While driving home from work in december 2015, on a local road near my home, the engine began emitting a large steam cloud behind the vehicle and the coolant level light appeared. I pulled over and there was a major coolant leak behind the car. I had the car taken to a shop, and they identified the issues as one of the coolant pipes had separated from the engine and dumped all of the coolant on the road. In the attached image you can see the separated coolant pipe from the engine towards the back of the picture. Given the cost of repair, I had to wait until summer of 2016 to have the repair completed.
The worst 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine13
- Acceleration1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo
Recalls 2
Seats
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles fitted with front seat backs, which do not meet porsche's strength standards.
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the seats could twist, tilting on one side to the rear, possibly resulting in personal injury to the vehicle occupant.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace both the front seats. Owner notification began on april 26, 2004. Owners should contact porsche at 1‑800‑545‑8039.
Recall number 04V070000 · Recall details
Steering: hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles may have a loose fitting in the pressure line of the power steering assembly.
- Risk
- If the fitting is loose, the hydraulic fluid could leak out, which could lead to loss of power steering assist and, for vehicles equipped with a manual transmission, loss of clutch assistance. If the leaking fluid comes into contact with hot exhaust components, it could ignite.
- Remedy
- Dealers will tighten the fitting to specifications. Owner notification began on december 1, 2003. Owners should contact porsche at 1‑800‑545‑8039.
Recall number 03V218000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo
Defect investigations
Rapid coolant loss
On April 26, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE13-009 to investigate 10 complaints alleging incidents of sudden coolant loss while traveling on public roadways in certain model year (MY) 2001 through 2007 Porsche 911 vehicles.The complaints alleged that pipe ends joined by epoxy to certain cooling system components may fail suddenly and separate, resulting in large volumes of coolant leakage.The investigation was opened to assess evidence of a design or manufacturing defect in the coolant pipe fittings and any related safety consequences. In response to ODI?s Information Request letter, Porsche identified a manufacturing quality issue with the supplier?s application of adhesive to coolant pipe fittings that resulted in elevated failure rates in approximately 6,800 early production 997 generation vehicles (MY 2007 and early MY 2008).ODI?s analysis of field data showed that the age-adjusted failure rate for these vehicles was approximately six times greater than MY 2001 through 2005 996 generation vehicles and MY 2008 through 2011 997 generation vehicles built after a process improvement for adhesive application was implemented by the supplier.Most of the leak complaints reviewed by ODI did not appear to involve complete separation of the fittings and many were detected when the vehicle was parked.There were no crashes or injuries reported to be related to the alleged defect in any of the subject vehicles.ODI identified two allegations that coolant leakage resulted in loss of control incidents, but neither involved vehicles affected by the assembly process quality issue.A third loss of control allegation involving a vehicle built during the period affected by the supplier process concern is not counted since ODI was unable to contact the owner to confirm the incident.See the full closing resume in the document file for PE13-009 for additional information about the subject cooling system and ODI?s analysis of field data related to the alleged defect. A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
PE13009
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo 362
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils
What 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I was driving on the putnam park road course track on 9/12/15, and one of my coolant fittings broke loose from the defective porsche adhesive. It spewed coolant all over the track, creating a very dangerous situation causing other drivers to lose control. I had a porsche dealer remedy the situation by pinning the fittings and applying new adhesive.
I was driving my vehicle down the highway while accelerating when I felt the car squirm and noticed a large cloud of smoke billowing from the rear of the vehicle. I pulled over and identified the issue as a catastrophic coolant leak from the engine area (rear) of the vehicle. I had the vehicle transported home and then to a repair shop where they identified the problem as a coolant line that became separated from the engine block. It was explained to me that porsche, from the factory, used an adhesive like material to mate the connectors of the coolant lines and engine and after usage they will come apart causing coolant to be hemorrhaged onto the engine and potentially wheels/tires causing for very dangerous road conditions. During the incident I almost lost control of my vehicle due to the coolant contacting the tires which would not have otherwise happened had porsche not manufactured their vehicles in the aforementioned way. I as well as others on the road were put in a very dangerous situation because of this manufacturing issue.
I was driving on interstate 15 northbound when I felt the rear end of my car slip. I was traveling at approximately 70 mpg in 5th gear on a 68 degree evening. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw smoke / steam coming out of the engine compartment. I pulled over as soon as I could, which was approximately 1 minute later. This is exactly what happened in the federal safety agency action pe13009.
Aluminum coolant pipe, that is glued into water pump manifold, came loose causing massive loss of coolant all over the road causing slippery conditions for other drivers.
An epoxied coolant fitting for the engine cooling system failed while driving. This resulted in the sudden loss of most all the engines coolant on the roadway. Permanent fix was to have auto repair shop weld the fitting in place.
Coolant hose failure when the vehicle is run medium/hard. I lost 1/2 liter the first couple times in total, and roughly 1 liter of coolant the last time, all over the exhaust and rear driver's side wheel tire. Lucky I did not spin out or have many cars behind me. I captured pictures of the last leak after returning to my garage on 05/03/2013. Prior to the last leak, I had the front radiator replaced and the porsche mechanic pressure tested the coolant system to ensure there were no leaks, as I had mentioned it would leak from near the rear driver's side. He did not find any leaks while the car was off and pressure tested.
Driving on private road and a radiator hose (in front of car) came off causing immediate and rapid purging of coolant on to all 4 tires and me spinning off of the road. Fortunately only into the grass on side of road. Car was flat bedded to mechanic for repairs. Spent several hundred dollars on repairs. Have since spent thousands on additional preventative measures due to mechanics alerting me that the hoses in the rear will let go and cause coolant loss. Had to pay for engine removal and welding of lines for my safety. Costs was well over $3000.
Repair to the engine coolant hard pipes was required to prophylactically prevent failure of the factory epoxy seal. Welding the pipes was required while the engine was out of the vehicle.
Factory connection at coolant pipes had come apart due to poor manufacturing process, use of glue. Weeping of coolant at connections. Had shop weld coolant pipes to rectify the imminent issue.
Compare the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo
Other model years
Questions about the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo
Is the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo reliable?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo, close to a typical 911 Turbo model year.
What is the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo year score?
The 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo scores 75 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Porsche 911 Turbo: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo?
Engine and cooling, with 13 complaints, typically around 51,285 miles. Next is acceleration (1).
How many recalls does the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo have?
2 recalls, covering seats and steering.
What year does the Porsche 911 Turbo have bad engine?
The Porsche 911 Turbo model years with the most engine complaints are 2007 (19 complaints), 2001 (17 complaints) and 2003 (13 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history