2003 Porsche 911 Turbo problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (10) · Engine And Engine Cooling (2) · Vehicle Speed Control (1)
Safety recalls (1)
Suspension:front:macpherson Strut 2020-12-11 · campaign 20E091000 · 584 vehicles
Defect: Ohlins USA, Inc (Ohlins) is recalling certain Front Struts, part number POS 5N20. These struts were sold as part of Ohlins strut kits part number POZ MN02, intended for installation on 1999-2005 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (generation 996), and 2001-2006 Porsche 911 Turbo / Turbo S (generation 996) and kit part number POZ MN05, intended for installation on 2005-2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (generation 997), and 2006-2013 Porsche 911 Turbo / Turbo S (generation 997). The pin of the strut
Risk: If the pin fails, it will cause separation of the strut from the vehicle, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ohlins will notify owners, and dealers will request the return of all unsold kits containing the subject part from dealer/distributor inventory for a full refund. All owners who purchased one of the kits (POZ MN02 or POZ MN05) will receive replacement front struts (POS 5N20 or POS 5N21 - These parts are interchangeable), along with new top mount interface solutions, free of charge. The recall began December 22, 2020. Owners may contact Ohlins customer service at 1-800-336-9029.
Service bulletins (358)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-29 · GR13D801-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
parts information for parts withdrawal - radio & satellite radio receiver. note that part 91164559100 is also applicable to the following models not in the product list: 911 (1970-1989), 914 (1970-1976), 924 (1976-1985), 924s (1986-1988), 928 (1978-1995), 944 (1982-1991), 964 (1989-1994), 968 (1992-
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 28-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 27-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 26-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 25-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Wheels 2026-09-14 · SPTL2609 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
special tools and equipment information for alignment machines - q3 2026 software spec update available
Showing the 6 most recent of 358 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2017-01-03 · Engine · 47,000 mi“while driving home from work in december 2015, on a local road near my home, the engine began emitting a large steam cloud behind the vehicle and the coolant level light appeared. i pulled over and there was a major coolant leak behind the car. i had the car taken to a shop, and they identified the issues as one of the coolant pipes had separated f…”
2015-09-18 · Engine · 33,200 mi“i was driving on the putnam park road course track on 9/12/15, and one of my coolant fittings broke loose from the defective porsche adhesive. it spewed coolant all over the track, creating a very dangerous situation causing other drivers to lose control. i had a porsche dealer remedy the situation by pinning the fittings and applying new adhesiv…”
2015-02-10 · Vehicle Speed Control · 63,421 mi“i was driving my vehicle down the highway while accelerating when i felt the car squirm and noticed a large cloud of smoke billowing from the rear of the vehicle. i pulled over and identified the issue as a catastrophic coolant leak from the engine area (rear) of the vehicle. i had the vehicle transported home and then to a repair shop where they i…”
2015-02-07 · Engine · 51,285 mi“i was driving on interstate 15 northbound when i felt the rear end of my car slip. i was traveling at approximately 70 mpg in 5th gear on a 68 degree evening. i looked in my rear view mirror and saw smoke / steam coming out of the engine compartment. i pulled over as soon as i could, which was approximately 1 minute later. this is exactly …”
2013-06-28 · Engine · 81,000 mi“aluminum coolant pipe, that is glued into water pump manifold, came loose causing massive loss of coolant all over the road causing slippery conditions for other drivers. *tr…”
2013-05-10 · Engine · 45,479 mi“an epoxied coolant fitting for the engine cooling system failed while driving. this resulted in the sudden loss of most all the engines coolant on the roadway. permanent fix was to have auto repair shop weld the fitting in place. *tr…”
2013-05-04 · Engine · 103,000 mi“coolant hose failure when the vehicle is run medium/hard. i lost 1/2 liter the first couple times in total, and roughly 1 liter of coolant the last time, all over the exhaust and rear driver's side wheel tire. lucky i did not spin out or have many cars behind me. i captured pictures of the last leak after returning to my garage on 05/03/2013. p…”
2013-04-30 · Engine · 30,124 mi“driving on private road and a radiator hose (in front of car) came off causing immediate and rapid purging of coolant on to all 4 tires and me spinning off of the road. fortunately only into the grass on side of road. car was flat bedded to mechanic for repairs. spent several hundred dollars on repairs. have since spent thousands on additional …”
2013-04-23 · Engine · 26,000 mi“repair to the engine coolant hard pipes was required to prophylactically prevent failure of the factory epoxy seal. welding the pipes was required while the engine was out of the vehicle. *tr…”
2013-04-20 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 63,400 mi“factory connection at coolant pipes had come apart due to poor manufacturing process, use of glue. weeping of coolant at connections. had shop weld coolant pipes to rectify the imminent issue. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.