Bumping this up. Did you guys experience similar symptoms as I've described? Also, what exactly is the issue that causes this? And after the chain/transfer case is replaced, is the problem fixed for good, or will it be an issue again later down the road?

 

I had this problem on my '15 Cayenne S (v6 turbo) after less than one year of ownership. I'm pretty sure what caused it was when I drove off road in the desert and forgot to put it on "off road" mode. I remember the traction system acting crazy and I realized much later that off road mode was not on. As soon as I got back on the road I got the symptoms you mentioned. Got it replaced around three months ago (maybe ~5,000km ago) and the car has been running perfectly so far.

 

Thanks for the reply. Were you really pushing the car offroad? Seems like a fragile transfer case if it was damaged by one off-road incident. Did you have to replace the entire transfer case or just the chain?

 

I agree. I suspect the transfer case may have been faulty (although unnoticeable) to begin with and the off road incident triggered the failure. I did not push too hard. I had been pushing harder off road in the past (maybe twice or three times) but with off road mode set to on and with the center diff engaged, and never had a problem. I got the whole transfer case replaced.

 

Gotcha... Thanks for the help! I will check with my dealer and report back once they finish diagnostic and repair.

 

Hey guys... Currently my cayenne is with the dealer and they are diagnosing the issue. I dropped it off Friday morning. I told the service manager about the issue and how I thought it was the transfer case. He replied it prob isn't as I would've got an error code.

So my question to you guys is, did you guys get an error code (either visible or had to be scanned to see)?

 

My 2013 V6 is doing this same thing recently, and I'm curious to see what was found. I'm still well under factory warranty just a matter of getting an appointment.

 

I have just got my car back from the dealership and got my entire transfer case replaced. I would head in to the dealer ASAP and get it fixed! If you are lucky your service representative will know exactly what it is and order you a transfer case... if not, they might perform a lot more diagnostic and say its something else.


My print out receipt says that the transfer case clutch was worn. Does our transfer case have a clutch in it? Wouldn't that be a wear and tear item that has to be replaced then?

 

On the V6 series (which I believe use a Tourag based 4WD driveline) - there is an electronically controlled clutch in the transfer case - used to transfer power rear to front as needed.

It would seem to be a design where the clutch should be very long lived since the user has no control over it. I believe from reading here - that some of the clutch-baskets (which hold the clutch disks - sort of like a common motorcycle multi-plate clutch) had a manufacturing defect leading to excessive slippage. That could result in the funny behavior that is mentioned here, and likely to rapid wear of the clutch disks.

The fix is a replacement transfer case. And I'd expect the replacement to outlast the rest of the vehicle.

So far all the mentions of this problem that I've seen have been with the base V6 model - but that might just be a reflection of the number of sales for each model. Lots more V6's are sold then the V8's.

 

deilenberger... where have you been? rep'ed! Your response sure is a breath of fresh air. That makes a lot of sense now. I do hope my replacement will last this time and I won't have the same issue.


btw, rereading some posts in page 1 of this thread suggest that this issue might also affect the Cayenne S V8 models.

 

Oh and I forgot to mention... My Cayenne have never been smoother and 'faster' (no slippage) since I've bought it! Feels like a brand new car and am excited to be driving it properly once again.

 

MY2012. V8S.

So I believe I am now having transfercase issues. The tires are scrubbing hard on tighter turns. I can hear the CVs click all around after turning. While driving, under acceleration especially, there are thumps and knocks heard and sometimes felt related to drive train.

When I lock the center and front diff, all issues subside and it drives as expected in off-road mode. When I have just the center diff locked, all issues reappear.

I've seen the TSB on the transfer case coupler and I think that's my issue. Would tackle this myself but I cannot find repair reference anywhere.

A $4000+ hit within 8 months of ownership with 26k on the odo will really put me off the Porsche brand even though I much like many of us have spent most of our lives lusting after one of these machines.

What do you guys think ?

 

Just to add my experience: 2013 V6 Base, starting slipping and slight thumps on slow uphill acceleration. This occurred last year, just noticed this thread. Took it to dealer, transfer case replaced. Was surprised because it only had 23k miles.

 

Thanks for posting this. I brought in my Cayenne today to the dealer due to the "thumping" issue. At 25 mph -> 31 mph the acceleration would hesitate. (almost as if it was missing a spark plug). At first I thought that this was coming from something in the right front tire, but that turned out to be all fine.

I took it into the dealer to get the PCM updated (was on 2.41) and hoped that would solve the issue. Dealer came back saying that it was a transfer case and that it would be $5k+ to replace!?!

This 958.1 has less than 27k miles on it.

So I asked if it was covered under warranty (I'm not holding my breath on that) but perhaps there is a recall for something like this? If not- I don't think that I'll get a replacement for the entire transfer case... that seems overboard. Dealers always want to replace rather than fix anything.

I asked if it threw a code and he said that it didn't. I asked if perhaps it was the TCM and he said that would normally throw a code... so I'm at a loss here.

So next steps would be...?

1) Obtain new TCM (Transfer Control Module) and replace that
- My understanding that this is a box that has an easy plug (physically). It's located under the passenger seat in the front. The work is to tilt the passenger seat back and then replace.
- My concern is getting the correct part number for my Cayenne.
- My other concern is in matching the software? Should there be anything that would match the firmware between the TCM and the PCM?

2) While I have the passenger seat up and I'm replacing the TCM I have read that it makes sense to also replace the actuator as well (would this be the servo motor?). Seems like a large job, but I'm willing to try if there is a DIY that I may follow.

Any thoughts or help for this would be great. I can't imagine replacing the entire thing without trying to fix it. However this is the lesson that I learned from my past Cayenne (2006) from the dealer.

 

So this transfer case issue seems like a more common issue than I thought and it is failing at low mileage. This is unacceptable from Porsche. How do we get Porsche to recall issue?


I didn't get to ask my Porsche technician, but I am curious on which exact part is failing/causing the issue. Some have mentioned the transfer case chain while others have mentioned the electronically controlled clutch in the transfer case.