Reliable Auto DB

2016 Porsche Cayenne reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2016 Porsche Cayenne has 40 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 3 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Cayenne years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Headlights and Pedals and linkages.

2012 Porsche Cayenne
Photo by Alexander-93, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

40

Per year

3

Recalls

2

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (11 of 40), then Powertrain (7) and Exterior lighting (6). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Cayenne has 13 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2017 has 17 complaints, 1 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Porsche Cayenne. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2022-08-30 · NHTSA campaign 22V656000
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."
Remedy 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.
Recall hydraulic brakes, pedals and linkages 2016-03-23 · NHTSA campaign 16V169000
Summary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Cayenne vehicles manufactured April 28, 2010, to January 11, 2016. The brake pedal pivot pin may be missing a circlip, allowing the pivot pin to move and the brake pedal to dislodge.
Remedy Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake pedal assembly circlip, installing any missing circlips, free of charge. The recall began on July 8, 2016. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AG02.

Complaints by component (40 total)

Air bags
11
Powertrain
7
Exterior lighting
6
Engine
5
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Electrical system
3
Lane departure
1
Speed control
1
Steering
1
Structure
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 4 more Show less
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220153201612017420183201912020120212202272023820243202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Porsche dashboard leather shrunk. Safety hazard for airbag not deploying properly. This is a common issue reported."
    Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-13
  • "[XXX] the salesman at cars 4 your budget sold a 2016 Porsche VIN#[XXX] ON XXX to [XXX] DOBXXX. The vehicle's odometer was tampered with by [XXX] he had the miles rolled back by a friend of his. the customer has no idea…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-08-28
  • "Porsche dashboard leather shrunk and staples pulled out. I was told that if the vehicle was in an accident the airbag might not deploy correctly. The Porsche dealer looked at it and recommended replacing the entire…"
    Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2026-05-29
  • "Porsche dashboard leather shrunk and staples pulled out. I was told that if the vehicle was in an accident the airbag might not deploy correctly. The Porsche dealer looked at it and recommended replacing it. This is a…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-05-21
  • "I noticed a hesitation when I Pressed the gas pedal, I also noticed the smell of Gasoline when I parked it in my Garage. I had my Certified mechanic look at it and he told me there was a recall on the Fuel sending unit,…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-03-03

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Porsche Cayenne GTS SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Porsche Cayenne S SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Porsche Cayenne SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Cayenne 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 17 24 20 MPG $4000
Cayenne Diesel 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 28 24 MPG $3950
Cayenne GTS 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 16 23 18 MPG $4450
Cayenne S 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 16 24 19 MPG $4200
Cayenne S e-hybrid 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 21 24 22 MPG / 480 mi range $3650
Cayenne Turbo 4.8L, 8-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 14 21 17 MPG $4700
Cayenne Turbo S 4.8L, 8-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 14 21 16 MPG $5000

Specs and fitment

Second generation (92A), 2012–2018
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30 or 5W-40 (Porsche-approved; ~7.2 qt with filter on typical fills) , 7.2 qt capacity
Tire size 255/55R18, 265/50R19, 275/45R20 or 295/35R21 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 16V-169 covers certain 2011-2016 Cayenne vehicles whose brake pedal pivot pin may be missing a circlip, allowing the pedal to dislodge; Porsche installs the circlip and inspects the assembly. Recall 22V-656 covers certain 2003-2020 Cayenne (and other Porsche) vehicles whose low-beam headlight horizontal adjustment screw caps may be missing, so the lamps can be mis-aimed (FMVSS 108); dealers inspect and install missing caps.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Porsche Cayenne Next year 2017 Porsche Cayenne See every Porsche Cayenne model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Porsche Cayenne reliable?

The 2016 Porsche Cayenne has 40 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 3 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Cayenne years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Headlights and Pedals and linkages.

What are common problems with a 2016 Porsche Cayenne?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (11 of 40), then Powertrain (7) and Exterior lighting (6). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2016 Porsche Cayenne more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Cayenne has 13 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2017 has 17 complaints, 1 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Porsche Cayenne been recalled?

The 2016 Porsche Cayenne has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Porsche Cayenne?

Owners have filed 40 complaints about the 2016 Porsche Cayenne with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Porsche Cayenne get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Porsche Cayenne is 19.4 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Porsche Cayenne use?

92A models commonly list Porsche-approved 0W-30/0W-40/5W-30/5W-40 (~7.2 qt); 9YA models commonly list 0W-20/0W-30/5W-30 (~7.6–8.0 qt by engine).

What tire sizes does a Porsche Cayenne use?

OEM sizes commonly span 18–21 inch packages such as 255/55R18 through 295/35R21 (92A) and 255/55R19 through 315/35R21 (9YA).

What brake-pedal recall covers certain Cayenne models?

NHTSA recall 16V-169 covers certain 2011-2016 Cayenne vehicles whose brake pedal pivot pin may be missing a circlip; Porsche installs the circlip and related hardware.