CSR

Porsche · NHTSA safety record

2021 Porsche Cayenne

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

18

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Porsche Cayenne have filed 18 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2021 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 of them (33%). The typical failure was reported at 48,000 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (5)

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

25V896000 · December 19, 2025

The defect
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2019-2025 Cayenne, Cayenne E-Hybrid, 2020-2025 911, Taycan, 2024-2025 Panamera, and 2025 Panamera E-Hybrid vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview image that does not display properly reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the driver assistance software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is ASB2. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 19, 2026.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. · up to 172,107 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:REAR

22V040000 · January 28, 2022

The defect
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Cayenne vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-271 (AMA9) were performed.
The risk
Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 10, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is ANA1.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. · up to 1,241 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:COLUMN

21V493000 · June 30, 2021

The defect
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2021 Cayenne vehicles. The screw connection between the steering column and steering box may fail, which can result in a detached steering column.
The risk
A detached steering column can cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will install a new screw, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB4.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. · up to 27 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

21V318000 · May 5, 2021

The defect
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2021 Cayenne GTS, Cayenne GTS Coupe, 2020-2021 Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne S Coupe, Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe vehicles. The passenger seat back heating element was not installed and may impact the calibration of the Occupant Classification System.
The risk
The front passenger air bag may fail to deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will install a heating element, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2021. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB0.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. · up to 136 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY

21V271000 · April 21, 2021

The defect
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2021 Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne GTS, Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne S Coupe, Cayenne Turbo Coupe, and Cayenne GTS Coupe vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
The risk
A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lock nuts, free of charge. The recall began on June 18, 2021. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMA9.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. · up to 1,568 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 18.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 33%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 22%
AIR BAGS 3 17%
ENGINE 2 11%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 11%
POWER TRAIN 2 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 11%
STEERING 2 11%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 6%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 4.

2021 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STEERING

towed · 750 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the steering wheel felt loose. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the tie rod bolt, track bolt, and hexagon head bolt needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted and the steering wheel was making abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer - Porsche South Shore (185 W Sunrise Hwy, Freeport, NY 11520) who test drove the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the abnormal sounds. An unknown part was replaced. The contact stated that the failure

NHTSA complaint 11453894, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery completely discharged and the safety switch in the battery malfunctions and battery can not be charged again. There are many complaints seen online about the battery problems Porsche has. This strands the car and me the driver. The dealer and independent mechanics said the same. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure.

NHTSA complaint 11755286. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Vehicle Information: 2021 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid (VIN: [XXX]) Description of Defect: While operating the vehicle, the steering column bolt physically backed out and detached, causing an immediate, complete loss of steering control. This exact mechanical failure mirrors NHTSA Safety Recall 21V-493 (Porsche Campaign AMB4), which addressed loose, under-torqued steering column bolts leaving the factory. My specific VIN was excluded from the narrow initial recall population, proving a factory tracking failure by the manufacturer. The authorized Porsche dealership confirmed the failure stating the bolt backed out due to "vibrations." A vital steering bolt backing out under normal road

NHTSA complaint 11744923, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Instrument cluster anti-glare film or delamination on center and left instrument cluster. The film is wearing away in certain irregular sport and shapes. The overall wear is impacting the visibility to the center cluster under certain conditions leading to obscure visibility to important information, including vehicle speed or other warning light. It has been raised to the dealer, then to Porsche NA, but the dealer has stated they (Porsche NA) will not cover the repair, even though the vehicle is under a CPO warranty. This first started appearing this year and has gotten worse over time. No unusual cleaning, harsh chemicals or other abrasive object were used. The nature of film is slick

NHTSA complaint 11737123, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

48,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Porsche Cayenne. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V896000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rearview camera failed to display a clear image on the screen. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the rear vehicle detection sensor failed to alert the driver of a nearby vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA complaint 11723260. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

90,000 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Porsche Cayenne. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase on 5/29/25, the mileage was 21,000. The contact had taken the vehicle to another dealer for other repairs, and the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was flagged for Odometer Fraud, and the actual mileage was 90,000. The dealer found an odometer tampering device still located on the vehicle, but deactivated the device. The contact called the State Attorney General's Office for New Jersey.

NHTSA complaint 11692345. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
I am reporting a safety defect with my 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS. The leather dashboard is delaminating and lifting away from its underlying structure. This defect is concerning because: The delamination is occurring on the drivers side but will eventually expand in the area covering the passenger-side airbag. If the airbag deploys, the raised/lifted dashboard material may interfere with or obstruct proper deployment, posing a serious risk to passenger safety. Porsche Cars North America (PNA) has been notified, but they classify this issue as “cosmetic” and refuse to repair it voluntarily under warranty or goodwill. Furthermore, The issue was not disclosed by the dealer at purchase. I have

NHTSA complaint 11690525, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Porsche Cayenne

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 23 4
2019 41 6
2018 13 1
2017 16 2
2016 38 2
2015 13 2
2014 53 3
2013 40 3
2012 27 4
2011 30 3

Other 2021 Porsche models

Every Porsche on this site — 35 vehicles, 142 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst