2008 Porsche Cayenne Engine Problems

COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BARB CAME UNGLUED CAUSING LOSS OF COOLANT ON HIGHWAY. CAR WAS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AND PORSCHE HAS UPDATED THE PART HOWEVER WILL NOT WARRANTY THE DEFECTIVE PARTS STILL ON VEHICLES.

ENGINE ROUGH IDLING WHICH DEALER CANNOT DIAGNOSE

ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS V8 ENGINE THERE IS A COOLANT DISTRIBUTION TUBE THAT HAS COOLANT BARB PRESSED INTO THE CAST ALUMINUM DISTRIBUTION TUBE WITH ADHESIVE. WHILE DRIVING FROM WOR TO HOME, THE ADHESIVE FAILED 19MAR20 CAUSING THE BARB TO SLIP OUT OF THE TUBE ALLOWING LARGE AMOUNTS OF COOLANT TO GUSH OVER THE HOT EXHAUST AND OUT FROM UNDER THE CAYENNE. THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT RECOGNIZED LOW COOLANT LEVEL THE DASH PANEL FLAGGED "LOW COOLANT" AND THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER BEFORE OVERHEATING THE ENGINE. FORTUNATELY DUE TO THE TELEWORKING STATUS OF WHERE I WORK THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AND THANKFULLY NO MOTORCYCLIST. I WOULD EXPECT MORE A $71,145 VEHICLE FROM PORSCHE EVEN AFTER 12 YEARS AND 140K MI.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PORSCHE CAYENNE S. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL, HIGH PRESSURE, AND PRESSURE PUMPS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER DUE TO THE COST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BOLTED TO THE BACK OF ENGINE BLOCK HAS A GLUED -IN PIPE THAT CONNECTS TO A HOSE. THE GLUED-IN PIPE IS LEAKING AND HALF WAY PUSHED OUT OF THE DISTRIBUTOR. THE IMMINENT FAILURE OF THIS PART COULD HAVE CAUSED IMMEDIATE OVERHEAT AND FIRE DUE TO CATASTROPHIC COOLANT SYSTEM FAILURE. THE REPAIR IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. PORSCHE HAS A NEW PART THAT HAS THE PIPE THREADED IN INSTEAD OF GLUED. PORSCHE SHOULD RECALL THIS AND PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND SAFETY ISSUE. IMAGINE 8 GALLONS OF HOT COOLANT DISCHARGING ALL OVER, SAY A MOTORCYCLIST GOING 70 MPH. THIS ISSUE WAS NOTICED WHILE DOING OTHER COOLANT SYSTEM MAINTENANCE THAT WAS ALSO NECESSITATED BY POOR DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. ACCELERATING AS I WAS MERGING INTO THE HIGHWAY. I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK. CHECK COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I STOPPED I SAW COOLANT EVERYWHERE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE GLUE FROM THE COOLANT TUBES FAILED AND NEEDS TO INSTALL NEW COOLANT PIPES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY TEMP GAUGE STARTED CLIMBING AND THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A PORSCHE MECHANIC. HE LATER IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE PIPE OR TUBE THAT CONNECTS TO THE WATER/COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR CAME LOOSE SPILLING ALL OF THE COOLANT OUT, WHICH COULD OF LED TO A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. NOT SURE WHAT THE COST IS GOING TO BE YET. MY MECHANIC SAID HE'S SEEN THIS FAILURE ON 957 CAYENNE V8S MANY TIMES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS THING TO HAVE HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY.

THE DISTRIBUTOR COLLECTOR COOLANT SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE PIPES HAS FAILED. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY THE PORSCHE CORPORATE OFFICE THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OR RECALLS ON FILE. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. ON THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE COOLANT LIGHT APPEARED (NO OTHER SYMPTOMS), I DID NOT HIT A BUMP, IT WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AS IF IT WAS ON FIRE.

UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION A COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR PIPE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND SPRAYED/LEAKED COOLANT ALL OVER THE ENGINE BAY AND UNDERNEATH THE CAR. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT THE BACK OF THE ENGINE WHERE A PRESSED IN PIPE FITTING CAME LOOSE FROM THE ENGINE CASTING. REPAIR REQUIRED REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE AT A COST IN EXCESS OF $3.500. ALL THE COOLANT WAS LOST FROM THE ENGINE AND LUCKILY I WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND NOT THE HIGHWAY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, ALL OF THE SUDDEN FELT A STRONG COOLANT SMELL, SLOWED DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND DROVE HOME. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE COUPLING PIPE THAT INSERTS INTO THE WATER DISTRIBUTOR WAS COMING OUT. THE GLUE THAT HELD THE PIPE IN PLACE FAILED AND THE PIPE WAS 60% OUT! I STOPPED IN TIME BEFORE THE PIPE COMPLETELY BLEW OUT AND SUDDEN LOSS OF COOLANT OCCURRED, THE PIPE WAS LITERALLY FINGER TIGHT, NOTHING HELD IT IN PLACE ANYMORE. PORSCHE QUOTES $3500 TO REPAIR!!!! THIS NEEDS TO BE A SERVICE ACTION CLEAR AS DAY. *JS

