Porsche 718 Cayman Complaints

19 consumer complaints on file.

#11771621October 16, 2026
POWER TRAIN, SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman. The contact stated that while the spouse was driving the vehicle at 70 MPH, abnormal handling occurred, followed immediately by a loud knocking noise. The driver pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and discovered the rear left axle had fractured, detached, and was hanging on the ground. The contact stated the failure was known within the Porsche community. Following the failure, a "possible rear gear fault driving permitted" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where diagnosis confirmed a rear left axle failure and a damaged drivetrain, requiring a complete axle replacement and a new gearbox. The failure mileage was 25,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740939May 29, 2026
ENGINE
The motor experienced a catastrophic failure causing the rod to blow through the top of the engine, cutting a fuel line and causing a fire. It was later determined and passed to me via unofficial sources that this was due to a manufacturing defect where the incorrect camshaft bearings were used on specific pistons. Via online and first account conversations, it seems this has happened at least 12 other times. Those vehicles which can be found online were complete losses. Via second hand conversations, Porsche technicians said this was the first instance where the fire didn't consume the entire vehicle so they could RCA the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731699April 16, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The passenger side (right rear) inside CV joint grease boot clamp failed and leaked grease. I discovered it while switching out Winter to Summer tires. I have included pictures. In researching the defect I found that it is a common occurrence with the Porsche 718 Cayman and occurs with low mileage. I believe the clamp was defective or not installed correctly during the assembly process. If I didn’t catch the leak it could have resulted in a drive axle failure and breakdown on the road endangering myself or other vehicles. My car is not tracked and is used for pleasure driving. Because I caught the leak early the Porsche dealer was able to install a new clamp. I have included the repair invoice. There were no warning messages indicating the clamp failure. My car is maintained yearly by my dealer. In addition, during my research, I read that low mileage water pump failure is also a common occurrence with 718 Cayman’s.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11614898September 16, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
Tail lamps are prone to hairline cracks difficult to see, when driven in rain or car wash tail lamp floods and causes electrical system to short circuit resulting in death or accident in inclement weather due to low visibility.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11613743September 10, 2024
ENGINE
I was driving on the highway when the oil pressure warning light came on, and then the engine completely failed. I was unable to restart the car while still coasting and was fortunately able to roll off the highway on to an exit ramp. In mid-day traffic, this could have been very dangerous. The car went straight to the dealership via flatbed - less than a year old, ~5300 miles - and it was determined the engine had seized. No cause was provided beyond 'oil exhaustion', and that there was no indication it was owner caused. The entire engine was replaced after 2 months, but I never received a full analysis or cause for the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11610745August 25, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STEERING
Engine stalls when stopped if not in sport mode. Electronic gauge display for oil level is confusing and shows low oil level in green, causing the user to add oil when it is full. Steering rubs and knocks when turning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564497January 9, 2024
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The dealer reported a misfire. Upon detailed investigation and a bore scope, the inside cylinder lining had disintegrated and metal shavings were in engine oil. The motor needed to be replaced. This took 30 days to receive new motor. Upon installation, the gear shifting linkage failed, necessitating removal and replacement of these parts. The issues are ongoing at this time and I still have not had the car returned to me. It is still being repaired nearing 45 days in the repair facility.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11537030August 7, 2023
ENGINE
While travelling on the freeway on 7/30/23, I experienced a "low oil pressure, shut down engine immediately" warning. I pulled over to the shoulder and was unable to restart the car. It was towed to Porsche Carlsbad dealership where it is awaiting analysis by Porsche. The car has 4900 miles on it and is under the MFG warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471245June 27, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield washer hose has snapped at the hood hinge which is preventing clearing of the windsheild of debris and obscuring forward visibility. This part was replaced by the dealer in 2016 during the first annual service for reasons unknown to me and has now failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11455256March 4, 2022
SEAT BELTS
