Porsche 911 Carrera 4: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
The Porsche 911 Carrera 4 has 14 model year(s) in the federal index and no scored complaint record yet, so this page carries the catalogue entry and the years we hold rather than a verdict.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4: which years to avoid
Across 11 scored model years the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 ranges from 53/100 in 2022 to 94/100 in 2016 — a 41-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a 911 Carrera 4 at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Fuel/Propulsion System (12 of them).
Safest years: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2022.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the 911 Carrera 4 changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2012–2013
Mean score 92/100. Owners of these years complain about Vehicle Speed Control more than anything else (3 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2015–2023
Mean score 85/100, about 2 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Fuel/Propulsion System more than anything else (23 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,570 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 83 | BUY | $4,748 | 6 | 1 |
| 2022 | 53 | CAUTION | $4,945 | 20 | 0 |
| 2021 | 83 | BUY | $5,028 | 10 | 0 |
| 2020 | 86 | BUY | $5,162 | 10 | 0 |
| 2019 | 93 | BUY | $4,630 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 94 | BUY | $4,764 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 91 | BUY | $4,916 | 8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 94 | BUY | $5,147 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | 86 | BUY | $5,307 | 16 | 0 |
| 2014 | — | DATA PENDING | $5,420 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 93 | BUY | $5,562 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 | 90 | BUY | $5,956 | 5 | 2 |
| 2011 | — | DATA PENDING | $6,190 | 0 | 0 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
911 Carrera 4 sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the 911 Carrera 4 on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Porsche 911 Carrera 4
Across every 911 Carrera 4 model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Fuel/Propulsion System24 complaints across all 911 Carrera 4 years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Electrical System18 complaints across all 911 Carrera 4 years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Engine16 complaints across all 911 Carrera 4 years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train8 complaints across all 911 Carrera 4 years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Exterior Lighting7 complaints across all 911 Carrera 4 years · typical job: Headlamp assembly or lighting-module replacement$360–$1,380
- Visibility/Wiper6 complaints across all 911 Carrera 4 years · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement$490–$1,200
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Porsche 911 Carrera 4 years to buy?
2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2016 at 94/100, on 4 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Porsche 911 Carrera 4 problem?
24 of the complaints filed against the 911 Carrera 4 across all its model years sit in the Fuel/Propulsion System group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04