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2016 Porsche Cayman

Gas

Two Seaters
7 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 7

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 25 mpg

Starting MSRP3 trims · manufacturer $84,600

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 Porsche Cayman is sold in the U.S. as a gas coupe with 7 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Cayman, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 7 complaints, most often about the air bags. Manufacturer pricing runs from $84,600 to $84,600 across 3 trims.

Porsche Cayman — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Porsche Cayman · Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Trims & pricing

Source: manufacturer press kitCompare a trim →

Trim	Powertrain	Drive	MSRP	HP	Torque	MPG comb	Wheels
Cayman GT4	Gas	RWD	$84,600	385 hp	309 lb-ft	—	20 in
718 Cayman	Gas	RWD	—	300 hp	280 lb-ft	24 mpg	18 in
718 Cayman S	Gas	RWD	—	350 hp	309 lb-ft	22 mpg	19 in

MSRP excludes destination. Open a trim for the complete spec sheet and standard/optional equipment. Have the car in front of you? Decode its VIN to see which of these trims it is and what it was priced at.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Cayman	Gas	RWD	2.7L 6-cyl	22	31	25	$3,300
Cayman GTS	Gas	RWD	3.4L 6-cyl	21	30	25	$3,300
Cayman	Gas	RWD	2.7L 6-cyl	20	29	24	$3,400
Cayman S	Gas	RWD	3.4L 6-cyl	21	29	24	$3,400
Cayman GTS	Gas	RWD	3.4L 6-cyl	19	26	22	$3,750
Cayman S	Gas	RWD	3.4L 6-cyl	20	27	22	$3,750
Cayman GT4	Gas	RWD	3.8L 6-cyl	18	23	20	$4,100

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36359, 36315, 36358, 36313, 36314, 36312, 36251.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Cayman, Cayman GT4, Cayman GTS, Cayman S	5 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II LEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Air Bags

AKB4

7,517 vehicles 78% reported repaired built Jul 8, 2015 – Apr 18, 2016

Problem 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. Risk Deactivated air bags increase the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash. Fix Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 13, 2019. Owners received a second notice and the recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKB4.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V533000 reported Jul 17, 2019 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific Cayman

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Porsche publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Porsche’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Porsche Cayman, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

7complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2020: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2024: 2

Most-cited components

Air Bags 3

Seat Belts 2

Electrical System 1

Engine 1

Visibility/Wiper 1

Unspecified 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

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 by Porsche (Vehicle Production Date: June 29, 2015). In 2019, TRW recalled the aforementioned ACU in NHTSA 19E-043.

Air Bags Feb 9, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11451121

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

Exterior Lighting Sep 16, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11614898

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

Visibility/Wiper Jun 27, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11471245

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.

Engine at 7,800 miles Nov 17, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11375115

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.

Air Bags Jul 27, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11342230

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.

Air Bags Jun 25, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11330990

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 1 filing by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Porsche warranty extension 18/26Warranty Information: Warranty Extension for Transmission Electronics Control Unit (18/26)

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every Porsche warranty extension (5) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 762

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-22

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 734 service bulletins, 22 others, 3 service campaigns

Most often about: Unknown Or Other, Engine, Electrical System, Equipment, Structure.

No. 28-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Power Train
Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils. Note that this bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which C40 engine oils are allocated.
No. 27-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Engine
Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils. Note that the bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which C20 engine oils are allocated.
No. 26-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Power Train
Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils. Note that the bulletin includes all models back to model year 1984, for which C30 engine oils are allocated.
No. 25-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-22 · Engine
Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils. Note that this bulletin covers all vehicles from model year 1997 to 2020, for which A40 engine oils are assigned. Model years 1997-2001 are not available for selection in the system.
SPTL2609 Service bulletin
2026-09-14 · Wheels
Special Tools and Equipment Information for alignment machines - Q3 2026 Software Spec Update Available
No. 12-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-01 · Electrical System
Technical Information for Damage to Nano Plug Contacts Due to Utilization of Incorrect Measuring Equipment
SPTL2314a Service bulletin
2026-08-28 · Unknown Or Other
Special Tools and Equipment Information for Diagnostic Equipment Standards for all USA Porsche Centers
SPTL2608 Service bulletin
2026-08-17 · Steering
Special Tools and Equipment Information for alignment machines - Q2 2026 Software Spec Update Available

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Cayman by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2020 A 0 0 24 mpg 2019 A 1 1 25 mpg 2018 B 2 1 25 mpg 2017 C 4 5 25 mpg 2016 this page A 1 7 25 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 Cayman

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

How much does the 2016 Porsche Cayman cost?

The manufacturer lists $84,600 for the Cayman GT4 RWD. Those are MSRPs from the manufacturer's own press material; they exclude destination, options, taxes and whatever the dealer adds. Every trim and price is listed above.

Does the 2016 Porsche Cayman have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2016 Porsche Cayman. The most serious on file is 19V533000, covering Air Bags. 1 of them was filed with no repair available at the time — NHTSA's file records what the manufacturer had in hand on the filing date, not what exists today. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 Porsche Cayman?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2016 Porsche Cayman yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (92/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Porsche Cayman?

Across the 7 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Porsche Cayman, the best EPA combined figure is 25 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 Porsche Cayman?

Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Porsche Cayman, most often about air bags, seat belts, electrical system. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 Porsche Cayman?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Porsche Cayman is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, LEV-II LEV — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Porsche Cayman?

The manufacturer has filed 762 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Porsche Cayman, most often covering unknown or other, engine, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2026-09-22. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	7 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	7 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	7	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	762	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	none	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable.
Trims, pricing & equipment	3 trims	Manufacturer press kit	Transcribed from the manufacturer's own press material, every value carrying the document it came from.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly. Trim-level specifications and pricing are transcribed from the manufacturer's official press kit; every value carries its source in the data file.

JSON for this page · API