seat belt will not retracted back it stays completly loose.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451104February 9, 2022
SEATS, SEAT BELTS
I have a Porsche 718 Cayman [XXX] I purchase this vehicle October 16, 2020 with only 1,500 miles on the odometer from Porsche of Tucson 4690 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711. Purchase Porsche extended platinum warranty for 96/100,000 miles. My passenger side 3- point seatbelt will not retract back properly. This is definitely a safety issue for the passenger. I set up an appointment to have it fix with the Porsche of Tucson dealership. I was told that it would not be covered under the platinum warranty. The odometer mileage I have now on my Porsche 718 Cayman is 13,685. I believe it should be covered due to a safety issue and especially with low mileage on the Porsche 718 Cayman with passenger seat belt not retracting back it stays loose on the passenger when seat belt is on. As a driver I never sit in the passenger side and just recently notice the belt being twisted and not properly aligned when my passenger complaint about belt. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451121February 9, 2022
AIR BAGS
TRW Automotive Inc. Airbag Control Unit (Part No. 218737-124 RI; Serial No. 11050089RI; Produced: April 20, 2015) was equipped in 2016 Porsche Cayman VIN [XXX] by Porsche (Vehicle Production Date: June 29, 2015). In 2019, TRW recalled the aforementioned ACU in NHTSA 19E-043. In 2019, in response to the TRW recall, Porsche recalled 2016 Porsche Caymans in NHTSA 19V-533 but Porsche & the NHTSA failed to include 2016 Porsche Cayman VIN [XXX] (Vehicle Production Date: June 29, 2015) from this recall by setting an incorrect production date bracket starting at July 8, 2015 which is at least 9 days too late. The ACU failed during normal operation of the vehicle on February 1, 2020. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11443174December 8, 2021
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I received delivery of my vehicle this morning and put about 20 miles on it when I received an engine fault error and my vehicle check engine light came on while accelerating from a stop to about 15 mph before the issue occurred. I lost responsiveness and my engine was in “limp mode”. This occurred in traffic and I had to safely exit the roadway before calling roadside assistance to get it towed to the dealer. ODB error codes from a shop include: 2838-P0087 Fuel rail system pressure too low - short to plus 10591-P0301 Cylinder 1 misfire detected 10592-P0302 Cylinder 2 misfire detected 10593-P0303 Cylinder 3 misfire detected 851CH/34076 Undocumented code
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11375115November 17, 2020
ENGINE
THE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING ADJUSTER SPROCKET BOLTS HAVE A TENDENCY TO SHEAR UNDER HIGH LOAD. THIS IS A DOCUMENTED ISSUE THAT WAS ALSO COMMON IN SEVERAL OTHER PORSCHE MODELS OF SIMILAR PRODUCTION YEAR RANGES. THE VALVETRAIN LOSES TIMING, RESULTING IN A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHICH DISABLES A VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE SUSTAINED SUCH A FAILURE AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY WENT INTO "LIMP MODE." ALL THE VALVES ON ONE CYLINDER BANK WERE BENT. OTHER MODELS WERE RECALLED BUT THE CAYMAN AND BOXSTERS THAT CAME WITH THE 9A1 ENGINE WERE NOT. PORSCHE REPAIRED MY ENGINE BUT THEY PUT THE SAME PART NUMBER THAT FAILED BACK INTO THE CAR. THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ENGINEERING REVISION TO THE PART, AND ANOTHER FAILURE IS POSSIBLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11342230July 27, 2020
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PORSCHE HAS IDENTIFIED A PREVIOUSLY UNREPORTED FAULTY AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT SERIAL NUMBER 11050089RI EQUIPPED IN THE 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN IN JUNE 2015 BY PORSCHE AG MERE DAYS BEFORE THE PRODUCTION DATE BRACKET START OF JULY 8, 2015 FOR MANUFACTURER RECALL AKB4. THE 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN WAS ORDERED AS A CUSTOM SPECIFICATION 2015 PORSCHE CAYMAN IN EARLY 2015 HOWEVER, WHILE WAITING FOR THE CAR, THE OWNER WAS NOTIFIED BY THE DEALER THAT DELAYS HAVE PUSHED YOUR DELIVERY DATE BACKBUT YOU WILL RECEIVE A 2016 MODELTHE FACTORY IS GOING TO PRODUCE THE VEHICLE BEFORE THEIR SUMMER BREAK AND YOULL HAVE IT IN JULY 2015 BUT IT WILL BE A 2016 CAYMAN. THE 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN IS A JULY 2015 PARTS BIN VEHICLE ASSEMBLED WITH FAULTY AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT SERIAL NUMBER 11050089RI IN JUNE 2015 BY PORSCHE AG. WITH COMPONENT SUPPLIER CORRECTIVE ACTION OCCURRING DURING WEEK 38 OF 2015 (MID-SEPTEMBER 2015) PORSCHE AG INSTALLED FAULTY AIRBAG TRIGGERING UNIT SERIAL NUMBER 11050089RI IN THE 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN. THIS IS EVIDENT BY SCAN RESULTS PERFORMED ON THE 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN DISPLAYING FAILURE CODE: C11005 AIRBAG TRIGGERING UNIT, FAULTY. THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ALSO ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. PORSCHE DID NOT IDENTIFY THAT FAULTY AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT SERIAL NUMBER 11050089RI IS AFFECTED BY MANUFACTURER RECALL AKB4 AND HAS NOT CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED THE POPULATION OF 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN CARS IMPACTED BY MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER AKB4 (TRANSPORT CANADA RECALL 2019353 & NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 19V-533). PORSCHE MUST INCLUDE THE 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN IN MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER AKB4, NOTIFY THE OWNER BY MAIL AND INSTRUCT THEM TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A DEALER TO REPLACE THE FAULTY AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE UNDER RECALL. REFER TO VOLKSWAGEN GROUP COMPLIANCE REF. NUMBER 12638/2020, PCNA CASES 5591432 & 5595168, TC CONFIRMATION NUMBERS 2020-1107/-1108/-1310/-1311 AND US NHTSA TCN FKN23-56239 FOR DETAILS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11330990June 25, 2020
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN HAS AN ERROR CODE 'C11005 ? AIRBAG TRIGGERING UNIT, FAULTY' AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED BUT THIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN PORSCHE'S RECALL (AKB4) CONCERNING THIS ISSUE. PORSCHE HAS NOT CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED THE RECALL POPULATION OF 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN CARS AFFECTED BY MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER AKB4 (TRANSPORT CANADA RECALL 2019353 & NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 19V-533) AND SHOULD INCLUDE THIS 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN VIN, NOTIFY THE OWNER BY MAIL AND INSTRUCT THEM TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A DEALER TO INSPECT, AND REPLACE, THE FAULTY AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE UNDER RECALL. BASED ON A PRODUCTION DATE BRACKET OF JULY 8, 2015 ? APRIL 18, 2016 AND COMPONENT SUPPLIER CORRECTIVE ACTION OCCURRING DURING CALENDAR WEEK 38 OF 2015 (APPROXIMATELY MID-SEPTEMBER 2015) PORSCHE HAS MISSED THIS 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN (PRODUCED JUNE 2015) FROM ITS DATABASE OF 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN VINS AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. PORSCHE DID NOT CONSIDER THAT IT WAS PRODUCING 2016 PORSCHE CAYMANS EARLIER THAN JULY 8, 2015 AND, AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE OWNER OF THIS 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN WAS NOT ALERTED DURING THE CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION PERIOD OF MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER AKB4 AND DID NOT BECOME AWARE OF THIS KNOWN SAFETY RISK UNTIL ALMOST A YEAR HAD PASSED. AT THIS TIME, PORSCHE REFUSES TO REPAIR THE FAULTY VEHICLE UNDER RECALL. THERE MAY BE OTHER 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN VEHICLES IN ADDITION TO THIS 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN ASSEMBLED OUTSIDE THE STATED PRODUCTION DATE BRACKET THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL AND WERE MISSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11327552June 6, 2020
SERVICE BRAKES, POWER TRAIN
THE RETURN LINE FOR CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER CAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR DURING DRIVING RESULTING IN A PUDDLE OF BRAKE FLUID WHEN THE CAR RETURNED TO THE GARAGE. FLUID WAS PROBABLY LOST DURING THE DRIVE. THERE IS NO CLAMP ON THIS HOSE, THERE IS A RIBBED MALE STUB COMING OFF THE RESERVOIR THAT THE HOSE SLIDES ON, BUT IT EASILY SLIDES ON AND OFF. I HAVE 2,000 MILES ON THE CAR. THE DEALER COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THE HOSE BECAME DISCONNECTED. IF I HAD NOT NOTICED THE PUDDLE, IF I HAD GONE FOR ANOTHER DRIVE, I MIGHT HAVE LOST ALL THE BRAKE FLUID AND LOST BRAKING AND THE CLUTCH OPERATIONS. WHY THERE ISN'T A CLAMP ON THIS HOSE IS CONFUSING. WILL THE HOSE COME LOOSE AGAIN DURING A FUTURE DRIVE? *TR
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11140061October 12, 2018
ENGINE
I SUSTAINED SERIOUS BURNS TO MY CALF FROM MY THE EXHAUSTS ON MY 2014 BOXSTER S, AND MY 2017 CAYMAN, ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH CARS SUFFER FROM THE SAME DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT: AN EXCESSIVELY PROTRUDING CENTRAL EXHAUST PIPE. THE FIRST INJURY WAS SUSTAINED ON FEBRUARY 19, 2017, WHEN I LEANED AGAINST MY 2014 BOXSTER S, AND THE REAR OF MY CALF MADE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE PROTRUDING EXHAUST PIPE. THE SECOND INJURY OCCURRED ON AUGUST 11, 2018, WHEN I PLACED A SUITCASE IN THE TRUNK OF MY 2017 718 CAYMAN, AND THE FRONT OF MY CALF TOUCHED THE EXHAUST. THE 718/BOXSTER S EXHAUSTS ARE UNREASONABLY DANGEROUS AS IT IS EXTREMELY EASY, EVEN WHEN BEING VERY CAREFUL, TO INADVERTENTLY MAKE CONTACT WITH THE HOT PIPES. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE PURPORTED 'WARNINGS' IN THE OWNERS' MANUALS, THEY ARE INSUFFICIENT AND FLAT-OUT ABSURD, AS THEY CANNOT BE ADHERED TO IF ONE USES THE TRUNK. I AM ASKING THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS PATENTLY DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11098046May 26, 2018
SEAT BELTS, VISIBILITY/WIPER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
BOTH HEADLIGHTS GET FOGGY CONDENSATION DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR LOSE AND MAKING RATTLING NOISE WINDSHIELD WIPER HAS POOR CONTACT WITH FRONT WINDSHIELD. POOR VISIBILITY ON RAINY DAY
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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