The Recall Desk
HighNHTSA·21V318000·Announced 2021-05-05

2021 and 2020 Porsche Cayenne passenger airbag may fail to deploy

Porsche is recalling certain 2020-2021 Cayenne models because the passenger seat heating element may not be installed, preventing proper airbag calibration and risking airbag deployment failure.

What this means for you

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: This recall addresses a structural defect affecting a critical safety system controlling passenger airbag deployment. While the potential consequence is serious injury in a crash, no injuries or deaths have been reported in the source material, placing this at the 'High' severity level per the risk-of-harm criterion.

Plain-English summary

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. is recalling certain 2020 and 2021 Cayenne models, including the Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne S Coupe, Cayenne GTS, Cayenne GTS Coupe, and Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe. Approximately 136 vehicles are affected.

The passenger seat back heating element was not installed in the affected vehicles. This missing component impacts the calibration of the Occupant Classification System, which determines whether the front passenger airbag should deploy in a crash.

If the Occupant Classification System is miscalibrated, the front passenger airbag may fail to deploy, increasing the risk of injury to front passengers in a collision.

Owners were notified by mail beginning June 25, 2021. Remedy involves free installation of the heating element at any authorized Porsche dealer. Owners should contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243 to schedule service, or contact NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
PORSCHE redundant CAYENNE E-HYBRID, CAYENNE E-HYBRID, CAYENNE GTS, CAYENNE S
Brand
PORSCHE
Manufacturer
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Airbag system
Hazard
Affected units
136

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (5)

  • redundant CAYENNE E-HYBRID
  • CAYENNE E-HYBRID
  • CAYENNE GTS
  • CAYENNE S
  • CAYENNE

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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