Thanks for the details. Quite helpful indeed.

 

Update on my transfer case issue - no update. Called the dealer this morning. They now have no ETA on the parts for my car from Germany. It appears that mine is one of 3 waiting for a new transfer case. At least one of the other two is also a Macan. Their Porsche rep is supposed be coming by the dealership this week & they're telling us that they'll be collaring him then for more info. I was very happy with my car until this issue arose. Now I'm disgusted & wishing that I'd never given up the SQ5 for this. I'm half ready to tell the dealer to take my current Macan in on trade & give me a new one, but I'm not willing to take it in the shorts financially to do so. We called Porsche NA a couple of weeks ago. They said that they'd look into it & get back to us. We've not heard from them either, so my Porsche experience is sorely disappointing right now. My Macan has been at our dealer since 9/21, so it has been 6 weeks now that I've been without it.

 

@Macanakey You are already way passed the requirements to start a Lemon Law case for Florida (15 days in for repair), so if it were me, that is the route I would consider/take action on. That will prevent you from "taking it in the shorts" if they have something on the lot that interests you. Just talking to the dealer about that course could start a dialog between you, the dealership, and PCNA that could start to unwind this mess.


Florida Lemon Laws - Lemon Law Attorneys | DMV.org

 

That is horrible. Unacceptable. I would be steaming mad too. Sorry for your troubles.

 

That is a terrible experience and one you just wouldn't expect from Porsche. 6 weeks is ridiculous. It appears that this may be a larger issue than Porsche are letting on if supply is so badly out of pace with demand for the part. It just shouldn't take that long to get a part. But more importantly Porsche and the dealership should be keeping their customers way better informed than this. Totally unacceptable. Hope it all gets resolved for you soon.

 

Well, the guys in Germany must have gotten wind of my frustration, because I just got a call this morning that my Macan was fixed & would be ready for pick up this afternoon! I asked why it would be later today & the SA said that they needed to wash & detail it. I told him not to bother washing it because I was heading right over to come & get it. It's now back. It now has a new front drive shaft & a new transfer case. Apparently the parts came in on Tuesday, after I last spoke to the dealer. It would have been nice if they would have called to let me know that. I'm also being told that PCNA will be reaching out to me to make up for holding my vehicle for 7 weeks.

I actually have the lemon law claim filled out & on my desk. I was going to take it to the post office today. I'm glad I don't have to pursue that. I really didn't want to have to go down that road, but I wanted to thank those of you that gave advice & commiserated with me. Can I say again how I'm delighted to be back in my Macan?

 

@Macanakey So glad to hear that is has worked out now without having to go through that process. Hopefully everything will be smooth sailing from here on out. While I'm not normally one to ask for extras, I'm curious if they offered you anything for your extended trouble, outside of the loaner? I would think a good dealer would offer a free annual service (can't remember how long you've had it?). I would also think an extension of warranty of the drivetrain would be something PCNA would do as goodwill.

 

Good to hear Macanakey!

 

Glad you have it home again. I'm sure PCNA will send you a little something. Enjoy your Macan again

 

Glad you got your car back.


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Wonder how many of us had transfer cases replaced so far. I just had mine replaced today and it looks like the issue is fixed but wasn't sure the new part is better(or improved) than the original one. I didn't get any clear answer why there are so many transfer case failures in Macans and Cayennes.

 

Good question. How many miles were on yours? Also curious if newer Macans manufactured after a certain date are problem free, assuming new transfer cases are less prone to failure.

 

My transfer case was changed. Macan S with July 2015 build date. Started having issues @ 10,500 miles and changed @ 11,000. Vehicle was @ dealership for one month waiting on parts. Glade to have it back, the Cayenne loaner felt like a tank compared to the Macan.

 

I'm curious about the symptoms of a transfer case problem. There have been a few times that I've been moving relatively slowly (20-25mph) and then step on the gas as the slow car ahead of me gets out of the way and I feel and hear a clunk from the rear when the transmission downshifts....like there is some play between the driveshaft and the axles. Just wondering if that's normal or indications that at some point I'll have the transfer case issue

 

I'm now at 4k miles and have the same symptoms lately. The transmission seems to thump/clunk under the same conditions noted above, when I feel the thump and look down I'm always in 2nd gear

 

Mine is being replaced, too. No fault codes or anything, but what started happening very, very occasionally starting around 10,000 miles has been more noticeable as I come up to 16,000 miles. Much appreciation to this Forum as a source of information that helped define it as a pattern rather than random occurrences. Waiting for the parts now and hoping for a smooth replacement next week.

