2012 Porsche Cayenne S Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cayenne S years
- Not enough data 5th of 16 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Porsche Cayenne S. That ranks 5th out of 16 Cayenne S model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (5 complaints, 83%), typically at around 85,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 6owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Porsche Cayenne S problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 5 | 83% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 17% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Porsche Cayenne S recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:headlights
Problem: 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."
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.
Exterior lighting:headlights
Problem: Porsche is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 cayenne, cayenne s, cayenne s hybrid, and cayenne turbo vehicles manufactured from march 8, 2010, through january 31, 2012 because the headlamps may come loose and detach from the fender.
Risk: A detached headlight could lead to loss of visibility and an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the headlamp locking assemblies, free of charge. The safety recall began on march 9, 2012. Owners may contact porsche at 1-800-767-7243.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
When driving car, it feels rough and is hard to accelerate so i took it to the dealer and was told it was the transfer case. The transfer case seems to be a manufacture problem and is common among these cars. It's unsafe and almost impossible to drive on the highway .
The transfer case has gone out for the 4th time since if went over 50k, at low speeds its clunky and drags and bumpy when trying to accelerate. I found other individuals having the same problem mutli times as myself and this is not cheap to fix. The dealer knows this is a problem but will not help…
Transfer case failure. Care clunks/drags in low gears.
The porsche dealer informed me the bumping noise while accelerating is the transfer case. It is a common problem on all 2012 cayenne cars. The transfer case will make the bumping noise when accelerating. It will eventually slip to the dangerous point. This is when you accelerate into traffic and…
Faulty transfer case the car had a bumpy and violent shudder at slow speeds when attempting to accelerate. Feels like misfiring and then grinding and the car does not respond to the accelerator. It was dangerous when attempting to accelerate into traffic. I called to make an appointment and with a…
Other Porsche Cayenne S years
← 2011 Cayenne S · 2013 Cayenne S →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 Cayenne S | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 6 | 2 |
| 2011 Cayenne S | 17 | 3 |
| 2009 Cayenne S | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 Cayenne S | 5 | 1 |
| 2007 Cayenne S | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 Cayenne S | 13 | 3 |
| 2005 Cayenne S | 10 | 4 |
| 2004 Cayenne S | 48 | 9 |
| 2003 Cayenne S | 4 | 9 |
See all Porsche Cayenne S problems by year, every Porsche model, or the Porsche VIN decoder.
Similar Porsche models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Porsche Cayenne S?
Owners most often report power train, engine problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 5 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Porsche Cayenne S?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Porsche Cayenne S a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cayenne S model years, the 2012 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.