NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE05-060: SRS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE05-060 on November 10, 2005 and closed it on March 15, 2006, the day it opened Engineering Analysis EA06-005, which this investigation's summary cites. NHTSA's investigations file lists 3 Porsche models for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE05-060 (also written PE05060)
Investigation type: Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
Status: Closed March 15, 2006
Opened: November 10, 2005
Closed: March 15, 2006
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Components: Air Bags; Air Bags — Frontal — Sensor/Control Module-Inactive; Air Bags — Side/Window
Vehicles and equipment: 3 Porsche models, including the Cayenne and Cayenne S

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-060.

DURING THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PHASE, ODI IDENTIFIED 76 OWNER COMPLAINTS AND 6,582 WARRANTY CLAIMS RELATED TO AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION FROM EITHER A FAULTY SIDE-IMPACT AIRBAG MODULE OR WIRING HARNESS.TO DATE, THERE HAS BEEN NO ALLEGATION OF CRASH, INJURY OR DEATH REPORTED.PORSCHE REPORTS THAT A BAD BATCH OF MODULES WAS PRODUCED DURING MID-NOVEMBER TO MID-DECEMBER, 2003.

HOWEVER, PORSCHE?S WARRANTY DATA INDICATES THAT MOST OF THE MODULES REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY WERE ON VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE AND AFTER THIS PERIOD INDICATING THAT THE ISSUE COULD BE MORE WIDESPREAD.PORSCHE REPORTS THAT THE WIRING HARNESS MALFUNCTION IS DUE TO A FAULTY CONNECTOR LEADING TO THE AIRBAG MODULE AS A RESULT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND MECHANICAL STRESS.IN JUNE AND NOVEMBER OF 2004, PORSCHE ADDED A PROTECTIVE COAT OF LUBRICANT GEL TO THE CONNECTOR AND REROUTED THE HARNESS TO FIX THE PROBLEM ON ALL FUTURE PRODUCTION.PORSCHE HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL CAMPAIGN, BUT IT HAS CIRCULATED TO ITS DEALERS TWO SERVICE BULLETINS, BOTH IN SEPTEMBER 2004 TO ADDRESS THE ABOVE ISSUES.THIS INVESTIGATION IS BEING UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-005) AND WILL INCLUDE MY 2006 VEHICLES.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE05-060. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Porsche

Porsche Cayenne
- 2003, 2004, 2005
Porsche Cayenne S
- 2003, 2004, 2005
Porsche Cayenne Turbo
- 2003, 2004, 2005

All Porsche recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Porsche VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE05-060

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.