2002 Porsche 911 Turbo: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo
On the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, with 8 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 45,000 miles. Overall it scores 77 out of 100, severe risk for a 2002.
Severe risk for a 2002 — 22nd riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. 16 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 7 named failure modes on the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo, and the three most-reported carry 75% of everything filed, so the trouble here is concentrated rather than scattered.
Other engine problem leads with 8 reports and about 381 per 1,000 vehicles.
Water pump failure follows with 2 reports, median 70,000 miles.
Alternator or charging system failure follows with 2 reports, median 45,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (8), cooling (3) and electrical (2).
When these failures get reported
14 of the reports on the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 45,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 64% by 50,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 30,000 and 40,000 miles, which alone holds 29% of the dated reports.
36% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Nothing in the reports on the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo mentions a crash, a fire or an injury. That is the ordinary case and it is worth stating: most defect complaints are about a car that stopped working, not one that hurt somebody.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.00, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other engine problem at $300–$4,000, water pump failure at $500–$2,200, alternator or charging system failure at $450–$1,600 and radiator or coolant leak at $350–$1,900. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
75% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures, so more than half of what owners complained about here is expensive.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other engine problem | engine | 8 | 6 | — | 47k | — | 381.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Water pump failure | cooling | 2 | 2 | — | 71k | — | 95.2 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 2 | 2 | — | 46k | — | 95.2 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 37k | — | 47.6 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 2k | — | 47.6 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 36k | — | 47.6 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 26k | — | 47.6 | $350–$2,400 | High |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo draws about 762 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 99th percentile of complaint rates among 2002 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 21 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2002 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other engine problem
Discovered numerous porsche cars with gt1 block engine pre 2010 that are water cooled have coolant fittings that are known to fail due to a glue that is not holding up. As such, driving can suddenly release coolant on the ground causing the car and those cars following it to crash without any warning. This affects 996 and 997 turbos and gt3 variants. The topic is described on rennlist.com, renntrack.com, and a vendor actually advertises a fix (sharkwerks.com). One group of porsche driving club users will not let cars without this being mitigated to participate in group events due to safety concerns based on a big crash in 2012 at the midohio track (may be 2011). Non track, street crashes and incidents are documents on the internet. This group of cars is a huge risk to all others on the road in addition to themselves. Someone is going to get killed and it seems to be accelerating in frequency. A registry of cars with the problem and information can be found via this link: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=592328&referrerid=40465. *tr
Glued in coolant hoses came out dumping all the coolant from the car in a very short period of time. Since this is a rear engined car, it sprayed the rear tires causing a dangerous situation as loss of traction could have caused a serious accident/fatality if going into a curve or other conditions. This is a known condition with porsche and they have refused to address this serious safety issue. *tr
Water pump failure
Was traveling on free entry ramp, and as I entered the freeway and approximately 60 MPH, the car exhibited a brief shudder at which time the check engine light appeared and began to blink. I noticed a visible white cloud of smoke behind the car. The check engine light blinked for approximately 10-15 seconds and then remained off. I also noticed the temperature gauge rose above 180f, which is the approximate operating temperature per the temperature gauge. The gauge held slightly above 180f (~5 mm past 180f) for the duration of the drive, ! 5 miles before I stopped the car at my next destination point. Upon turning the ignition off and exiting the car there was a distinct antifreeze smell. The car was off for approximately 10 minutes and when I returned to the car there was a puddle of antifreeze directly below the car just inside the rear driver side tire. I estimate approximately 1-2 pints of fluid. Upon driving the car to my final destination (personal residence) the temperature gauge remained above 180f (! 5-10 mm). During this short drive, ~ 5 miles, I turned the car's interior heat to maximum to help remove heat from the…