WE FOUND A HUGE LEAK IN THE COOLANT SYSTEM WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED, A PORSHE TECHNICIAN IDENTIFIED THAT ON THE COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BEHIND THE ENGINE THERE IS A COUPLER WHICH WAS GLUED ONTO THE DISTRIBUTOR. THE GLUE DETACHED AND THE COOLANT PIPE BLEW OUT CAUSING THE ENTIRE ENGINE TO LOSE COOLANT. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS A PURE DESIGN ISSUE AND PORSCHE DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL ON IT. IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX THAT PROBLEM DUE TO BAD DESIGN. *TR

THE CAR SUDDENLY DEVELOPED A HUGE LEAK IN COOLANT. AFTER DIAGNOSE, IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT ON THE COOLANT DISTRIBUTOR BEHIND THE ENGINE THERE IS A COUPLER WHICH WAS GLUED ONTO THE DISTRIBUTOR. THE GLUE WILL BREAK DOWN OVER A FEW YEARS AND THE COOLANT PIPE BE BLOWN OUT CAUSING THE ENTIRE ENGINE TO LOSE COOLANT, WHICH IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THIS IS A PURE DESIGN ISSUE AND PORSCHE DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL ON. THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING IS THAT IN ORDER TO FIX IT, THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION HAS TO COME OUT, WHICH WILL COST MOST THAN 5000 TO 6000 DOLLARS

SUDDEN AND TOTAL COOLANT LOSS WHEN COOLANT DISTRIBUTION HOUSING PIPE CAME APART WHILE DRIVING ON A PUBLIC ROADWAY RESULTING IN DISABLED VEHICLE. PART # 948-106-061-06 DISTRIBUTOR TUBE FAILURE AT BOTTOM CONNECTION. REQUIRED TO REMOVE ENGINE AND REPLACE COOLANT DISTRIBUTION HOUSING. *TR

IN 2010, I BOUGHT A '08 CAYENNE TURBO AT 40K MILES. PRIOR TO DELIVERY, I HAD PORSCHE DEALERSHIP RUN A SYSTEM CHECK TO CONFIRM THE VEHICLE WAS MECHANICALLY SOLID & FREE OF DEFECTS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY PERFORMED A REPAIR ON THE COOLANT PIPES (STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY) AND ASSURED ME IT WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION TO PURCHASE. 105K MILES: CAYENNE'S STARTER WAS MAKING NOISES AND NOT FUNCTIONING 100% OF TIME, SO I BROUGHT VEHICLE TO THE SAME PORSCHE DEALERSHIP WHO HAD BEEN SERVICING IT SINCE 2010. THE STARTER WAS IMMERSED IN COOLANT. I WAS INFORMED THAT MY (PREVIOUSLY "REPAIRED") COOLANT PIPES HAD A LEAK & REQUIRED REPAIR. I REVIEWED MY PREVIOUS INVOICE FROM ORIGINAL "REPAIR" UNDER WARRANTY AT 40K MILES & IT APPEARED TO BE THE SAME ISSUE, SAME PART #S, ETC. I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL A FEW DAYS LATER INFORMING ME THAT MY CAYENNE NOW HAD A SECOND COOLANT LEAK AT THE CROSSOVER PIPE TOWARD THE BACK OF THE ENGINE NEAR FIREWALL (REQUIRED REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE IN ORDER TO REPAIR). THE SERVICE GUY & PORSCHE TECH TOLD ME THE SECOND LEAK OCCURRED BECAUSE THE "FIRST" REPAIR (ACTUALLY THE SECOND, IF YOU CONSIDER IT WAS ALREADY REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY AT 40K MILES) THEN PROPERLY PRESSURIZED MY COOLANT SYSTEM, CAUSING THE NEXT LEAK, REQUIRING THE "NEXT" REPAIR. APPARENTLY THE INITIAL REPAIR DONE AT 40K MILES WAS ONLY ENOUGH TO HOLD OUT UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. PORSCHE MADE THE REPAIRS & REPLACED PLASTIC PIPES WITH ALUMINUM ONES THIS TIME, ON MY DOLLAR. I HAD TO PAY FOR TWO COOLANT REPAIRS, + A NEW STARTER, SOLENOID, & BATTERY, ALL COLLATERAL DAMAGE DUE TO THE PIPE LEAKS. '03-'06 CAYENNES HAVE WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED COOLANT PIPE DEFECTS RESULTING IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST PCNA (SEE: CAYENNECLASSACTION.COM). '08S + ARE SURE TO FOLLOW. I CONFIRMED DUPLICATE PART #S/LABOR FOR WARRANTY REPAIR (NO COST) AND THIS REPAIR ($$$). $5,000.00+ REPAIR. NOT A TYPO. *TR