New owner of a beta (if I'm saying that correctly...a 2004) Cayenne S. Occasionally, my vehicle starts out in 5th gear and stays in 5th gear for most of my drive. If I pull over and "reboot" (power vehicle off, remove gear, power back on), transmission will start behaving correctly again, although lately I noticed a complete stop resolves the problem too. Oddly, when I come to that complete stop, the transmission is still in D when the problem sorts itself out.

I thought it was a limp-home mode, but there are no error lights, the problem resolves itself and, according to the book, the limp-home mode is 4th gear.

I haven't determined what triggers it either, because it doesn't happen every time. Yesterday, it started when I was at a light on a slight incline and I released the brake pedal allowing the truck to hold itself, but after a moment, it began rolling freely backwards. I hit the brake, stopped the vehicle, then released the brake again where, without hesitation, it rolled backward freely again.

All this while the transmission was engaged.

Obviously, since this is a certified vehicle and I've only had it around 30 days, I'll be taking it back to the dealer for attention. But I'm curious whether anyone else has seen this.

 

Yes, this has been seen before.

Be thankful you're not naked, because the fix isn't cheap.
Without additional info, you are looking at either a "new" transmission (no one gets new, just remanufacturered) or at the very least a new transmission control valve assembly and module (of course making sure that all of the associated modules (TCU, ECU, CCU, etc) are all at compatible S/W revision levels.

Or at least that's what I read on the Internet........

Good luck.

 

I appreciate the response. Any "magic" word to use with the dealer to help them diagnose this quicker or just pass along the story I posted as-is?

 

You could start with "Larry", or "Lawsuit", but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

It depends on your dealer; some are open to 'outside diagnosis', some aren't.

Simply tell them exactly what is wrong and let them diagnose and fix the problem. If after a few attempts, you can always come back here for moral support.

 

Thanks! I'll cross my fingers and add it to the list which is getting pretty long and looking a LOT like what's posted in the "Post your problems/Warranty claims here" section. In 30 days! Fortunately, not my first German vehicle, so I'm not as intimidated as I really should be. Like last night when the ! light appeared with a message, "Left Corner Marker Needs Checked" or something like that, I just rebooted and everything's fine. Now, if I had owned a Lexus or Acura before, I'd almost be ready to be committed! Doesn't beat the time my Audi dealer called to tell me my car caught on fire while they were working on it.

 

The "!" Check xxx lamp is a simple fix. Remove the bulb, clean the contacts and reinstall bulb.
If the corrosion is severe, the dealer might have to replace the socket.....

Again, as long as you're not naked, you can survive alpha/beta Cayenne ownership....or at least that's what's been said.

 

look at it, and see if you have the "upgrade"? I just had my 2004 S (with 20k miles on her) in because it was bogging down when I was driving between 20-35 MPH. The trans had me in 6th, and was not shifting down correctly.

I took it in and TWO problems were identified!

1. The original factory ignition coil packs were prone to cracking, and when you put the vehicle under load (accelerating), the spark would arc out of the coil and onto your block (or path of least resistance). They admitted to this, and replaced ALL 8 OF THEM with new upgraded ones. But the faulty coil packs also fouled my spark plugs, and I got new ones replaced as well.

2. The transmission shifts ended up being unrelated to the faulty coil packs. They admitted that 1st Generation Cayenne S's needed to be "reprogrammed" with new shift points or something like that? Not sure if hardware was replaced as well or not? But they said that as 1st Gen's come in, they check to see if the modifications have been made, if not....that is when they upgrade them.


Also...if your head light dim bulbs are burnt out, take it in as they will replace them for free with upgraded ones as well.

Hope that helped some

Jason