AI DamagePorsche Cayman S: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Porsche Cayman S across 2 model years: 12 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 50% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 17% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 8% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 6 complaints (50% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 2 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 1 complaints (8% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (8% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 12 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Some of these failures have resulted in crashes or near-crashes as the engines fail the driver loses power steering and control of the vehicle. Porsche has refused to admit there is a problem with these engines but has redesigned the engines in 2009 to fix these oiling problems.
I had an accident on 11/2/08 in a porsche cayman s 2006 with the factory continental tires. The vehicle has less than 4000 miles on it. Coming a low speed corner at about 35 mph the vehicle lost control and slid down a ditch. The tires had separated from the outside edge of the wheel.
Traveling in a straight line on a dry road at around 65mph, the vehicle's engine expired in a huge plume of coolant/oil. Flatbedded to a porsche dealership, a technician using a boroscope found (according to the dealership) "scoring to #5 cylinder and evidence that a valve had hit the top of the piston.
Car: 2006 cayman s with 34,150 miles on it. I don't race it (on or off the track). 90% of my commute is highway driving at 70 mph, with the occasional acceleration (no downshifting) to 80-90 mph. I bought the car as certified pre-owned with 5,000 miles on it.
As I was accelerating for a merge, the car bucked and hesitated despite having my foot on the gas. I shifted gears and it was the same problem then there was an odd noise from the engine. I pulled off and the oil pressure warning light came on just as I stopped the engine. I had the car towed to the repair shop.
Motor failed unexpectedly while accelerating, causing loss of power and loss of control. Mechanic inspection says that it was not my fault, as the failure occurred at 3500 rpm and there was no stress that should cause failure. No sludge found in engine, oil changes done on time.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.