2008 Porsche Cayenne Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 22%of 27 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 86,750miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine of the 2008 Porsche Cayenne, 22% of the 27 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 86,750 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“We found a huge leak in the coolant system while the car was parked, a porshe technician identified that on the coolant distributor behind the engine there is a coupler which was glued onto the distributor. The glue detached and the coolant pipe blew out causing the entire engine to lose coolant. I believe that it is a pure design issue and Porsche did not issue a recall on it. It was very expensive to fix that problem due to bad design.”
NHTSA complaint #10588252, filed 2014-05, 102,000 miles“While leaving my home in my 2008 Porsche Cayenne turbo, the car started hesitating and then stalled out with a pdc error. After taking it in to the local Porsche dealership they reported finding nothing. The issue would occur 2 more times and I took it to a local mechanic specializing in porsches who stated it was the throttle body. This was replaced however the issue is reoccurring with supplement errors such as chassis and check engine. My issue isn't uncommon please see provided links where others have had the same problems with their pdcc system. …”
NHTSA complaint #10730234, filed 2015-06, 84,000 miles“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”
NHTSA complaint #11209077, filed 2019-05, 55,300 miles“On the backside of this v8 engine there is a coolant distribution tube that has coolant barb pressed into the cast aluminum distribution tube with adhesive. While driving from wor to home, the adhesive failed 19mar20 causing the barb to slip out of the tube allowing large amounts of coolant to gush over the hot exhaust and out from under the Cayenne. The engine control unit recognized low coolant level the dash panel flagged low coolant and the vehicle was pulled over before overheating the engine. …”
NHTSA complaint #11318783, filed 2020-03, 140,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11037816Sep 22, 2026Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils. Note that this bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which C40 engine oils are…
- 11037813Sep 22, 2026Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils. Note that the bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which C20 engine oils are…
- 11037812Sep 22, 2026Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils. Note that the bulletin includes all models back to model year 1984, for which C30 engine oils are…
- 11037808Sep 22, 2026Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils. Note that this bulletin covers all vehicles from model year 1997 to 2020, for which A40 engine oils…
- 11035916Jul 22, 2026Allocation of Approved Engine Oils MY 2027 (13/26)
- 11034777Jun 25, 2026Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils (20/26)
- 11034776Jun 25, 2026Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils (19/26)
- 11034775Jun 25, 2026Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils (21/26)
- 11034774Jun 25, 2026Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils (15/26)
- 11034773Jun 25, 2026Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils (16/26)
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | 14% |
| 2020 | 7 | 29% |
| 2019 | 6 | 13% |
| 2018 | 3 | 23% |
| 2017 | 3 | 17% |
| 2016 | 5 | 13% |
| 2015 | 3 | 21% |
| 2014 | 5 | 9% |
| 2013 | 7 | 18% |
| 2012 | 4 | 15% |
| 2011 | 12 | 40% |
| 2008 | 6 | 22% |
| 2006 | 3 | 7% |
| 2005 | 1 | 3% |
| 2004 | 9 | 24% |
Other parts of the 2008 Porsche Cayenne
7 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
6 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaintsSuspension
2 complaintsTires
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Porsche Cayenne
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology