2021 Porsche Cayenne reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2021 Porsche Cayenne holds 21 complaints after 6 years, a rate of 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 5 recalls on file, including Camera, Rear, and Column.

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

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (6 of 21), then Air bags (4) and Engine (3).

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Cayenne has 24 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2022 has 3 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 Porsche Cayenne. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 25V896000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall suspension, rear 2022-01-28 · NHTSA campaign 22V040000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall steering, column 2021-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 21V493000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall Seats 2021-05-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V318000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-21 · NHTSA campaign 21V271000

Summary 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.

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.

Complaints by component (21 total)

Electrical system

Air bags

Engine

Forward collision avoidance

Powertrain

Service brakes

Steering

Back-over prevention

Fuel and propulsion system

Seat belts

Visibility and wipers

Show 3 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2021 Porsche Cayenne. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver's side seat belt independently tightened and loosened. The emergency light illuminated, and a seat belt…"
Seat belts · filed 2026-08-31
"On my 2021 Porsche Cayenne Base, which is equipped with the 3.0L V6 EA839 engine, I brought the vehicle to the dealership for a recall service. During inspection, the dealership found a leaking water pump and quoted…"
Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-31
"Over approximately the past month, the leather covering on the dashboard of my 2021 Porsche Cayenne has rapidly begun lifting, buckling, and separating across a substantial portion of the dashboard. The deformation has…"
Air bags, Unknown or other · filed 2026-08-25
"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…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-08-06
"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, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-06-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne S Coupe SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne S SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2021 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	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	19	23	20 MPG	$4000
Cayenne Coupe	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	19	23	20 MPG	$4000
Cayenne GTS	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	19	17 MPG	$4700
Cayenne GTS Coupe	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	19	17 MPG	$4700
Cayenne S	2.9L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	22	20 MPG	$4000
Cayenne S Coupe	2.9L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	18	22	19 MPG	$4200
Cayenne Turbo	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	19	17 MPG	$4700
Cayenne Turbo Coupe	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	19	17 MPG	$4700
Cayenne Turbo S e-hybrid	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	17	20	18 MPG / 370 mi range	$4450
Cayenne Turbo S e-hybrid Coupe	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	17	20	18 MPG / 370 mi range	$4450
Cayenne e-hybrid	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	22	21 MPG / 430 mi range	$3800
Cayenne e-hybrid Coupe	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	20	22	21 MPG / 430 mi range	$3800

Specs and fitment

Third generation (9YA), 2019–present

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-20, 0W-30 or 5W-30 (Porsche-approved; ~7.6–8.0 qt with filter by engine)

Tire size 255/55R19, 275/50R19, 275/45R20, 285/40R21 or 315/35R21 (trim-dependent; staggered packages vary) front / 255/55R19–315/35R21 (trim-dependent; staggered packages vary) rear

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 22V-656 includes certain 2019-2020 Cayenne vehicles among a group of Porsches whose low-beam headlight adjustment-screw caps may be missing, allowing mis-aimed lamps (FMVSS 108). Dealers inspect and install missing caps. Confirm open campaigns by VIN; later 9YA years may not be in this campaign.

Compare

Previous year 2020 Porsche Cayenne Next year 2022 Porsche Cayenne See every Porsche Cayenne model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Porsche Cayenne reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 Porsche Cayenne?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (6 of 21), then Air bags (4) and Engine (3).

Is the 2021 Porsche Cayenne more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Cayenne has 24 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2022 has 3 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Porsche Cayenne been recalled?

The 2021 Porsche Cayenne has 5 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 2021 Porsche Cayenne?

Owners have filed 21 complaints about the 2021 Porsche Cayenne with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Porsche Cayenne get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Porsche Cayenne is 18.8 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.