2004 Porsche 911 Carrera

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.

Yesterday as I was driving in freeway, my friend was following me from behind, he noticed smoke and coolant leaking making his car's windshield dirty. So we stopped at gas station and noticed good amount of coolant leakage from underneath which make the back of the car and tires big mess. I noticed, before my friend's call, the handling and grip of the car was little off, I didn't know why but then I realized leaking made the tires slippery. Tow the car to my house and just wanted to report this. It seems lot of people complain about this issue when I started reading about it last night.

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.

THE M96 MOTOR SUPPLIED WITH THIS VEHICLE LINE HAS HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS. ENGINE BLOCK LEAKS THE BLOCK IS POROUS. RESLEEVED CYLINDERS WERE MAKER FIX ,THE SLEEVES MOVED CAUSING ENGINE DESTRUCTION. A MAIN CRANKSHAFT BEARING WAS DESIGNED OUT. ALLOWING THE CRANKSHAFT TO MOVE FRT TO BACK AND WITH GRAVITY CAUSING A FAILURE OF THE REAR MAIN SEAL COULD NOT FIX IF CRANK HAD MOVED MORE THAN A FEW DEGREES FROM ORIG SPEC.PRIMARY PROBLEM IMS( INTERMEDIATE SHAFT) FAILURE. RESULT, COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF MOTOR. NO FIX FROM MANUFACTURE. AFTER MARKET ONLY SUPPLY. OVER TEN THOUSAND AFTER MARKET REPAIRS DONE.CONSERVATIVE APX COST $,3000 I HAVE MUCH MORE EVIDENCE. *TR

MY GT3 HAS COOLING PIPE ON THE ENGINE EXTERNAL TO THE BLOCK. I HAVE READ THIS IS A SYSTEMIC ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE USED IN GT3 AND TURBOS (METZGER MOTOR). A FITTING COMES LOOSE DUE TO ADHESIVE FAILURE RESULTING I LOSS OF ALL OR MOST OF THE COOLANT FLUID. THE REPAIR REQUIRES ENGINE REMOVAL AND REPAIR OF THE FITTINGS. THERE IS SOME ISSUE AS TO THE PROPER OR BEST REPAIR APPROACH. WHAT IS KNOW IS THAT THE ADHESIVE FAILURE IS ALMOST SURE TO OCCUR. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY AS I HAVE FEW MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND HAVE NOT YET EXPERIENCED THIS FAILURE, BUT VERY CONCERNED THIS WILL OCCUR AND THE SUDDEN LOSS OF COOLANT FLUID WILL MOST LIKE RESULT IN A SPINOUT OR CRASH. EVEN IF NO ACCIDENT WERE TO RESULT, I AM OUT OF NORMAL WARRANTY, THIS FAILURE WILL SET ME BACK $1500-2000. I HAVE FOLLOWED REPORTS OF THE NUMEROUS FAILURES OF THESE FITTINGS ON 6SPEEDONLINE.COM. AS I HAVE NOT YET HAD A FAILURE, I STILL WANT TO REGISTER MY CONCERN SHOULD THERE BE A NHTSA DIRECTED RECALL TO PORSCHE. *TR

THE EVENT HAPPENED IN 2008. PURCHASED PORSCHE GT 3 FROM PORSCHE DEALER IN 2006. ACCELERATING ONTO A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY FROM AN ENTRANCE RAMP THE CAR MADE A VIOLENT FISHTAIL MOVEMENT IN A COUNTERCLOCWISE DIRECTION CAUSING A 180 DEG. SPIN. I TRIED TO CORRECT BUT NO RESPONSE AND THEN APPLIED BRAKES HEAVILY BUT CAR CONTINUED ITS MOVEMENT EVENTUALLY HITTING A CONCRETE BARRIER IN THE RIGHT REAR. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AND EVENTUALLY TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. AT THE IMPACT SITE I DID NOTICE FLUID ON THE ROAD AND ALSO BACK UP THE ROAD. SINCE MY WIFE WAS INJURED AND NEEDED TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, I WAS MORE FOCUSED ON TENDING TO HER BUT AS I LOOK BACK AND ALSO READING ABOUT THE COOLANT PROBLEMS THIS CAR IS HAVING I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF THIS CAR HAD A DISCHARGE OF COOLING FLUID. AS A SIDE NOTE, I DO HOLD A COMPETITION DRIVERS LICENSE WITH THE SCCA AND HAVE COMPETED FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND HAVE OWNED PORSCHES FOR OVER 40 YEARS. I PRESENTLY OWN ANOTHER 2004 GT 3 AND VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *TR ## VIN FAILED ##

