There are 3 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2011 Porsche Caymanin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.*JB
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. *TR
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. *TT
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026