Selling a junk Porsche Cayenne
Any Cayenne sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Porsche Cayenne
NHTSA has 681 owner complaints on file for the Porsche Cayenne, model years 2003 to 2022, the 349th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (115, 17%), other (95, 14%), fuel system (81, 12%). 16 complaints involved a crash, 10 a fire, and 12 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 55,300 miles. The 2014 model year has the most complaints (76). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Porsche Cayenne by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 3 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2004 | 51 | Transmission and drivetrain | 4 | 2 | 6 | 95,000 |
| 2005 | 43 | Fuel system | 2 | 3 | 4 | 78,000 |
| 2006 | 55 | Fuel system | 1 | 2 | 3 | 83,505 |
| 2008 | 38 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 3 | 72,340 |
| 2009 | 21 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2010 | 1 | Other | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2011 | 37 | Engine | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65,000 |
| 2012 | 34 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 4 | 49,900 |
| 2013 | 55 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 3 | 67,000 |
| 2014 | 76 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 3 | 3 | 39,563 |
| 2015 | 17 | Engine | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2016 | 59 | Other | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2017 | 26 | Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2018 | 18 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2019 | 70 | Other | 2 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 2020 | 40 | Other | 2 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2021 | 30 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2022 | 7 | Driver assistance | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Porsche Cayenne recalls
NHTSA lists 24 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for suspension (4), seat belts (3), transmission and drivetrain (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2019 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V896000, Dec 2025): 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 displ…
- 2003 model year, lights (campaign 22V656000, Aug 2022): 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 rep…
- 2021 model year, suspension (campaign 22V040000, Jan 2022): 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.
- 2021 model year, steering (campaign 21V493000, Jun 2021): 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.
- 2020 model year, seats (campaign 21V318000, May 2021): 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 …
What a Porsche Cayenne is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Cayenne on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a bad transmission 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Questions people ask
- What is a junk Porsche Cayenne worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Cayenne gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Porsche Cayenne that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Porsche Cayenne?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Porsche Cayenne numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.