THE ABOVE CAR HAS A FACTORY WATER COOLING SYSTEM THAT INVOLVES ALUMINUM PIPING THAT IS EPOXIED INTO THE BLOCK AFTER APPROXIMATELY 24 MONTHS OF USE THE EPOXY FAILS AND ALL THE COOLANT IS EVACUATED FROM THE SYSTEM ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND THE GROUND THE MOTOR COULD SEIZE AND THE COOLANT ON THE ROAD IN THAT VOLUME CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR OTHER DRIVERS.THE EPOXY FIX OFFERED BY PORSCHE FAILED 3 TIMES FOR ME (TWICE MORE SUBSEQUENTLY)UNTIL I HAD A SHOP WELD THE ALUMINUM PIPES TO THE BLOCK. *TR ## VIN FAILED ##

THE COOLANT LINES ARE GLUED IN BY FACTORY TO SAVE COSTS. HOWEVER THE GLUE IS FAILING AND THE COOLANT LINES POP OUT AND ANTI FREEZE IS DUMPED EVERYWHERE CAUSING AN UNSAFE CONDITION . PORSCHE IS AWARE OF THEIR PROBLEM BUT DOING MOTHING ABOUT RECALLING OLDER CARS TO BE REPAIRED. I PAID TO REPAIR MY CAR INDEPENDENTLY BUT PORSCHE OWNERS ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO REPORT THIS SAFERY ISSUE. *TR

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 MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DATA TO DO SO. UPDATED 08/06/2012 *JS

TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 30 MILES PER HOUR AT A LOW RPM, I HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. INITIALLY I THOUGHT ROAD DEBRIS WAS CAUGHT UNDERNEATH THE CAR AND I WAS DRAGGING IT ALONG WHILE DRIVING. I QUICKLY TURNED THE CAR TO THE RIGHT OFF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE MOTOR OFF. UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE I NOTICED ALL OF THE ENGINE'S OIL SPEWING OUT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE. I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND ARRANGED FOR A TOW VEHICLE. I THOUGHT AN OBJECT STRUCK THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF MY CAR. THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND DETERMINED TO BE A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. NO EVIDENCE OF A ROAD HAZARD PERFORATING THE ENGINE WAS SEEN. SINCE I FILED THIS LETTER I HAVE LEARNED THAT MY ENGINE SUFFERED AN INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILURE. THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE M96 PORSCHE ENGINES (1999-2009). THIS DEFECT OCCURS IN WATER COOLED PORSCHE ENGINES. PORSCHE MOTOR COMPANY DENIES RESPONSIBILITY IN THESE VEHICLES BUT RECOGNIZES THAT ENGINE FAILURE DO OCCUR. I HAVE ACCURATE RECORDS WITH THE COST OF THE REPAIR. HOW CAN AN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY RECOGNIZE THAT A DEFECT EXISTS BUT WILL NOT ISSUE OR BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. UPDATED 09/12/11

DRIVING ON FREEWAY WHEN HEARD A WEIRD NOISE FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR AND A MESSAGE IN RED CAME UP ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, LOST POWER TO ENGINE, PULLED OVER AND OIL LEAKING FROM ENGINE. ENGINE COMPLETELY DESTROYED DUE TO IMS FAILURE. ENGINE WAS REPLACED WITH RE-MANUFACTURED ENGINE BY DEALER. *KB

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