2001 PORSCHE 911 TURBO Complaints

FIRST I NOTICED A BURST OF WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE REAR, AND AFTER THAT, ENGINE TEMPERATURE START TO GO UP. SINCE I HAVE VERY CLOSE TO HOME, I JUST CRUISE BACK. *TR AFTER INSPECTION AT MECHANIC, COOLANT HOSE HAS FLY OFF ITSELF AND CAUSING ALL THE ENGINE COOLANT LOST. REPAIRING IT COSTS ME 5000+ AS IT REQUIRES DROPPING THE ENGINE, MANY HOURS OF LABOR AND 2 WEEKS WITHOUT THE CAR.

MY CAR SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF COOLANT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. I WAS DRIVING AND SUDDENLY A PLUME OF SMOKE APPEARED IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. I THOUGHT THAT MY ENGINE HAD BLOWN AND I PULLED THE CAR OFF OF THE ROAD. TURNS OUT THAT SMOKE WAS ACTUALLY STEAM! I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE WATER CONSOLE FITTINGS HAVING BLOWN OUT. THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THESE FITTINGS WERE HELD INTO THE CONSOLE WITH AN EPOXY FROM THE MANUFACTURER, AND THAT THE EPOXY EVENTUALLY FAILS. FORTUNATELY, I WAS GOING STRAIGHT WHEN THE COOLANT ESCAPED OR THE RESULT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THE SHOP REPAIRED MY CONSOLE BY REPLACING THE FITTINGS AND ALUMINUM WELDING THEM IN PLACE SO THEY COULD NOT FAIL AGAIN. THEY HAD TO LOWER THE ENGINE TO DO THIS. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF OTHER FITTINGS THAT WERE SIMILARLY EPOXIED IN PLACE ON THE TOP OF THE ENGINE THAT SHOULD BE WELDED TOO. THEY SAID THEIR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT FAILURES OF THOSE UPPER ENGINE FITTINGS HAVE BEEN LESS COMMON. I OPTED TO NOT HAVE THOSE FITTING WELDED AT THAT TIME AS THE SHOP WOULD HAVE HAD TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THE ENGINE AT CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONAL EXPENSE. THEY RECOMMENDED I HAVE THEM WELDED IF EVER THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM THE CAR. *TR

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM VIRGINIA TO TEXAS WHEN I EXPERIENCED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE OEM ADHESIVE ON THE COOLANT LINE FITTINGS IN MY 911 TURBO. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WESTBOUND ON I10. IT COST ME $3700 TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND HAVE ALL OF THE FITTINGS TIG WELDED IN PLACE TO ENSURE THIS NEVER OCCURS AGAIN. *TR

ENGINE COOLANT PIPES THAT ARE EPOXIED IN BY THE MANUFACTURE WORK THEMSELVES LOOSE OVER TIME AND CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC COOLANT LOSS THAT SPRAYS COOLANT ALL OVER THE REAR TIRES CAUSING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I HAD TO HAVE THE ENGINE PULLED AND THE COOLANT PIPES REPLACED AND WIELDED IN. *TR

FACTORY PORSCHE COOLANT FITTINGS FAILED AND RELEASED FROM ENGINE BLOCK. DUMPED COOLANT OVER REAR TIRES. OEM COOLANT FITTINGS ARE GLUED INTO THE BLOCK AND FATIGUE OVER TIME. THEY SHOULD BE WELDED OR THREADED INTO BLOCK TO PREVENT SAFETY ISSUES. CAR WOULD HAVE LOST TOTAL CONTROL IF TRAVELING AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS. *TR

I WAS TOLD BY SIMILAR OWNERS LIKE MYSELF THAT THE 996 AND 997 PLATFORMS COOLANT HOSE RUPTURE DUE TO BEING GLUED FROM THE FACTORY. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE IT HAD 19,000 MILES AND MY CAR HAD 85,000 MILES AND I HAD NOT HAD AN ISSUE SO I WAS NOT SURE HOW TRUE IT WAS. ON SEP 29, OF 2012 I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HWY WITH MY BROTHER WHEN I NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE BACK OF MY VEHICLE. I PULLED OVER AND WENT TO THE BACK OF THE MOTOR AND THE COOLANT HOSE NEAR THE ALTERNATOR HAD POP OFF DUE TO THE GLUE NOT HOLDING ANY LONGER. I'M GLAD THAT NO ONE WAS HURT, BUT I'M AFRAID OF THE POTENTIAL DAMAGE THE COOLANT LEAKING IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON A HIGH RISE RAMP, ON THE HIGHWAY WHERE IT COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY A DEATH TO MYSELF OR PEOPLE FOLLOWING BEHIND ME. I HAVE SINCE TALKED TO A FEW OTHER PORSCHE OWNERS AND THEY ALL SEEM TO KNOW MANY OTHER OWNERS WHOM HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. SOME ACTUALLY DAMAGING OTHER'S PROPERTY DUE TO SPIN OUT'S BECAUSE OF THE SLIPPERY COOLANT. SINCE THEN I HAVE TAKEN PRECAUTION AND HAD A FITTING WELDED IN PLACE, AND CLAMPED ON. I BELIEVE THE FACTORY SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE AND DONE IT CORRECTLY VS GLUING A COOLANT HOSE. *TR

WATER MANIFOLD HAS PRESS-FIT EPOYY CONNECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO COME LOOSE. MINE DID AND I LOST ALL OF MY COOLANT. IT BLEW ACROSS THE WHOLE ENGINE BAY AND OVER BACK TIRES. VERY DANGEROUS AS A CAR SPUN OUT OF CONTROL BEHIND ME AS WELL. TOOK ENGINE APART AND WELDED TWO OF THE FITTINGS BUT SEVERAL OTHERS REMAIN OEM. EXPENSIVE FIX THUS FAR, AND NOT YET DONE. VERY POOR DESIGN AND DANGEROUS!! *TR

SUDDEN, CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF COOLANT HOSE 996.106.502.74 BY LONGITUDINAL SPLIT APPROXIMATELY 4" LONG. COOLANT DUMPED ON LR WHEEL CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL AND VEHICLE SPIN. *TR

SRS SYSTEM ON PORSCHE 911 TURBO 2001 HAS BEEN IN TO DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES TO ATTEMPT TO SOLVE A SRS MALFUNCTION LIGHT. PORSHE REPAIRS AND RETURNS TO ME STATING THAT CAR IS SAFE. LAST FALL WHEN LIGHT CAME ON THEY SAID IT WAS A CONTROL MODULE AND REPLACING IT WITH A NEW ONE WOULD CURE IT, LESS THAN 2,000 MILES HAVE BEEN DRIVEN SINCE THAT REPAIR AND CAR WAS STORED FOR THE WINTER, IT HAS FAIL AGAIN AND THEY ARE GOING TO REPLACE SEATBELT, WHICH HAS BEEN DONE 4 PREVIOUS TIMES TO NO AVAIL. I HAVE TRIED TO RAISE THIS ISSUE WITHIN PORSCHE NORTH AMERICAN BOTH THRU MY DEALERSHIP, FIELD REP AND WRITING DIRECTLY. I BELIEVE I HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL SAFETY ISSUE AND TRACK RECORD OF PORSCHE NOT BEING ABLE TO SOLVE IT. CAN YOU HELP ME? *TR

AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2001 PORSCHE 911 TURBO BEGAN POPPING OUT OF SECOND GEAR UPON DECELERATION. PORSCHE IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN THE MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS IN THESE CARS, AND EVEN HAS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN OUT THAT STATES IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE OF ASSEMBLY DEFECTS. CERTAINLY, THE BRASS SYNCHROS IN THE TRANSMISSION ARE VERY WEAK AND PRONE TO FAILURE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE IN SUCH AN EXPENSIVE AND POWERFUL CAR. PORSCHE HAS TAKEN NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND CHARGES UPWARDS OF $5000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE THE DRIVING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAR CHANGE DRAMATICALLY WHEN YOU ARE SLOWING DOWN, ESPECIALLY IF TURNING A CORNER AT THE SAME TIME. *TR