The Lemon Index
Porsche's 3.8 L twin-turbo flat-6 in the 911 Turbo / GT3, model years 2010–2019. YouTube likes the 2019 best.
A safer bet: YouTube owner tone 62/100, #2 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the top third); no engine-related recall on record.
Reliability by year
Not enough complaints to chart. Owners filed 1 complaint with the government that we can tie to this engine's cars, 2010–2019, about any part of the car. Supercars sell in small numbers, so we show YouTube, recalls and the automaker's repair notes instead.
YouTube videos are most positive about the 2019 (62) and least about the 2018 (61); neighboring years share many of the same videos, so small gaps mean little.
How we count: owner complaints only where the car's name and year leave no doubt; YouTube tone from videos that name this engine or its cars. How we count
Owner complaints (NHTSA) are filed by model and year, not engine. We count one for this engine only when the model name and year had no other engine (e.g. "488 GTB", "GT-R"), or when the owner's own words name a version that had only this engine that year (Z06, ZR1, Hellcat, GT500 ...). They cover the whole car (wheels, air bags, electrics ...), not only the engine, and none of them is a failure rate. We chart them only for engines with 30 or more, over 3 or more years. YouTube tone = how positive the videos are, 0–100, from titles and transcripts (praise vs trouble words, the title counts 3 times), weighted by views; a year needs at least 3 videos' worth. A video counts for this engine when its title names the engine or a car that only had this engine in the years it names; a video whose title names no model year counts toward every year of that car, so neighboring years share most of their videos.
All the numbers, year by year
| Year | Cars | Owner complaints | YouTube says | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2011 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2012 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2013 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 1 |
| 2014 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2015 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2016 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2017 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 1 | not enough videos yet | 0 |
| 2018 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | 61 (25 videos) | 0 |
| 2019 | 911 Turbo / GT3 | 0 | 62 (20 videos) | 0 |
Recalls on cars with this engine 1
None of them is about the engine itself.
20E091000 Suspension · Porsche 911 Turbo / GT3 2013
NHTSA recalls by model and year. A recall counts here when every confirmed version of that model-year had this engine, or the recall names it. Check a car's VIN for its own open recalls.
Engine problems Porsche told dealers about
Porsche sent dealers 115 repair notes about the engine on these cars, including:
- Instructions on carrying ou the WKE8 Workshop campaign, which is a re-programming of the DME control unit in…
- Between throttle housing and pressure pipe, clamp on rubber sleeve failed to be tightened as required,…
NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins), matched by model name and year like the complaints, engine-related ones only. A repair note is not a recall: ask a seller whether it was done.
Every US version with this engine
| Car and versions | Years |
|---|---|
| Porsche 911 Turbo / GT3 911 GT2 RS, 911 Turbo, 911 Turbo Cabriolet, 911 Turbo Coupe, 911 Turbo S, 911 Turbo S Cabriolet ... | 2010–19 |
Engine code: 997.2 and 991 Turbo (code not public); 991.2 GT2 RS: MDH.NA. Power: 493–691 hp, factory figures. Versions and years: EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Sources: Porsche 997 · Porsche 991 · Porsche 911 GT2.
Quick answers
What cars have the Porsche 3.8 twin-turbo flat-6 engine?
In the US: the Porsche 911 Turbo / GT3, model years 2010–2019. See the version table for each one.
Is the Porsche 3.8 twin-turbo flat-6 reliable?
Mostly yes. YouTube owner tone 62/100, #2 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the top third); no engine-related recall on record. Not enough owner complaints to judge it per car: supercars sell in small numbers. Its cars had 1 recalls (0 about the engine, fuel or powertrain). Have any used car inspected.
How much horsepower does the Porsche 3.8 twin-turbo flat-6 make?
493–691 hp in factory figures, depending on the car.