Cayenne Brake Warning Light: Common Causes Revealed

Hey there! I have some experience working on cars as a hobby mechanic. Had a similar issue with my 2007 Porsche Macan Diesel last year. The warning light came on suddenly, and I initially thought it was brake pads too. Took it to my trusted workshop, and it turned out to be a faulty DSC/ABS control unit, pretty rare issue! Cost me around 1000€ to fix, but it's been running perfectly since then. Before you head to the shop, could you tell us: Which warning light exactly are you seeing? Any unusual noises when braking? Does the brake pedal feel different? This info would help me give you better advice since these symptoms can mean different things.

Hey, thanks for your detailed response! My mileage is currently at 39586 KM, and I just had a service last month. The warning light is the one with the exclamation mark in a circle, bright yellow. No weird noises when braking yet, but the pedal does feel a bit softer than usual. It's not drastically different, just enough to notice. Did your control unit issue have similar symptoms? I'm hoping it's just the brake pads, but your experience has me a bit worried now. Might be worth checking both to be safe. Would love to hear what you think based on these extra details. Thanks for the help!

Hey again! Yeah, your situation does sound quite familiar. When my Macan had that control unit issue, I also noticed that slightly softer brake pedal feel, very similar to what you're describing. The yellow warning light with the exclamation mark is exactly what I got too! Given your relatively low mileage and recent service, I'm actually leaning more towards the ABS/DSC unit being the culprit rather than brake pads. When my issue happened, I was also around the 45000 KM mark, and my brake pads were still in decent shape. One thing I didn't mention before, before my control unit completely failed, I noticed the brake pedal getting progressively softer over about a week. If you're experiencing something similar, I'd definitely recommend getting it checked soon. Don't want to scare you, but better safe than sorry, especially with brakes! Quick tip from my experience, when you take it to the workshop, ask them to do a full diagnostic scan. If it is the control unit like mine was, it'll show up in the scan and save you some troubleshooting time. Let me know how it goes! Always happy to share what I learned from my own Porsche adventures.

Thanks so much for all this helpful information! You've definitely got me thinking this might be more than just brake pads. What you're describing about the progressive softening of the brake pedal is exactly what I'm experiencing, it's been getting slightly worse over the past few days. I've just called my local Porsche workshop and booked it in for tomorrow morning. Mentioned the ABS/DSC unit possibility and they're going to do that diagnostic scan you suggested. Really hoping it won't cost as much as yours did, but at least I'm going in better informed now! Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, it's helped me feel much more prepared for what might be coming. I'll update you once I know what the actual problem is. Thanks again!