EN
ENPTESFRDEHE

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera: True Cost, Problems & Verdict

5 NHTSA owner complaints · 3 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.

Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
Illustration
advertisement

Owner complaints: 5 filed with NHTSA

Complaints per year on the road: 0.36

Exterior Lighting1Electrical System1Structure1Power Train1Vehicle Speed Control1Fuel/Propulsion System1

What owners say

Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.

Tail light fall off the car while driving, catching it dangling from the car holding by only one wire. Upon inspection, they came off due to a broken plastic lug that was holding the taillights together. It appears that Porsche changed the taillight mounting design in the 991 after the 2013 model year, adding a metal piece to keep it together even after the plastic cracks, melts, or fails. Mine is 2012 so it will co…
1. Door panel Issue. I have a 2012 911, and have noticed last year that the door panels have popped up on both sides, it looks like the glue has given way. It seems that this is a common issue for Porsche 911. 2. Keyless Entry Issue. I was not able to lock my car by pressing by the door handle's button. I was able to unlock the car. I then tried on the passenger's side and was able to lock it. It's been going on fo…
Cruising on the highway and a transmission error comes up saying that there's no reverse gear. Got off the highway and even gears aren't engaring, no 2,4,6 gears. 1,3,5,7 gears are engaging. Turned off and parked the car for about an hour. Turned it on car drove fine but start/stop wasn't available and sport modes are not available. Had the car diagnosed at the dealer and the same symptoms and codes are exactly …

Recalls: 3 campaigns (1 severe)

201120132020
CampaignComponentSummary
11V409000Seat BeltsPORSCHE IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 911 SPEEDSTER AND 911 GTS RS 4.0; AND MODEL YEAR 2012 BOXSTER (INCLUDING S AND SPYDER); CAYMAN …
20E091000Suspension:Front:Macpherson StrutOhlins USA, Inc (Ohlins) is recalling certain Front Struts, part number POS 5N20. These struts were sold as part of Ohlins strut kits part …
13V058000Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust SystemPorsche is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 911 Carrera and Carrera 4 vehicles manufactured from March 7, 2012, through November 12, 2…

True cost of ownership

EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,450

Fuel (your region) $3,450
Maintenance band (your region) $0$0
Estimated running cost this year (age 14) $3,119

Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.

02468101214$3,304vehicle age (years)
fuel/energy + maintenance band (annual, USD, estimate)

Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator →

Other Porsche 911 Carrera years

20112012 20132014201520162017201820192020 20212022202320242025

Best & worst 911 Carrera years — full table →

FAQ

What is the most common problem with the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera?

The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Exterior Lighting (1 complaints in our indexed sample).

Is the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera a good used car to buy?

Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 91/100, computed from 5 NHTSA complaints and 3 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.

Does the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 05/08/2011. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.

What will a 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera really cost YOU per year?

Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.

Open the true-cost calculator

Data sources

Complaints & recalls: NHTSA · Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov · Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements. Last updated: 2026-08-20.

91RELIABILITY / 100
BUY
  • 5 NHTSA complaints on record (0.4/yr of exposure)
  • 3 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems

How this score is computed →

advertisement