Driving the car at moderate highway speeds, the coolant warning light came on. I pulled off of the highway as soon as it was safe, about 1 mile after the warning light. As I slowed the vehicle, I noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the rear of the car. After stopping and inspecting the car, the rear of the vehicle was covered in a film of coolant. The car was towed to the nearest porsche dealer, at which the problem was diagnosed. Rather than have the car serviced at the dealer, I had the vehicle shipped back home to be repaired by an independent mechanic. The failure was a coolant fitting that was glued into the water pump housing. The glue had failed causing the fitting to come out of the housing and dumping all of the coolant in a few seconds. The total cost of the repair was $2,779.21. After the car was repaired, I researched the failure to find that it was a rather common occurrence. In september of 2012, while the car was in for unrelated service, I decided to have the remaining fittings repaired preemptively at an additional cost of approximately $1200. *tr
Alternator or charging system failure
On two separate occasions, the coolant fittings which mount in the cylinder head popped out. The fittings attach to the coolant hoses. In both cases the epoxy that held the fittings in had failed. Each time I was driving and coolant spewed all over the inside of the engine bay and then subsequently onto the road as I was driving. The first incident I was driving about 50 MPH (10/19/11 - 52230 miles on the odometer). When this first fitting popped out, since it was behind the alternator, damaged it requiring replacement of the alternator. I had to pay for the alternator and epoxied that fitting out. The second fitting failed on june 14, 2012 with 56384 miles on the odometer. This time it was in a location that required removal of the engine. The circumstances were similar to the first, around 50 MPH and coolant dumping over all over the ground. Since this happened a second time, the shop I took the car to removed all 8 of the coolant fittings in the engine, removed the epoxy, and then welded them into place. After two of the fittings popped out, I was not going to take any chances of another fitting popping out and being left…
After a routine drive after an oil change service a large amount of coolant spilled out from underneath the rear of the vehicle. Under closer examination of the vehicle found loose/broken coolant fittings from behind the alternator and somewhere in the back of the engine bay. Engine will have to be removed to pinpoint the source of additional leaks. *tr
Recalls on the 2002 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo, affecting an estimated 21 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover suspension:front:macpherson strut. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT
584 vehicles 2020-12-11- Defect
- Ohlins USA, Inc (Ohlins) is recalling certain Front Struts, part number POS 5N20. These struts were sold as part of Ohlins strut kits part number POZ MN02, intended for installation on 1999-2005 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (generation 996), and 2001-2006 Porsche 911 Turbo / Turbo S (generation 996) and kit part number POZ MN05, intended for installation on 2005-2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S (generation 997), and 2006-2013 Porsche 911 Turbo / Turbo S (generation 997). The pin of the strut may experience excessive stress during maximum steering, possibly resulting…
- Consequence
- If the pin fails, it will cause separation of the strut from the vehicle, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ohlins will notify owners, and dealers will request the return of all unsold kits containing the subject part from dealer/distributor inventory for a full refund. All owners who purchased one of the kits (POZ MN02 or POZ MN05) will receive replacement front struts (POS 5N20 or POS 5N21 - These parts are interchangeable), along with new top mount interface solutions, free of charge. The recall began December 22, 2020. Owners may contact Ohlins customer service at 1-800-336-9029.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2002 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
Severe risk for a 2002 — 22nd riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 3 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2002 comes out best at 77 and 2007 worst at 80, with 2002 itself at 77.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2002, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2001–2003 generation specifically, 2002 is the strongest year at 77 and 2001 the weakest at 78.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2001-2003 generation, 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo scores best at 77 and 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo worst at 78.
What this page cannot tell you
16 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 16 reports, 14 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 88% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo?
The most-reported failures are other engine problem (8 reports, median 45,000 miles), water pump failure (2 reports, median 70,000 miles) and alternator or charging system failure (2 reports, median 45,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo reliable?
It scores 77 out of 100 on our risk index, which is severe — 22nd riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2002 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Porsche 911 Turbo is best?
Within the 2001–2003 generation, 2002 scores best at 77 out of 100 and 2001 worst at 78. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed