2011 Porsche Cayenne Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 37%of 30 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 64,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2011 Porsche Cayenne, 37% of the 30 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 64,000 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.
“Transfer case has failed, jerking and interruption of accelerations. Almost caused a wreck. Very well known problem and there are a lot of similar complaints on the NHTSA complaint log system as well as documented online. I called Porsche and they denied knowing about any problem with it but you can call the service departments at any Porsche dealer and they immediately know about the problem. I called two and they know of it as a common problem. Extremely expensive to correct ($5,000).”
NHTSA complaint #11267906, filed 2019-10, 75,000 miles“Transfer case while driving started jerking while on the highway.. It has slowly gotten worse and has become dangerous to drive as I almost have got into a few accidents due to the surge in sudden jerks. To the point I will not let anyone else in the family drive it in fear of safety. I took it to the shop and was told it needs a new $5,000 transfer case. A local Porsche shop told me this is a known manufacturer's issue and very common in these cars - due to a known defect in the transfer case and can be dangerous, but no recall (known) so far. …”
NHTSA complaint #11324569, filed 2020-05, 45,000 miles“I have had the transfer case replaced in this vehicle twice in the last 25k miles. At 65k miles the car is doing the familiar grinding and surging again, evident it will need a third $5-6000 transfer case. The dealer has never been able to explain or repair the issue effectively. The manufacturer does not reply to inquiries, it is my request that they be forced to provide a permanent, reliable fix for this issue. I'm worried this could cause a safety issue under the right circumstance since it happens while the car is in motion. …”
NHTSA complaint #11180247, filed 2019-02, 64,000 miles“Very dangerous situation with my 2011 Cayenne s -- just replaced transfer case in july 2017 (less than 3 years ago) due to unexpected pausing/hesitating when accelerating, and now the exact same problem occurred again!!! Searched online and read similar comments made by others with the same problem. Porsche has to recall and fix this -- it's very dangerous and could be life-threatening.”
NHTSA complaint #11328197, filed 2020-06, 45,000 miles“Car had transfer case replaced at 20k and now told to do again at 46k. Sudden jerk and loss of acceleration when car is going from 3 to 4 gear or under 25mph. Issue seems to be pretty much on most cayennes and cost $5000 to repair. Mine is a 2014 model”
NHTSA complaint #11298556, filed 2020-01, 46,000 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…
- 11032387Apr 17, 2026Parts information for parts withdrawal involving the transmission oil. Part number 00004321012 is affected - the vehicles that use this part number should be included.
- 11032274Apr 8, 2026Parts information for parts withdrawal involving the transmission oil. The vehicles affected are ones that use the part number 00004330563
- 11030909Mar 5, 2026Parts information for parts withdrawal involving the transmission fluid. Part number 00004321048. The cars affected are ones that use the part number listed.
- 11029202Feb 27, 2026Parts information for parts withdrawal involving the (00004321048) Transmission fluid. The vehicles affected are ones that use the part number mentioned.
- 11029150Feb 12, 2026Parts information for parts withdrawal involving the 7 speed dual clutch gear box. Part numbers 0BG300047 and 0BG300047X are affected. Cars that are involved are ones that use…
- 11024071Sep 12, 2025Parts information for parts withdrawal involving the rear axle steering. The part numbers are 992501031H, 992501032H, 992501033AB, 992501033AC. The vehicles affected are cars…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 20% |
| 2021 | 2 | 10% |
| 2020 | 4 | 17% |
| 2019 | 6 | 13% |
| 2018 | 1 | 8% |
| 2017 | 1 | 6% |
| 2016 | 7 | 18% |
| 2015 | 3 | 21% |
| 2014 | 17 | 32% |
| 2013 | 16 | 40% |
| 2012 | 12 | 44% |
| 2011 | 11 | 37% |
| 2009 | 6 | 40% |
| 2008 | 6 | 22% |
| 2006 | 8 | 20% |
| 2005 | 4 | 13% |
| 2004 | 10 | 26% |
Other parts of the 2011 Porsche Cayenne
12 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsElectrical system
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsForward collision avoidance
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2011 Porsche Cayenne
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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