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2004 Porsche Cayenne S Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 48 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Porsche Cayenne S, most often about the engine (35% of complaints, typically around 67,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Cayenne S model year since 2000 and has 9 recalls.
Most common 2004 Porsche Cayenne S problems
Engine
17 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine.
The Porsche cayenne (and other Porsche models) have a coolant leak problem. My vehicle's "low coolant level" light came on. I checked the coolant level and found it to be severely low. The Porsche dealer service (and on-line forums) report that Porsche cayenne engines are encountering a coolant leak problem that…
Coolant line/plastic coolant hose failure. I was driving in traffic and my low coolant light appeared. Within seconds, the car began smoking and the temp. Gage rapidly began to rise. I had to turn the car off immediately in the middle of traffic to avoid possible engine failure. I towed the car to my mechanic and he…
Transmission
14 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 71,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
Severe vibration/noise in main rear drive shaft. Failure of rubber bushing component on center support bearing causes severe instability of drive shaft. Potential for loss of drive train component at speed. First failure at 72000 miles. Dealer admits that there have been multiple instances of failure on vehicles…
Car was driving normal. Parked in garage and 2 hours later took back out for short drive. Reaching 25 MPH, car begin shaking violently and than as accelerated further stopped shaking. Pulled over, than accelerated again slowly, car begin shaking at approx 50 MPH. Slowed again. And car continued to shake violently at…
Fuel system
8 complaints · 17%The contact owns a 2004 Porsche Cayenne S. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an unrelated repair. The technician smelled an odor of fuel outside of the vehicle and detected that a substantial amount of fuel leaked onto the ground continuously. The vehicle was not repaired.…
Electrical
7 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 77,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring.
The rear brake lights (left, right and high mounted) remain lit at all times, as does the rear right and left fog lights. Turning lights on or off has no effect. Depressing the brake pedal has no effect. This problem has occurred randomly and inconsistently and when the car has been unoccupied and unattended as well…
Driver side door will not open from inside or outside without warning luckily it happened to my young son so he could get out and get in from other door to drive to dealer. Dealer had to replace the new door lock, according to dealer same thing had happened to few cars.in the past. My concern is what would have…
Doors and locks
4 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: hatchback/liftgate, doors.
Tail gate fails to remain open in cold weather. It fell, striking the back of a person. The weather was below 32 degrees f and there was no snow or ice on the tail gate. Appears that springs/hydraulic devices fail in cold weather.
Wheels and tires
4 complaints · 8%- the contact stated that while driving the 2004 Porsche cayenne at 35 MPH the vehicle in front of her stopped abruptly and she rear ended the vehicle. The driver's side air bag did not deploy. The contact sustained chest and neck injuries , bumps and bruises, and was transported to a hospital. Tischer Porsche…
2004 Porsche Cayenne S with 15,000 miles had flat tire. Defective collapsible spare tire provided by Porsche failed to inflate after repeated attempts by Porsche roadside assistance and could not be used. Collapsible spare is vredestein spacemaster 195/75-18 106p , dot: dvvb4103.. , e4 0216520. Collapsible spare tire…
Brakes
3 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components.
Vehicle failed on at least three occasions to initiate ABS steering to stay in lane on snow packed road on downhill grade. Brakes initially grabbed and four wheel drive would not react to driver input to obtain steering control during prolonged slide. Vehicle was equipped as sold without modifications.
- the contact stated that while driving the 2004 Porsche cayenne at 35 MPH the vehicle in front of her stopped abruptly and she rear ended the vehicle. The driver's side air bag did not deploy. The contact sustained chest and neck injuries , bumps and bruises, and was transported to a hospital. Tischer Porsche…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Porsche Cayenne S recalls
Lights: headlights
Risk: Improperly adjusted headlights may not illuminate the road properly, or cause a glare to oncoming drivers, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the headlights for sealing caps and install missing caps as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed october 28, 2022. Owners may contact porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is anb4.
Full defect summary
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 cover the low-beam headlight horizontal adjustment screws are missing, which can allow the headlights to be improperly adjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
Risk: If the vehicle is exited without the transmission being in park and without the parking brake being applied, the vehicle may unexpectedly move, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. Owners are instructed to use the parking brake until their vehicle is repaired. The recall began august 9, 2019. Owners may contact porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is akb1.
Full defect summary
Porsche cars north america, inc. (porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2006 cayenne s, cayenne turbo, 2004-2010 cayenne, 2006 cayenne turbo s, 2010-2016 panamera s, panamera 4 s, panamera turbo, 2011-2016 panamera, panamera 4, 2012-2013 panamera turbo s, 2013-2016 panamera 4 gts, 2014-2016 panamera 4 s executive, panamera turbo executive, panamera turbo s g1 II, panamera turbo s executive, 2013 panamera 4 platinum edition, panamera platinum edition, 2016 panamera 4 edition, panamera edition, panamera turbo s executive luxury sports vehicles. The bushing that attaches the gear selector lever to the gearbox may degrade over time, causing the bushing to detach. This condition could allow the driver to move the shift lever to park and remove the ignition key, while the transmission may not be in park, with no warning message or audible chime.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel filter flanges with new filter flanges that have a protective film, free of charge. The recall began july 6, 2018. Owners may contact porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is ah10.
Full defect summary
Porsche cars north america, inc. (porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2006 cayenne s and cayenne turbo vehicles, 2004-2006 cayenne vehicles, and 2006 cayenne s "titanium" edition vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Seat belts
Risk: When involved in a crash, the child restraints may not be properly secured increasing the risk of injury or death to the seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will permanently install a clip in either of the affected rear outboard seat belts and provide an owner's manual insert. The clips will prevent unwarranted conversion from alr to elr mode with child seat installation. The recall began may 17, 2005. Owners should contact porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Full defect summary
Certain passenger cars fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." all three rear seat positions and the front passenger position are equipped with seat belt retractors that have a locking feature which converts the retractor from an emergency locking retractor (elr) mode to an automatic locking retractor (alr) mode for the purposes of child restraint installation. The belt may deactivate the alr mode with certain child restraints.
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the belt buckle latch and, if necessary, replace the latch. Owner notification began on june 1, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles, the rear seat belt latch attachment bolt is insufficient riveted.
Electrical: front underhood
Risk: In extreme cases, to a cable fire beneath the instrument panel in the passenger compartment.
Fix: Dealers will re-route the wiring harness. Owner notification schedule began on march 29, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the main wiring harness was incorrectly routed. Damage to the main wiring harness can lead to the failure of various electrical systems.
Seats
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat frame could break, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's side seat frame. Owner notification began on march 29, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the driver's side seat frames were not adequately welded.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: Continued operation of the vehicle could result in a fracture of the transfer case housing. Incorrect torque would then be applied to the driven wheels or oil could leak and contact the tires.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the transfer case housing and, if necessary, replace the transfer case. Owner notification began on may 3, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Full defect summary
Certain sport utility vehicles may have had a transfer case installed that could, due to changes in the housing casting, result in the oil pump rotation. Should this occur, oil starvation of the internal gears might result.
Equipment: labels
Risk: The vehicle operator will not be informed of the vehicle's gvwr and gawr.
Fix: Dealers will apply the corrected label. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the affected vehicles may be missing the gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr) and gross axle weight ratings (gawr) on the certification label as required by part 567.4(g)(3) and (g)(4).
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Srs warning light illumination
Summary
Porsche is initiating a customer notification action to address a condition related to a faulty or loose connector in the side airbag system.porsche's testing has shown that the faulty connector will not prevent side airbag deployment.the faulty connector will cause the circuit resistance to exceed the threshold for illumination of the air bag warning light.porsche has reported a large number of warranty claims for illumination of the air bag warning light and many vehicles have been serviced to correct this condition as described in the cayenne technical information bulletin: group 6, #11/04 airbag warning light activated.porsche will perform this service to all remaining uncorrected vehicl
Srs warning light illumination
Summary
During the preliminary evaluation phase, odi identified 76 owner complaints and 6,582 warranty claims related to airbag warning light illumination from either a faulty side-impact airbag module or wiring harness.to date, there has been no allegation of crash, injury or death reported.porsche reports that a bad batch of modules was produced during mid-november to mid-december, 2003.however, porsche?s warranty data indicates that most of the modules replaced under warranty were on vehicles built before and after this period indicating that the issue could be more widespread.porsche reports that the wiring harness malfunction is due to a faulty connector leading to the airbag module as a result
Questions about the 2004 Porsche Cayenne S
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Porsche Cayenne S?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (17 complaints, typically around 67,000 miles); transmission (14 complaints, typically around 71,000 miles); fuel system (8 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Porsche Cayenne S have?
- 9 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 30, 2022 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Porsche Cayenne S?
- It is the most complained-about Cayenne S model year since 2000, with 48 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.
Other Porsche Cayenne S years
- 2004