Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2019 Porsche Cayenne submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
The dashboard is peeling up and is unsafe due to airbag being underneath the leather dash. If airbag was to blow it would not function correctly due to dashboard leather peeling. Could potentially injur passenger or not deploy at all.
Porsche leather dashboard shrunk and staples pulled out. I was told if the vehicle was in an accident the airbag may not deploy properly. The Porsche dealer looked at it recommend that it be replaced. This is a known manufacturer defect that has been occurring with many of Porsche leather dashboards in different models. The manufacture is not taking responsibility in repairing or recalling this dangerous situation and putting the cost onto the customer. The fact that this is an option they offer as an additional cost on their vehicles , knowing this is a dangerous defect. This alone should automatically issue recall to fix before someone gets seriously injured.
The leather dash is peeling irregularly and will not deploy the passenger airbag properly if vehicle is involved in an accident and could result in death of a passenger. Serious problem with Cayenne SUV’s and Porsche refuses to address the problem with multiple complaints from other owners.
Bubbled dashboard is considered as a safety issue that airbag may NOT be properly deployed when an accident occurs.
SAFETY ASSESSMENT: 2019 Porsche Cayenne S Dashboard Material Failure Vehicle Identification: VIN [XXX] , Current Odometer: 46639 Assessment Date: 12/11/2025 Evaluator: [XXX] , Registered Owner/Operator ________________________________________ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The dashboard upper assembly in this vehicle exhibits progressive adhesive delamination and synthetic leather separation (colloquially “bubbling”) across the instrument cluster housing and passenger airbag deployment zone. This defect, while initially cosmetic, presents measurable safety risks under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) by compromising passive restraint systems, driver visibility, and interior structural integrity during collision events. The failure pattern is consistent with documented manufacturing defects affecting 2018-2022 Cayenne production units. ________________________________________ TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Defect Manifestation: •Multi-point adhesive failure between dashboard substrate and synthetic leather wrap •Bubbles ranging 2-8cm diameter directly above passenger-side airbag module •Progression rate: 15% surface area increase over 4-month observation period •Material: Thermoplastic olefin (TPO) substrate with polyurethane coating exhibiting UV-degradation and outgassing Root Cause: Inadequate adhesive curing during manufacturing combined with incompatible material expansion coefficients, resulting in progressive de-lamination under thermal cycling. ________________________________________ SAFETY CONCERNS 1. PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT (FMVSS 208 Violation Risk) 2. DRIVER VISIBILITY IMPAIRMENT (FMVSS 101 Violation Risk) 3. INTERIOR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY (FMVSS 201/214) 4. SECONDARY PROJECTILE HAZARD 5. OCCUPANT HEALTH & COGNITIVE LOAD This defect constitutes a latent safety hazard that degrades over time, not a static cosmetic issue. The combination of airbag deployment trajectory interference, driver visibility impairment, structural integrity compromise. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FO
Porsche leather dashboard shrunk and is loose; I was told airbags may not deploy correctly. Porche recommended replacing the dashboard. This is a very common issue.
The dashboard material cover is pulling away lifting up from the dashboard where air bags are located.Not safe
Porsche dashboard leather shrunk and staples pulled out, I was told that if the vehicle was in an accident the air bags might not deploy properly . the Porsche dealer looked at it and recommended replacing it . this is a very common issue .
leather dashboard bubbles up and could effect the deployment of the passenger airbag
The leather dashboard has shrunk to the point where the the Porsche dealer recommend replaceing it. This appears to be an issue serious enough to prevent the airbag from deploying correctly if in an accident. This appears to be a common issue.
the dashboard has a fitted leather coating covering the airbag... the leather and its surrounding seals has melted.. almost entirely.. and it is rippled and uneven all around... this is widespread for these models and may cause problems with the airbag in the dash...the airbag has to be able to deploy without any problems.. the dash should be fixed so it is safe
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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