Total Complaints
9 filings
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA · model year
2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA
9 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2004PORSCHE911 CARRERA carries 9 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 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 2004 911 CARRERA is engine and engine cooling:engine with 2 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (1) and engine and engine cooling (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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2004 911 CARRERA. 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.
9
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
Recalls (1)
20E09100011/12/2020
SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT
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
Recent Complaints
20230126SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche 911. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH he heard a loud creaking sound coming from the front-end. The contact stated that he was entering the highway and the sound became louder while speeding to merge. The contact stated that after driving over some slight imperfections in the roadway, the front-end started pulling to the left and right with force. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to keep the vehicle in the lane. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact exited the highway and drove the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Mileage: 106,000
20230126STEERING
The contact owns a 2004 Porsche 911. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH he heard a loud creaking sound coming from the front-end. The contact stated that he was entering the highway and the sound became louder while speeding to merge. The contact stated that after driving over some slight imperfections in the roadway, the front-end started pulling to the left and right with force. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to keep the vehicle in the lane. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact exited the highway and drove the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Mileage: 106,000
20140715ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND FAILED TO RESTART AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT (IMS) FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Mileage: 28,000
20120612CrashAIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4S. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH AND TAPPED THE BRAKES TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL BUT INSTEAD OF THE VEHICLE DECELERATING, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE AIRBAG ALSO FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 8/2/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. A TECHNICIAN DOWNLOADED THE DATA FROM THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF ANY VEHICLE EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION IN THE ACCIDENT. PORSCHE OF ARLINGTON, THE DEALER, DELIVERED THE DOWNLOADED DATA TO PORSCHE NA, WHERE THE DATA IS ANALYZED. PORSCHE STATED THAT ANY DOCUMENTATION OF PORSCHE'S INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENT WAS PROPRIETARY. THE CONSUMER WAS GIVEN TWO CITATIONS FOR VEHICLE NEGLIGENCE AND INTENDS TO CONTEST THEM BOTH. THE CONSUMER NEEDS ENGINE MANAGEM
Mileage: 57,000
20120612CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4S. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH AND TAPPED THE BRAKES TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL BUT INSTEAD OF THE VEHICLE DECELERATING, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE AIRBAG ALSO FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 8/2/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. A TECHNICIAN DOWNLOADED THE DATA FROM THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF ANY VEHICLE EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION IN THE ACCIDENT. PORSCHE OF ARLINGTON, THE DEALER, DELIVERED THE DOWNLOADED DATA TO PORSCHE NA, WHERE THE DATA IS ANALYZED. PORSCHE STATED THAT ANY DOCUMENTATION OF PORSCHE'S INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENT WAS PROPRIETARY. THE CONSUMER WAS GIVEN TWO CITATIONS FOR VEHICLE NEGLIGENCE AND INTENDS TO CONTEST THEM BOTH. THE CONSUMER NEEDS ENGINE MANAGEM
Mileage: 57,000
20101110ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE OF 2004 PORSCHE 911 4S W/O WARNING. WELL DOCUMENTED EARLY VERSION OF MODEL 996 INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILURE REQUIRING COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. KNOWN PRODUCT DEFECT SUBSEQUENTLY CORRECTED IN LATER VERSIONS. NO NOTIFICATION BY MANUFACTURER OR DISTRIBUTOR TO CONSUMERS. HAZARDOUS AND COSTLY MAJOR PRODUCT DEFECT. *TR
Mileage: 29,000
20091019ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004, PORSCHE, 911 CARRERA. THE CONTACT STATED HIS ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACE DUE TO THE INTERMITTEN SHAFT FAILURE. CONTACT STATED HE WAS DRIVING AT 55MPH WHEN HE STARTED TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND WOULD NOT RESPOND. CONTACT THEN STARTED TO EXIT OF F THE HIGHWAY AND DOING SO ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STARTED COMING ON. CONTACT DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THE INTERMITTEN SHAFT FAILED AND THEY WILL BE REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,700
Mileage: 9,700
20090212CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
AIRBAGS FAILED TO OPERATE. *TR
20050929ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA STALLED WHILE DRIVING 10-20 MPH. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEM FOR OVER A YEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER CHANGED THE SPARK PLUGS, BUT THE CODE SHOWED THAT CYLINDER SIX WAS FAULTY. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE INTERMITTENT. THE DEALER HAS HAD THE VEHICLE FOR OVER TEN MONTHS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED, AND THEY PUT THE VEHICLE IN DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT SHOWN UP WITH ANY EXPLANATION. THE MANUFACTURER HAS ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM WAS STILL UNEXPLAINABLE. *AK
Mileage: 3,389
Compare 2004PORSCHE911 CARRERA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA have?▼
The 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA has 9 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA?▼
Yes, the 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA?▼
The most-complained component for the 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2004 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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.