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What 5 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (5)Crash / fire / injury (1)Seat belts (3)Engine (1)Lights (1)Seats (1)Transmission & drivetrain (1)Visibility & wipers (1)

Newest first · 5 complaints

Apr 16, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The passenger side (right rear) inside CV joint grease boot clamp failed and leaked grease. I discovered it while switching out Winter to Summer tires. I have included pictures. In researching the defect I found that it is a common occurrence with the Porsche 718 Cayman and occurs with low mileage. I believe the clamp was defective or not installed correctly during the assembly process. If I didn’t catch the leak it could have resulted in a drive axle failure and breakdown on the road endangering myself or other vehicles. My car is not tracked and is used for pleasure driving. Because I caught the leak early the Porsche dealer was able to install a new clamp. I have included the repair invoice. There were no warning messages indicating the clamp failure. My car is maintained yearly by my dealer. In addition, during my research, I read that low mileage water pump failure is also a common occurrence with 718 Cayman’s.

NHTSA ODI 11731699

Mar 4, 2022Seat belts

seat belt will not retracted back it stays completly loose.

NHTSA ODI 11455256

Feb 9, 2022Seat beltsSeats

I have a Porsche 718 Cayman [XXX] I purchase this vehicle October 16, 2020 with only 1,500 miles on the odometer from Porsche of Tucson 4690 E 22nd St, Tucson, AZ 85711. Purchase Porsche extended platinum warranty for 96/100,000 miles. My passenger side 3- point seatbelt will not retract back properly. This is definitely a safety issue for the passenger. I set up an appointment to have it fix with the Porsche of Tucson dealership. I was told that it would not be covered under the platinum warranty. The odometer mileage I have now on my Porsche 718 Cayman is 13,685. I believe it should be covered due to a safety issue and especially with low mileage on the Porsche 718 Cayman with passenger seat belt not retracting back it stays loose on the passenger when seat belt is on. As a driver I never sit in the passenger side and just recently notice the belt being twisted and not properly aligned when my passenger complaint about belt. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11451104

Oct 12, 2018Engine2 injuries

I SUSTAINED SERIOUS BURNS TO MY CALF FROM MY THE EXHAUSTS ON MY 2014 BOXSTER S, AND MY 2017 CAYMAN, ON TWO OCCASIONS. BOTH CARS SUFFER FROM THE SAME DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT: AN EXCESSIVELY PROTRUDING CENTRAL EXHAUST PIPE. THE FIRST INJURY WAS SUSTAINED ON FEBRUARY 19, 2017, WHEN I LEANED AGAINST MY 2014 BOXSTER S, AND THE REAR OF MY CALF MADE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE PROTRUDING EXHAUST PIPE. THE SECOND INJURY OCCURRED ON AUGUST 11, 2018, WHEN I PLACED A SUITCASE IN THE TRUNK OF MY 2017 718 CAYMAN, AND THE FRONT OF MY CALF TOUCHED THE EXHAUST. THE 718/BOXSTER S EXHAUSTS ARE UNREASONABLY DANGEROUS AS IT IS EXTREMELY EASY, EVEN WHEN BEING VERY CAREFUL, TO INADVERTENTLY MAKE CONTACT WITH THE HOT PIPES. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE PURPORTED 'WARNINGS' IN THE OWNERS' MANUALS, THEY ARE INSUFFICIENT AND FLAT-OUT ABSURD, AS THEY CANNOT BE ADHERED TO IF ONE USES THE TRUNK. I AM ASKING THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS PATENTLY DANGEROUS DESIGN DEFECT.

NHTSA ODI 11140061

May 26, 2018LightsSeat beltsVisibility & wipers

BOTH HEADLIGHTS GET FOGGY CONDENSATION DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR LOSE AND MAKING RATTLING NOISE WINDSHIELD WIPER HAS POOR CONTACT WITH FRONT WINDSHIELD. POOR VISIBILITY ON RAINY DAY

NHTSA ODI 11098046

Working with the data? Download all 5 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman verdict →