991 common problems and failures. Reference guide.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 730
From: Whidbey Island / PNW
2013 C2S, CPO car w/ approx 25k miles on it... so far it seems most of the common ones have affected me except the PADM engine mounts I've read all about:
- rear engine lid struts
- one of horns has gone out
- brake master cylinder replaced
- sunroof seal is adrift and loose
- 2nd time replacing washer fluid hose
- rear wiper motor to window seal had perished, replaced (common on 997 and 991 I'm told)
- headlights replaced for cracking clear lenses
- both rear taillights replaced for broken mounting points
- headliner sagging
- side seat airbags replaced for cosmetic deterioration reasons
- rear engine lid struts
- one of horns has gone out
- brake master cylinder replaced
- sunroof seal is adrift and loose
- 2nd time replacing washer fluid hose
- rear wiper motor to window seal had perished, replaced (common on 997 and 991 I'm told)
- headlights replaced for cracking clear lenses
- both rear taillights replaced for broken mounting points
- headliner sagging
- side seat airbags replaced for cosmetic deterioration reasons
Last edited by Nashvegas; Aug 13, 2024 at 03:06 AM.
AutoX
Joined: Aug 2024
Posts: 13
Likes: 4
From: NJ
991.2. 24,000 miles 1 owner. waterpump failed on the drive home from dealer day one, overheated and got towed back. First track day with it i completed the first session pretty mild. Started the car for the 2nd session and it had eaten 2 qts of oil and produced a huge white cloud of smoke. Ended up replacing oil lines for TSB. Didnt fix it, then replaced passanger turbo and it has been ok since.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 493
Likes: 245
From: Burlingame, CA
Squeaking / creaking sound come from under the dashboard, sounds like it's the steering column or leather or something near the footwell but turns out it's the gas tank. More info here: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9558...fo-anyone.html
8th Gear
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 8
Likes: 1
From: Switzerland
991.1 C4S cabrio
55k miles Out of CPO: High pressure fuel pump replaced
55,5 miles : High pressure fuel pump replaced within warranty as just replaced ( guess something went wrong with the first replacement..)
55,5 miles : High pressure fuel pump replaced within warranty as just replaced ( guess something went wrong with the first replacement..)
5th Gear
Joined: Nov 2024
Posts: 5
Likes: 5
From: Pacific Norhwest, USA
2013 911 Carrerra 4.S, Purchased in 2020 with 60k miles. I flew across the country to pick it up and had a wonderful and trouble free drove home across the United States. Not longer after bringing the car home, around 66k miles, I experienced engine failure. Dealer would not speculate on the cause, only that they found scoring in the cylinders. Unreal. Dealer said they had not yet seen a single example of this engine failing with this kind of mileage. Quoted $32k to "replace the engine" TBH, I don't recall exactly what that included, but after about 3 months of wrestling with my aftermarket warranty company, they agreed to pay the bill and a new engine was ordered from the Porsche factory -- another 6 months and it was finally installed by the Porsche dealer. I was warned the car might throw a few codes, but not to fear, this was a normal part of the engine replacement. A few codes lit up but were addressed by the dealer quickly. Trouble free from that point forward until... Fast forward 26 months and 9k miles, the new factory engine failed. No compression. Metal shavings in the oil. I'm 2 months past Porsche's factory warranty, though I still have the aftermarket warranty. Seems unlikely they'll write another $30k+ check without putting up a fight, but that's for another day. I'm curious to know if anyone might speculate on what could be causing this upstream from the engine. I don't track the car, and Ive never redlined it once, though even if I had, two engines in 75k miles seems bizarre to say the least. Quick shout out to all the people who take the time to read this - y'all rule.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 1,288
Likes: 611
From: Phoenix
Your Engine Failure
That is one crazy story! So sorry. Very hard to speculate but what you can do immediately is to get an oil sample off to Blackstone labs immediately to find out what is failing. They will tell you what metal it was.
These 9A1 motors are nearly indestructible. Has anyone else heard of such a thing?
These 9A1 motors are nearly indestructible. Has anyone else heard of such a thing?
