Total Complaints
10 filings
PORSCHE 911 · model year
10 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002PORSCHE911 carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 911 is engine with 6 filings, followed by power train (2) and engine and engine cooling:engine (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 2002 911. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
10 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 6 |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | 1 |
ALUMINUM COOLANT TUBES WHICH APPARENTLY ARE GLUED TOGETHER VIA THE OEM FACTORY BECOME OLD AND BRITTLE AND BLOW APART. COOLANT IS THEN POURING OUT OF THE ENGINE AT A HIGH RATE INTO THE CITY STREET. IN MY CASE, I WAS SITTING AT A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THE COOLANT PIPE BURST/SEPARATED. IN ORDER TO FIX/REPAIR THE ISSUE, THE ENGINE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE 8 COOLANT TUBES MUST BE WELDED AND/OR DRILLED AND PINNED TO KEEP THE ISSUE FROM HAPPENING AGAIN
Mileage: 72,135
THE CLUTCH SLAVE FAILED ON MY 911 TURBO AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH A GT2 SLAVE WHICH REMOVES THE HYDRAULIC ASSIST. *TR
Mileage: 52,400
I NOTICED STEAM COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY WHILE DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. STOPPED THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AND CONTACTED A TOW SERVICE. A COOLANT LINE CAME LOOSE DUE TO A FAILED FITTING AT THE MANIFOLD AND DISCHARGED THE ENTIRE RESERVOIR, LEAVING A PUDDLE OF COOLANT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. *TR
THERE WAS NO INCIDENT, BUT THERE IS A COOLANT SMELL WHICH REGULARLY HAPPENS AFTER A LONG DRIVE. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THIS IS BECAUSE THE COOLANT FITTINGS WEEP; I'VE FOUND MANY FORUM POSTS, AND WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THE LINES BURSTING AND/OR SPILLING IS COMMON IN 996 TURBOS ('01-'05). HE ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD HAVE PREVENTIVE WELDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COOLANT LINES DO NOT UNSEAT AND SPILL ALL OF MY COOLANT. I WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW, OR COULD HAPPEN 50K MILES FROM NOW; EITHER WAY, I WOULD BE STRANDED WHEREVER I WAS. THE WORK TO COMPLETE THE PREVENTIVE MEASURE WAS QUOTED AROUND $5-6K, BUT I HAVE NOT HAD IT COMPLETED. *TR
Mileage: 39,000
I OWN A 2002 911 CARRERA TURBO, WHICH HAS A WELL-KNOW AND DOCUMENTED DESIGN DEFECT IN THE ENGINE (GT1 MOTOR). IT IS KNOW AS THE COOLANT-PIPE FAILURE ISSUE. WHILE MY CAR HAS NOT YET SUFFERED A FAILURE, THERE IS A REASONABLE PROBABILITY THAT THE COOLANT PIPES MAY FAIL DURING REGULAR USE, CAUSING A SUBSTANTIAL LIKELIHOOD OF PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PERSONAL INJURY TO MYSELF AND OTHERS UTILIZING THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY. IT IS A CLEAR SAFETY ISSUE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED BY WAY OF RECALL AND REPAIR. THERE IS A KNOWN SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. HERE IS A HYPERLINK TO ONE OF THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR THIS ISSUE. HTTP://FORUMS.RENNLIST.COM/RENNFORUMS/997-GT2-GT3-FORUM/613440-GT1-COOLANT-PIPE-PREVENTION-FIX-ON-2011-GT3RS-SHARK-WERKS.HTML THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE REQUIRED BY THE NHTSA TO RECALL AND REPAIR ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS KNOWN DEFECT. THE COST OF REPAIR AND THE SAFETY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD NOT BE BORNE BY THE INDIVIDUAL CAR OWNER. ALSO, HERE'S A VIDEO SHOWING HOW THE T
Mileage: 60,300
INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILURE. *TR
Mileage: 48,000
INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILURE. *TR
Mileage: 48,000
INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEARING FAILED, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND LOSS OF ALL ENGINE OIL ON THE ROADWAY. LUCKILY, THE CAR WAS STOPPED AT THE TIME. *TR
Mileage: 85,200
AIR BAG SIGNAL LIGHT STAYED ON. DEALER STATED AIR BAG WAS INOPERATIVE. THE PART HAD BEEN REPAIRED FOUR TIMES, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK
Mileage: 15,500
WHILE TRAVELING AT 45 MPH THERE WAS A LOUD RUMBLING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MISFIRE. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND NOTICED THAT ALL THE OIL HAD LEAKED OUT OF VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED A BEARING HAD BROKE AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.