 

Hope all goes well with your replacement.

What was your symptom pattern?

 

Pretty much what @jreimann and @Macanakey reported: a slight shuddering, more like a stutter, from the rear of the car while accelerating at low speeds. It could almost have been a grinding sound except that I felt it rather than heard it. It first showed up around 10K miles, very faintly and only rarely. On my recent Route 66 road trip, I felt it more strongly, intensifying to a series of small thumps during the same kinds of acceleration, and there were a couple of times where the thumps/vibration happened when reversing in a parking lot. That's what sent me back to the Forum to read and do my due diligence before calling for a service appointment.

I never felt it while turning, but I did notice it more clearly, for some reason, after using the cruise control. I sometimes use the CC stalk (on/off, light accel or decel) to moderate my highway speed without flashing brake lights or "lurching" the dog in the back seat, and that usually triggers an event. Perhaps accel/decel using the stalk is a bad idea?

In the meantime, my loaner is a Sapphire Blue Macan 2.0 with the 2017 PCM.

 

....In the meantime, my loaner is a Sapphire Blue Macan 2.0 with the 2017 PCM.

Bummer to hear about your car's transfer case. But I look forward to hearing more about your Macan 2.0 impressions and your Route 66 trip to Joplin (in another thread), at some point.

 

New to forum. Just took my 2016 Macan S (11,500 miles) to dealer this morning. Needs a new transfer case. SA says he should have the work completed this afternoon. My daughter is the everyday drive and had not noticed the problem but when I drove the car it was pretty obvious. Same symptoms as reported above. I described it as a "hammering" on accelerating from a stop. SA's diagnosis took one drive around the parking lot. Came home to look up transfer case online and found this forum. Enjoyed the 2016 I bought for my daughter so much I bought a 2017 GTS. So far no problems with the 2017.

 

Hmmm, another one. Not that this seems to be a widespread issue, but it seems to be more than isolated. After being active on the forum for a couple of years, i'm wondering if this is the most common serious repair.

Again, it seems like only a very small % of transfer cases have failed, but the fact that the average Macan is still very young might seem to suggest that we should watch this closely.

 

2016 Macan S 10750Miles

I started feeling the shuddering a week ago but only when the car was *warm* and <20mph.
Brought it in at the dealership, they immediately identified the transfer case as being the problem.
It's on order, 2 days delivery, a few hours of work. All warranty work.
Dealership said it's not their first one neither will it be their last one...pretty common looks like. Apparently most people don't realize something's wrong until they bring in the car for an unrelated issue requiring a test-drive. At that point the shuddering pops up and gets diagnosed.
I hope the new transfer cases are better than the stock ones

 

Glad you got yours resolved quickly. Where do you live? Agree and hope the replacements are more robust.

 

My late 2016 Macan Turbo started having the same issues described on this thread so I made an appointment at the dealer. A technician went on ride with me and as I put the car in reverse to backup from the parking space and started backing up the shuddering happened right away and he said, "yep, I hear it.....transfer case issue" we went around the block anyway and consistently could replicate the issue. I left the car on Tuesday this week and by Thursday the car was ready for pickup. It now drives like it did before no shuddering at all, just smooth as silk. The work was all under warranty and I am very happy to have my car back.

While my Macan was at the dealer, I got a 2017 Cayman as a loaner with some good options - sticker price was $70K. Beautiful looking car but boy was I disappointed with this car. It felt so rough, so loud (the exhaust sound is not really sporty) the suspension was too firm, and driving it did not feel special at all. At first I was so happy to see the loner I was getting but then how did I miss my Macan. Once I got my Macan back, driving it compared to the Cayman is no comparison at all in my opinion. The Macan feels so smooth, powerful, comfortable, solid, the exhaust sounds so sporty and nice. I am so happy to have this car and even now when Macan's are getting so popular I still frequently get complements from other drivers or men mostly (police officers, construction men, trash collectors) while driving the streets of DC.

 

I am so happy to have this car and even now when Macan's are getting so popular I still frequently get complements from other drivers or men mostly (police officers, construction men, trash collectors) while driving the streets of DC.

