PORSCHE CAYMAN · model year

2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN

12 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2016PORSCHECAYMAN carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2016 CAYMAN is air bags with 3 filings, followed by seat belts (2) and electrical system (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 2016 CAYMAN. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

12
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

12 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS3
SEAT BELTS2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
ENGINE1
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
STEERING1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS1

Recalls (1)

19V53300017/07/2019

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2016-2017 911 and Boxster, 2016 Cayman and Panamera vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.

Recent Complaints

20240916EXTERIOR 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.

20240825UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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.

20240825FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

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.

20240825STEERING

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.

20220627VISIBILITY/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.

20220209AIR 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).

20201117ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 7,800

20200727AIR BAGS

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

20200727SEAT BELTS

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

20200727ELECTRICAL 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

20200625AIR BAGS

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

20200625SEAT 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

Compare 2016PORSCHECAYMAN to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN have?
The 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN has 12 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN?
The 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN?
Yes, the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN?
The most-complained component for the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN is AIR BAGS with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.