PORSCHE 944 · model year

1985 PORSCHE 944

2 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1985PORSCHE944 carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1985 944 is engine with 1 filings, followed by steering (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 1985 944. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

2
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

2 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE1
STEERING1

Recent Complaints

20151203STEERING

DURING TURNING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE STEERING WILL SOMETIMES "LOCK" OR "JAM". IT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED STEERING COUPLER, MANUFACTURER'S PART NUMBER 944 347 027 01 - DRIVE SHAFT. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BRUTE FORCE THE STEERING. A WOMAN WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CORRECT THE SITUATION, I MY HUMBLE OPINION. NO ACCIDENT HAS RESULTED. I HAVE STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL THIS IS RESOLVED.

Mileage: 95,000

20130226FireENGINE

I WAS DRIVING ALONG IN MY RECENTLY PURCHASED PORSCHE 944, AND SUDDENLY THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT BURST INTO FLAMES WITHOUT ANY WARNING. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE ENTIRE UNDERHOOD AREA IS A COMPLETE LOSS. THERE WERE NO LEAKS, AND THE WIRING DID NOT HAVE ANY VISIBLE PROBLEMS. UNTIL YOU EXPERIENCE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, YOU DO NOT REALIZE JUST HOW TERRIFYING IT IS. *TR

Mileage: 144,443

Compare 1985PORSCHE944 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1985 PORSCHE 944 have?
The 1985 PORSCHE 944 has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 PORSCHE 944?
The most-complained component for the 1985 PORSCHE 944 is ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING.
Is the 1985 PORSCHE 944 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1985 PORSCHE 944; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.