You are getting complements from police officers??? Yikes... Anyone remember the famous Porsche 911 color in the 80's affectionately called "Arrest Me Red"?

 

The 2017 Cayman probably has larger wheels on steel suspension. It is supposed to be loud as the mid-engine is right behind your ears. After all, it is a sports car, not a quiet comfy cruiser.

And that's why Porsche has the 911, 718 and Macan/Cayenne to cater to very different needs.

 

Hello

It was known as guardsman red.. I still lust after a 928 in the color. FYI

 

Good thread, My S has started this at 26K miles. It seems to go away once the drivetrain has really warmed up. I do wonder what in the transfer case is going wrong.

 

Transfer Case Issue?

I've read this thread thoroughly and am still not sure whether I have a transfer case issue or not. I've had a '17 Base for just over three months now. I'm a very light driver (~900 miles so far), with 90% of my time spent in stop-and-go highway gridlock.

When the car is stopped or down to 1-2 mph and I tap the accelerator lightly, there is a jerk or stutter around 7 mph. It feels like a rough shift with a slight clunking sound, but the shift to 2nd gear doesn't happen until a little later, and the jerk/stutter occurs even when I hold the car in 1st gear manually. This happens only in 1st gear when passing through 7 mph on light acceleration. (And it only happens driving forward -- though I don't typical drive at >7 mph in reverse.) But it happens 90% of the time under those conditions which, sadly, I do about 50 times a day when driving to and from work.

I brought the car into the dealer about a month ago with about 600 miles on the odometer. We did a test drive, and the tech chalked it up to 4 cylinder engines and their transmissions being "noisier and jerkier" than their 6 cylinder counterparts. (Query whether the PDK unit is any different in the 2.0 vs. the 3.0?). Official diagnosis is "Found Noise Concern Normal To Vehicle." Since then, I think the issue may have become more pronounced (i.e. it happens 90% of the time vs. 50% of the time; and it's a little harder of a jerk) -- but I honestly don't know if I've just become more attuned to it.

We're not talking about a huge jerk that makes the steering wheel move out of place or feels like you hit a stationary object, but I notice it, and passengers will too particularly if the radio is off. Again, not loud, but something you can hear if you pay attention, and it feels a little like you drove over an expansion joint on a bridge. (Note that I also have a separate "click" sound at 10 mph, which has been documented here: http://www.macanforum.com/forum/complaints/112386-10mph-16kph-click-all-macans.html and is apparently "normal" -- says my dealer.)

Any thoughts on whether this is a transfer case issue? I obviously have a ton of time left under warranty if things get worse, but I'm a little annoyed with this issue, particularly given my driving habits. I know Porsches are meant to be driven hard, etc., etc., but most of my driving is in situations where "driving hard" will very likely end badly for me and the driver in front of me. If it's normal, I can live with it, but my gut tells me there might be an issue here that the dealer doesn't want to spend a ton of time diagnosing. Thoughts from the enlightened members of this forum?

 

Transfer box failures are electronic, when the dealer plugs in, they see the fault and replace it.

 

Good to know. I guess that means it's something else (or nothing at all...)

 

I would think dealer is always motivated to diagnose any problem and fix it. That's how they get paid by Porsche or customers.

When they do diagnosis and find no problem, they don't get paid, or much if at all. So don't presuppose that dealer doesn't want to fix issues.

 

Very fair. Perhaps I've become a little too cynical! You're right... They billed probably 45 minutes of labor and zero for parts. Could have been a ton more if there was an actual problem.

If there's no change, I'll mention it at my 1 year service (which for me will probably be 3000 miles).

 

What you have described sounds a little like the torque movement of the transmission and rear differential.

There are rubber bushings in the mounts that may flex a little more than your liking.

 

I have this same issue with a 2017 Macan S. 10800 miles. I have the stuttering accelerating from a stop and the binding when backing up and turning. I called the dealer and he immediately said it sounded like the transfer case. I took it in today and a tech drove it and confirmed that was the problem. I am waiting on a call to see if they have the part in their Atlanta warehouse. They said 2 to 3 days if it is there or 2 to 3 weeks from Germany.

So, long story short, they have not fixed the issue in the early 2017s

 

Interesting that problem still exists on newer cars. Thanks for sharing. At this rate, I have to wonder if my replacement that was installed 15 months ago will be acting up again soon. Hopefully not.