2010 Porsche Cayman Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2010 Porsche Cayman, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Powertrain (other)480.0%
- Driver assistance120.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (55-60 MPH), ATTEMPTED TO DOWNSHIFT DUE TO TRAFFIC AND THE MANUAL GEAR SHIFT LEVER DID NOT RESPOND. IT WAS COMPLETELY LIMP AND SEEMED DISCONNECTED FROM THE SHIFTING ACTION. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THE VEHICLE THROUGH TRAFFIC, TO AN OFF RAMP AND INTO A SAFE PARKING SPOT. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE SHIFTER CABLE HAD BROKEN. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I NOTICED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE PORSCHE CAYMAN, SO I'M REPORTING THIS AS IT POSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD FOR DRIVERS OF THE VEHICLE AND THOSE AROUND THEM WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS. OBVIOUSLY NOT BEING ABLE TO SHIFT INTO DIFFERENT GEARS WHILE IN ANY SORT OF TRAFFIC CREATES A RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS APPARENTLY DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT IT. THE REPAIR COSTS ARE ALSO STEEP -- IT COST ME $1,325 FOR THE CABLE TO BE REPLACED, AS WELL AS OVER $100 FOR THE TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP. MY VEHICLE HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT, BUT I HAVE READ OF INCIDENTS WHERE THIS OCCURRED ON VEHICLES WITH FEW MILES AND SOME REPORT IT HAS BROKEN REPEATEDLY. SO I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE PORSCHE AND URGE THE COMPANY TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY ISSUE WITH A RECALL AND/OR REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIR COSTS. THANK YOU. *TR
I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO THE FREEWAY WHEN THE GEARSHIFT CABLE TO THE TRANSMISSION BROKE CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR BECAUSE I HAD NO CONTROL OF WHAT GEAR I WAS IN AND I WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. AS IT TURNED OUT, I WAS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR AND I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY, LUCKILY. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE GEARSHIFT CABLE TO THE TRANSMISSION HAD BROKEN. HE SAID THAT THIS WAS COMMON FOR MY CAR. IT COST ME $840 TO REPAIR. SEARCHING THE INTERNET, THIS APPEARED TO A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL OF PORSCHE. I HAVE OWNED MANY CARS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND HAVE NEVER HAD THE GEARSHIFT CABLE BREAK. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY IF I HAD LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR WHILE TRAVELING ON MOUNTAINOUS ROADS OR TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
SHIFTER CABLE BROKE AS I WAS ENTERING THE FREEWAY LEAVING ME WITHOUT CONTROL OF THE TRANSMISSION. AS IT WAS, I WAS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR, BUT I COULD HAVE BEEN STUCK OUT OF GEAR, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DANGEROUS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND KNOW DEFECT TO PORSCHE MECHANICS AND MANY OCCURRENCES ARE POSTED ON THE INTERNET. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, BESIDES BEING A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .