PORSCHE CAYENNE S · model year

2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S

6 NHTSA complaints, and 1 recall campaign listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008PORSCHECAYENNE S carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2008 CAYENNE S is engine with 4 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and fuel/propulsion system (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 1 NHTSA recall campaign listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 2008 CAYENNE S. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1

Recalls (1)

22V65600030/08/2022

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

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

Recent Complaints

20180914ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL, HIGH PRESSURE, AND PRESSURE PUMPS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

Mileage: 120,000

20180914FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL, HIGH PRESSURE, AND PRESSURE PUMPS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

Mileage: 120,000

20180122ENGINE

COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BOLTED TO THE BACK OF ENGINE BLOCK HAS A GLUED -IN PIPE THAT CONNECTS TO A HOSE. THE GLUED-IN PIPE IS LEAKING AND HALF WAY PUSHED OUT OF THE DISTRIBUTOR. THE IMMINENT FAILURE OF THIS PART COULD HAVE CAUSED IMMEDIATE OVERHEAT AND FIRE DUE TO CATASTROPHIC COOLANT SYSTEM FAILURE. THE REPAIR IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. PORSCHE HAS A NEW PART THAT HAS THE PIPE THREADED IN INSTEAD OF GLUED. PORSCHE SHOULD RECALL THIS AND PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND SAFETY ISSUE. IMAGINE 8 GALLONS OF HOT COOLANT DISCHARGING ALL OVER, SAY A MOTORCYCLIST GOING 70 MPH. THIS ISSUE WAS NOTICED WHILE DOING OTHER COOLANT SYSTEM MAINTENANCE THAT WAS ALSO NECESSITATED BY POOR DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE.

Mileage: 129,000

20161019ENGINE

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. ACCELERATING AS I WAS MERGING INTO THE HIGHWAY. I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK. CHECK COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I STOPPED I SAW COOLANT EVERYWHERE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE GLUE FROM THE COOLANT TUBES FAILED AND NEEDS TO INSTALL NEW COOLANT PIPES. *TR

Mileage: 98,000

20160202ENGINE

THE DISTRIBUTOR COLLECTOR COOLANT SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE PIPES HAS FAILED. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY THE PORSCHE CORPORATE OFFICE THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OR RECALLS ON FILE. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. ON THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE COOLANT LIGHT APPEARED (NO OTHER SYMPTOMS), I DID NOT HIT A BUMP, IT WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AS IF IT WAS ON FIRE.

Mileage: 111,000

20100224POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ON MY 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S ( PURCHASED IN MARCH 2007) I HAVE AT LEAST 3 TIMES EXPERIENCED A INCORRECT DOWNSHIFT INITIATED BY THE AUTOMOBILE IN ALL CASES THE CAR/COMPUTER OBVIOUSLY WANTED TO SHIFT DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR ( GOING UP A STEEP HILL AT HIGHWAY SPEED, TRAVERSING A STEEP PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEED) ETC RATHER THAN SHIFTING ONE GEAR THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE SHIFTED 2 OR 3 GEARS AT ONE TIME THE ENGINE REVVED TO ABOUT 5000 RPM WITHIN THE RED LINE LIMITS- VERY NOISY AND DISCONCERTING I EXITED THE PROBLEM BY MANUALLY SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL WHICH CLEARED THE PROBLEM THEN BACK TO DRIVE I REPORTED THE ISSUE TO MY DEALER WHO OBVIOUSLY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE VERY INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, HE ALSO SAYS HE CHECKED THE COMPUTER LOG AND COULD NOT FIND ANY REPORT AND THAT THERE NO SERVICE BULLETINS RELATING I THINK THAT THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BEING POTENTIALLY A MAJOR DRIVER DISTRACTION. *TR

Mileage: 10,000

Compare 2008PORSCHECAYENNE S to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S have?
The 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S?
Yes, the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S?
The most-complained component for the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S is ENGINE with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.
Is the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.