2016 Porsche 911 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Dec 14, 2021 · 2 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other 911 years
Not enough data 21st of 26 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Porsche 911. That ranks 21st out of 26 911 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (1 complaints, 50%), typically at around 8,000 miles. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

Porsche 911
2025 Porsche 992 Carrera convertible at Auto Zürich 2024. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

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Most common 2016 Porsche 911 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Exterior Lighting1 · ~8,000 mi
Visibility/wiper1
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Exterior Lighting150%8,000——
Visibility/wiper150%———

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2020, with 1 complaints
2020: 1202012021: 120211

n = 2 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2016 Porsche 911 recalls (2)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags: air bag/restraint control moduleJul 17, 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V533000 · 7,517 vehicles

Problem: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2016-2017 911 and Boxster, 2016 Cayman and Panamera vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.

Risk: Deactivated air bags increase the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 13, 2019. Owners received a second notice and the recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKB4.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleMar 2, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V134000 · 120 vehicles

Problem: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2016 911 GT3 RS and 911 R vehicles and 2017 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4, 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Targa 4, 911 Targa 4S, 911 Turbo S, 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag inflator initiator may fail to ignite during a crash.

Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AH03.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The front windshield and rear window glass seals have failed. Black tar like material flows and spears the windows. Especially bad when driving during summer months. Vehicle only has 6200 miles. Is out of warrenty. Dealer says repair costs at my expense. Contacted Porsche North America Customer…

Visibility/wiper · received Dec 14, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11443782

While driving on the freeway after heavy braking, the passenger headlight dislodged from the car, dangled for a second on the hood from the electrical connections, then flew off the car completely

Exterior Lighting · received Mar 23, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11319035

Other Porsche 911 years

← 2015 911 · 2017 911 →

See all Porsche 911 problems by year, every Porsche model, or the Porsche VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2016 Porsche 911?

Owners most often report exterior lighting, visibility/wiper problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 1 complaint.

Was there a recall on the 2016 Porsche 911?

Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2016 Porsche 911 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 911 model years, the 2016 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.