Hunted and pecked around RL and the internets for over an hour and it's disturbing. Seems like they're treating this like the IMS issue (deny deny deny, screw you) rather than how they absolutely babied the 991.1 GT3 customers with the engine fire issue then stepped up with a monster warranty to back it.

That makes it seem like they have no intention of even treating the GT4 as a real GT car. All the pics make it look like cheap die cast scrap metal that would tarnish the brand even if it happened to 1 or 2 base Caymans.

Interestingly enough I found some threads on the 991.2GT3 with what seems to be the same issue. That makes it seem like systemic **** poor CAD design, material selection and quality control, even IF it was fully covered under a monster extended warranty. That it's not and that you have to not only eat it out of pocket but also have a huge diminished value damaged goods piece of junk on your hands afterwards makes this an absolute no go. Either way, bush league (premium) customer care.

Haven't gotten in line for one yet but was about to. Now after seeing this I can't justify surfing without a net on something this massive until we get rock solid verification that the problem is fixed as well as an appropriate extended warranty (even if only prospective, although it really needs to be retroactive) being applied to the issue as proof that it's fixed.

 

As a GT4 owner I think I've read most the threads on the subject. Most tend to think the struts bottom out causing the failures. Perhaps chronic bottoming? I don't agree. I doubt PASM will let the strut bottom unless during an off road excursion such as leaving a track. Although PASM can force the strut to react in a way to cause similar forces. Another aspect of this is the GT4 isn't the only car to suffer from this. The day this happens to my GT4 I'll know it's a design issue. Until then I'm not convinced.

 

My thoughts are similar to yours. I have a Cayman R which I absolutely love and wanted to take it to the next level by getting a 981 GT4. There are just way too many photos of GT4s with their struts piercing the metal to make me think that these are all careless and/or unlucky drivers. From a casual search, it seems that the 981 Spyder, without the GT3 front suspension, doesn’t suffer from this issue. Who knows, maybe the new 718 Spyder will have the same issues once there’s enough on the roads.

Agree with you - it’s like the IMS issue, all over again.

 

is anyone keeping a tally of each occurrence with licence/VIN numbers? Could use this thread.

 

There was a GT4 Strut Tower Failure database in the sticky section of the 987-981 forum. It’s still listed but I’m not sure if the data is still in place. Other forum members might have more knowledge.

 

Lots of speculation and opinions not based on study or controlled testing. Plus it's happened to other models. People seem to think going stiffer on the suspension would help. I can't see how. Any stiffer and you're increasing the totality of forces on the towers. My planned help is to install the DSC sport controller as it keeps the front end from diving under load, and softens high frequency bumps. Probably need to inspect them time to time.

 

It seems that the strut tower failure has only happened to a handful of cars. is there any data about the tires, rims, brakes of the cars on which this failure occurred.

there has been some comparison of the strut tower failure with the IMS failure, however the IMS failure happened to a much larger percentage of cars and the cause and the cure for the IMS failure was readily determined. Additionally, the likelihood of the IMS causing personal injury and death is remote, whereas there is a high probability that a strut tower failure could kill or injure the driver and possibly others in close proximity.

Given the risk of personal injury and death inherent in this type of failure, it would seem foolish for Porsche to neglect this issue and not try to investigate it’s cause and if necessary provide a fix. Since the issue only happens on cars with PASM, perhaps a reprogramming of the system could solve the issue. Certainly, the cost for Porsche to address this on a few thousand cars would be infinitely cheaper than the huge lawsuit Porsche would face should the strut tower failure cause injury and death. Not to mention the PR nightmare that would ensue should it be shown that Porsche was aware of a design flaw and did nothing to try and correct it. I hope Porsche takes a serious look at Boeing as an example of what absolutely not to do.

 

Yes an handful of cars,
afterall all the others,
that embraced a tree here and there,
are difficult to count

 

Hey there for a Rennlist noob, can you share the summary now... and maybe a link or two to the most relevant threads and internet discussion on this?

If not, don't say anything, especially "just search on it", thanks!

 

What exactly are you asking? (Even though I get that you're not asking anything aside from trying to make a rhetorical point). And even a thread link is of limited use as one can scour a super long thread in search of literally a few things buried and scattered throughout.

But I did invest way too much time for the ratio of useful information I gained from the effort, so in order not to be a noob I can now take my place in the exalted "I have a secret" caste and defiantly direct others to simply search it. Google, there is no substitute.

 

Hmmm, I actually had a reply typed in then I decided, why bother...

 

I am not so sure about comparing this to the IMS issue, based on a quick look around I never got an impression that these failures simply happened, the internet is terrible place to get the clear truth about some things, people tend to post about the worst of what happens and leave out anything that may diminish the actual reason for that failure especially if it is due in part to their actions. Without a definitive list of each occurrence with the facts that include but are not limited to if the front suspension was modified and if the vehicle was involved in some type suspension related impact such as a curb, pothole or going off the track then we are guessing. I am not saying that there couldn't be a weakness in the strut area, it is just that I haven't seen that evidence points to that being the case. Of the pictures I saw of broken strut tower mounts there was usually the mention of some related factor such as an off track adventure, curb or animal impacts etc, not one report that simply said: " I was driving along and 'boom' the strut tower gave way..."

I plan to keep reading and looking for answers, it's pouring out so inside surfin' the net is an OK place to spend the afternoon!

 

I think in that vid he said he was just driving normally down a regular street when it popped through the tower. I believe he got it used around 1500 miles. Yes it's possible that a previous owner thrashed it and got lucky leaving it so close to failure point and the next guy ended up holding the bag.

But what about all of the examples? If they're all driver error, insane tolerance shredding mods (on a supposedly over engineered track grade weapon) and cars and coffee curb hopping, then shouldn't there be as many or more of the same issue for countless other makes and models? Why does it seem to effect the GT4 more than others? Is that inaccurate? Just as many 911S, GT3 and Cayman GTS with the same issue, but for some reason they're just keeping it quiet?

Is this a common thing among all makes and models and it's just an illusion that it's a GT4 issue? Are the types of GT4 customers for some reason particularly inept drivers among not only all sports car drivers/trackers, but among Porsche drivers/trackers? If so why would that be?

Move along now nothing to see here?

 

Troubling indeed, especially now that I'm in queue. An official response from Porsche would at least help us make an informed decision as to whether to buy or not.

 

wth Isn t enough a deviated stitching??