NHTSA Complaint #10510232 — 2001 PORSCHE 911 TURBO

MY CAR SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF COOLANT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. I WAS DRIVING AND SUDDENLY A PLUME OF SMOKE APPEARED IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. I THOUGHT THAT MY ENGINE HAD BLOWN AND I PULLED THE CAR OFF OF THE ROAD. TURNS OUT THAT SMOKE WAS ACTUALLY STEAM! I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE WATER CONSOLE FITTINGS HAVING BLOWN OUT. THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THESE FITTINGS WERE HELD INTO THE CONSOLE WITH AN EPOXY FROM THE MANUFACTURER, AND THAT THE EPOXY EVENTUALLY FAILS. FORTUNATELY, I WAS GOING STRAIGHT WHEN THE COOLANT ESCAPED OR THE RESULT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THE SHOP REPAIRED MY CONSOLE BY REPLACING THE FITTINGS AND ALUMINUM WELDING THEM IN PLACE SO THEY COULD NOT FAIL AGAIN. THEY HAD TO LOWER THE ENGINE TO DO THIS. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF OTHER FITTINGS THAT WERE SIMILARLY EPOXIED IN PLACE ON THE TOP OF THE ENGINE THAT SHOULD BE WELDED TOO. THEY SAID THEIR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT FAILURES OF THOSE UPPER ENGINE FITTINGS HAVE BEEN LESS COMMON. I OPTED TO NOT HAVE THOSE FITTING WELDED AT THAT TIME AS THE SHOP WOULD HAVE HAD TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THE ENGINE AT CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONAL EXPENSE. THEY RECOMMENDED I HAVE THEM WELDED IF EVER THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM THE CAR. *TR