The vacuum pump retaining screws vibrated out, causing an oil leak and reduced functionality of the braking system. This is the second 2011 Porsche Cayman S that I have owned to have this problem. The first cause a fire and I received minor burns from the incident. Fortunately this time no fire was caused and the vehicle is repairable. Please see the federal safety agency tracking number 11430927. I also spoke with a Porsche mechanic and was told he had seen this failure on several Porsche Cayman. I have not had the vehicle repaired yet, but will document the repair and retain the parts for inspection if needed.
The worst 2011 Porsche Cayman problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Transmission3
- Engine2
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission3
- Engine2
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Porsche Cayman 393
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils
- Special Tools and Equipment Information for alignment machines
What 2011 Porsche Cayman owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The vacuum pump (Porsche part number 9A1-110-090-02) cover retaining screws vibrated out causing the cover to damage the fuel lines and causing an engine oil leak. The fuel and oil were ignited by the exhaust or stray spark cause by the vacuum covers rotation and hitting other metal objects. This vacuum pump provides vacuum to the brake booster and during the event drastically reduces the ability of the car to stop. The car was quickly consumed by fire (30-45 seconds) and I received very minor burns to my left arm exiting the car (mid-engine so the flames were coming out from under the drives side rear tire). I no longer have the car or parts but do have a lot of photos of the damage
The linkage for the manual transmission has a high failure rate. It has separated twice now, each time failing in about 5,000 to 7,000 miles requiring being towed into the dealership for service. Very dangerous if this happens in traffic and your linkage fails while shifting and you are now not in any gear. *bf *tr consumer stated while pulling into the driveway the vehicle accelerated and hit the garage, airbag deplyed.
While shifting from 5th to 6th gear, I felt something (presumably the shift cable) snap. The car was locked in gear, and I was unable to shift to another gear. In looking online I found complaints by several other porsche owners that shift cables on their cars had broken.
I was driving the car at approximately 47 MPH in traffic and the on board computer displayed the warning message "transmission temperature too high" followed by the message "transmission emergency run". The car at this point stopped moving and I coasted to a stop in traffic. The immediate cut off of the power train and pdk transmission poses a serious threat to safety that could lead to a rear-end collision due to the immediate disengagement of the transmission. The car was taken to the dealership and information on the incident was sent to porsche for a problem determination. Porsche has since decided to replace the entire transmission.
Compare the 2011 Porsche Cayman
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Questions about the 2011 Porsche Cayman
Is the 2011 Porsche Cayman reliable?
Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 2011 Porsche Cayman, 1.3 times a typical Cayman model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Porsche Cayman?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 3 complaints. Next is engine (2).
How many recalls does the 2011 Porsche Cayman have?
No recalls on record.
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