front passenger’s side tire sidewall had blown out. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that the vehicle had not driven over any object to cause the failure. The tire manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11663218

This is not accident related, but what appears to be a systemic issue related to Cayenne and Macan leather dashboards. The issue is related to delamination of the leather dash cover that can impede the safe deployment of the passenger airbag. Many cars are affected and the repair can be a significant expense to owners (~$10K) for vehicles less than 8 years old. There should be a recall to address a largely unaware owner base for a potential safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11620392

The Porsche Cayenne that equipped with leather dashboard are peeling off over the time. If the vehicle in an accident, the airbag on the passenger side dashboard may not deploy correctly. I am finding many cayenne owners are having this issue. I really hope NTSB can issue a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11610103

While the vehicle was charging, the protective sheath near the power outlet of the charging cable had possible electrical or fire damage. No warning lights were illuminated. Upon turning off the power and unplugging the outlet, it was determined that the plastic near the plug melted and caused the power to short. I have been unsuccessful getting the manufacturer to resolve the issue. A recall under APB6 was issued but did not include model year 2018 which uses the same cable that is impacted with the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11593998

Our 2018 Porsche Cayenne has a problem with the headlights and water intrusion that is affecting the functioning of the headlights. I took it to someone to look at and they said this should not be happening, that it is a manufacturer defect. I googled my car / year and there is a recall for headlight issues but for some reason my VIN is not included. It should be. How do I go about having Porsche North America fix this issue for me?

NHTSA ODI 11512414

The day we took our Porsche home, we noticed a lot of heat generation in the car- but we thought it will be fine going further, given the attention to detail of Porsche's Automobile Engineering. The following days were not any better for my daughter- she missed a major accident because of the unexpected burnt smell and loud warnings of an overheat of the engine by Porsche in the middle of a highway. Due to her excellent driving record for the past 5 years, she was able to manage and stop in the middle of the highway at the curb of the road. She panicked so much so that, she stopped using the Porsche and borrowed our other cars, Benz and Lexus. I requested her to give Porsche another chance yesterday night. The same situation repeated again within a span of 10 minutes of her journey in Porsche; she had to stop in the middle of the road again due to engine overheat and burning smell and I went to pick her up as she got really scared. My son immediately informed the Hennessey Porsche North Atlanta, Georgia, the USA about this repeated situation but seems like they do not care at all. I think you must be aware that Dealerships play the most crucial role between your loyal customers and Porsche. We have not dared to take the Porsche out again after yesterday. The car smelled so burnt, the whole garage smelled bad and we had to move the car into the open driveway. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED $1000.00 IN COMPENSATION. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO BE REFUNDED TOTALLY FOR THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11429183

2018 PORSCHE CAYENNE: AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, RANDOMLY A SERIOUS UNSAFE TO OPERATE 'SERVICE NECESSARY' WARNING APPEARS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS. WITH THE SERVICE NECESSARY WARNING INDICATED, THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO OPERATE. THIS UNSAFE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE WITH CRUISE CONTROL FOR APPROXIMATELY THE NEXT HOUR. THIS BREAKDOWN IS KNOWN TO PORSCHE (VIA THEIR COMMUNICATIONS WITH ME) AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO RECTIFY THE ERROR. IN A 2020 PORSCHE CAYENNE THIS FAILURE HAS BEEN RECTIFIED. ATTACHED, INVOICES FROM FIVE VISITS TO PORSCHE DEALERSHIPS, ALL DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD. ATTACHED ALSO PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN ON VARIOUS DAYS, TIMES AND SPEEDS, AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS OF THE SERVICE NECESSARY WARNING ON INSTRUMENT PANEL AND CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11415736

WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC VEHICLE WILL EXPERIENCE WHAT FEELS LIKE A DEAD SPOT IN THE ACCELERATOR AND THEN LURCH FORWARD AT A HIGH SPEED THIS CONDITION HAS BEEN REPORTED ON NUMEROUS COMPLAINT SITE CONCERNING VARIOUS PORSCHE VEHICLES AND SPECIFICALL CONCERNING PORSCHE CAYENNE DEALER SAYS CAR IS FINE.UNSAFE TO DRIVE SINCE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ODI 11282620

THE CAR LOST POWER AND STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING, THE ROAD WAS THE GARDEN STAT PARKWAY IN NEW JERSEY , HAPPENED IN MID NIGHT

NHTSA ODI 11279818

INTERMITTENT LACK OF ACCELERATION WHEN TAKING LEFT TURNS FROM A DEAD STOP. CAR WAS A DEALER LOANER WITH 9000 MILES ON SPEEDOMETER. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN AUGUST, 2018. WITHIN THE FIRST 1000 MILES AND IN LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS I EXPERIENCED A SERIOUS LACK OF ACCELERATION ON TWO OCCASIONS WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN, I REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT IT WAS PROBABLY DRIVER ERROR CAUSED BY OPERATING THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR USING BOTH FEET. I DO NOT DRIVE AN AUTOMATIC CAR USING TWO FEET. ALSO, I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THEY CHECKED WITH PORSCHE AND THERE ARE RECORDS OF THIS TYPE OF EVENT. I CHECKED ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS DATING BACK SEVERAL YEARS. THIS LACK OF ACCELERATION HAS OCCURRED FOUR MORE TIMES. THE DEALER HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE AND KEPT MY VEHICLE ON TWO OCCASIONS TO TRY AND DUPLICATE THE EVENT TO NO AVAIL. ON ONE OF THESE OCCASIONS THE DEALER REPLACED THE TRANSFER CASE BUT THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. FINALLY, THE DEALER CALLED IN THE PORSCHE ZONE MANAGE WHO I AM TOLD WAS WELL AWARE OF THIS CONDITION AND REFERRED TO IT AS A SAFETY FEATURE TO PREVENT UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. HE CLAIMED THAT THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL OPERATION. I CALL IT A SAFETY HAZARD. IN FOUR MONTHS I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR 3200 MILES. THIS SO-CALLED SAFETY FEATURE HAS ENGAGED ON ONLY SIX OCCASIONS, ALWAYS ON LEFT HAND TURNS FROM A COMPLETE STOP. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I NEVER KNOW WHEN THE ACCELERATION WILL CUT OUT OR HOW LONG I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE. UP TO NOW, THE FEATURE HAS NEVER ENGAGED IN RIGHT HAND TURNS, IN FORWARD OR REVERSE. I HAVE CHECKED THE OWNERS MANUAL CAREFULLY AND THERE IS NO MENTION OF "UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" NOR IS THERE ANY MENTION OF A SAFETY FEATURE PROGRAMMED IN THE CAR. I HAVE REQUESTED THE DEALER TO BY PASS OR ELIMINATE THIS FEATURE BUT THET SAY PORSCHE WON'T ALLOW IT.

NHTSA ODI 11165699

PASSENGER WINDSHIELD WIPER CAME OFF SUDDENLY IN USE WHILE ON HIGHWAY SPEED. CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN A CAR WASH AS DEALER THINKS AND HAS ONLY SIX MONTHS IN SERVICE.THE FORCE BENT SLIGHTLY THE ARM ITSELF AS IT RIPPED OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11139598