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Track Day
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 23
Likes: 4
2016 (991.2) C2S PDK, now at 21k miles.
Water pump and seat control modules replaced under warranty with its previous (first owner).
Engine lid gas struts replaced by me (struts provided foc by the independent specialist I bought the car from).
PDK box has significant driveline shunt changing down from 2nd to 1st gear, especially noticeable when crawling in very slow traffic. PDK has been recalibrated by the Indie (made no difference) and I also got a second opinion from an OPC, being told it was normal/acceptable. My previous 991.1 C2S did not do this.
Water pump and seat control modules replaced under warranty with its previous (first owner).
Engine lid gas struts replaced by me (struts provided foc by the independent specialist I bought the car from).
PDK box has significant driveline shunt changing down from 2nd to 1st gear, especially noticeable when crawling in very slow traffic. PDK has been recalibrated by the Indie (made no difference) and I also got a second opinion from an OPC, being told it was normal/acceptable. My previous 991.1 C2S did not do this.
Track Day
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 23
Likes: 4
991 Common problems and failures
2014 991 C2S Cabriolet. I was 2nd owner, from 2019 to 2023. Have posted separately on my 991.2
First PADM failure in 2021 at 19k miles. Second PADM failure in 2023 at 21k miles. Both replaced under extended warranty.
Staining to both A/C condensers noted at 20k miles in 2022. Car always garaged and no leaf debris buildup on the condensers. Outright rejection of warranty claim by dealer, but after a long fight I got a goodwill contribution of £500 from Porsche GB and paid the balance of £200 (internal warranty parts and labour charges applied).
First PADM failure in 2021 at 19k miles. Second PADM failure in 2023 at 21k miles. Both replaced under extended warranty.
Staining to both A/C condensers noted at 20k miles in 2022. Car always garaged and no leaf debris buildup on the condensers. Outright rejection of warranty claim by dealer, but after a long fight I got a goodwill contribution of £500 from Porsche GB and paid the balance of £200 (internal warranty parts and labour charges applied).
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 730
From: Whidbey Island / PNW
2013 C2S, CPO car w/ approx 25k miles on it... so far it seems most of the common ones have affected me except the PADM engine mounts I've read all about:
- rear engine lid struts
- one of horns has gone out & replaced
- brake master cylinder replaced
- sunroof seal is adrift and loose
- 2nd time replacing washer fluid hose
- rear wiper motor to window seal had perished, replaced (common on 997 and 991 I'm told)
- headlights replaced for cracking clear lenses
- both rear taillights replaced for broken mounting points
- headliner sagging
- side seat airbags replaced for cosmetic deterioration reasons
- rear engine lid struts
- one of horns has gone out & replaced
- brake master cylinder replaced
- sunroof seal is adrift and loose
- 2nd time replacing washer fluid hose
- rear wiper motor to window seal had perished, replaced (common on 997 and 991 I'm told)
- headlights replaced for cracking clear lenses
- both rear taillights replaced for broken mounting points
- headliner sagging
- side seat airbags replaced for cosmetic deterioration reasons
- Sport Chrono clock little hand at bottom fell off in hot weather, replaced under CPO without argument
- both front door "stays" replaced for creaking and one was cracked
2nd Gear
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 2
Likes: 1
My 2018 C4S (40K miles) had similar issues that turned out to be the water pump. Even though my 911 is out of dealer warranty, Porsche knows about the problem and is replacing free of charge under a 10 year or 100K miles extended warranty for the water pump & block. I had them replace the serpentine belt at the same time (I paid for that myself but as long as they were taking the water pump off, I figured it would save me time & money later on ). Good luck brother !
Track Day
Joined: Oct 2024
Posts: 23
Likes: 4
991 common problems and failures
2016 991 C2S. New to me in 2023 with 17k miles. Engine lid struts also failed within the first year. The dealer (Porsche indie) supplied new gas struts and I fitted them.
Last edited by SteveTTT; Apr 5, 2025 at 10:22 AM. Reason: Clarify timescale
