2016 Porsche 911 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (1) · Exterior Lighting (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Porsche 911 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2019-07-17 · campaign 19V533000 · 7,517 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-03-02 · campaign 17V134000 · 120 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2016 911 GT3 RS and 911 R vehicles and 2017 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4, 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Targa 4, 911 Targa 4S, 911 Turbo S, 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag inflator initiator may fail to ignite during a crash.
Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AH03.
Service bulletins (504)
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.
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
Electrical System 2026-09-01 · No. 12-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical information for damage to nano plug contacts due to utilization of incorrect measuring equipment
Showing the 6 most recent of 504 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2021-12-14 · Visibility/Wiper“the front windshield and rear window glass seals have failed. black tar like material flows and spears the windows. especially bad when driving during summer months. vehicle only has 6200 miles. is out of warrenty. dealer says repair costs at my expense. contacted porsche north america customer assistance. they also said they would not stand behind…”
2020-03-23 · Exterior Lighting · 8,000 mi“while driving on the freeway after heavy braking, the passenger headlight dislodged from the car, dangled for a second on the hood from the electrical connections, then flew off the car completely…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.