Porsche 911 Carrera 2000 — Reported problems

Driving gently at 50mph down a smooth road the tire suddenly deflated; I pulled over to swap it out for the spare. On examination of the tire the inner side wall delaminated in 2 places, I could find no reason for the failure. There are no screws or nails or other damage that would explain why it deflated other than the sidewall delaminating. The car had an oil change 4 days before the tire incident and the tire was examined and found to be at the correct pressure. The rubber around the failures seems soft and tears easily. I have a matching set of these tires on my car, same brand and type. I did some searching and found a recall on this brand tire which describes exactly the failure I experienced; when I called the manufacturer they told me my tire does not fall under the recall.

ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO CYLINDER ALL FAILURE AND OR INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEARING FAILURE. *TR

THE CAR BATTERY EXPLODED WHEN I TURNED THE IGNITION KEY. THE CAR IS ALWAYS PARKED IN THE GARAGE WHEN NOT IN USE. AS THE CAR HAS VERY LOW MILEAGE, ABOUT $15K MILES OVER A PERIOD OF TEN YEARS, AND I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. WHEN THE CAR WAS NOT IN USE THE CAR WAS CONNECTED TO A SMART CHARGER, MANUFACTURED AND RECOMMENDED BY THE CAR MANUFACTURER. (THE BATTERY WAS ALSO MADE BY PORSCHE) THE CHARGER WAS DISCONNECTED FIRST BEFORE THE CAR WAS BEING STARTED, LIKE I ALWAYS DO. AFTER THE EXPLOSION, MY GARAGE WAS FILLED WITH THE FUME FROM THE BATTERY, AND THE BATTERY FLUID STARTED POURING OUT ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. THE INCIDENCE WAS REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEREAFTER FOR CLEANUP AND INSPECTION. SUBSEQUENTLY, A CLAIM/REPORT, INCLUDING PHOTO IMAGES OF THE EXPLODED BATTERY, WAS FILED WITH PORSCHE USA AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY. SO FAR PORSCHE USA IS CLAIMING THAT MY BATTERY WAS NOT MAINTAINED PROPERLY THOUGH MY CAR JUST HAD A 30K MILES SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE ON APRIL 20TH, 2010 AND MY BATTERY WAS MAINTAINED IN A WAY RECOMMENDED BY PORSCHE. MY QUESTION TO PORSCHE IN ARGUING MY CASE IS THAT WHETHER THEY REGARD AN EXPLODED BATTERY, UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS, IS ACCEPTABLE AND TO BE EXPECTED. IN A SENSE I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT THE EXPLOSION DID NOT RESULT IN INJURIES OR FIRE, WHICH WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC, CONSIDERING WHERE THE CAR WAS PARKED AT THE TIME. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 PORSCHE 911/996. DURING A ROUTINE INSPECTION AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DISCOVERED AN OIL LEAK IN THE REAR MAIN SEAL OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 36,600.

IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION, THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF ENGINE FAILURES ON 1998-2004 PORSCHE BOXSTERS,911'S, AND 911 CARRERAS. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE CYLINDER BLOCKS WERE POROUS ON THE EARLIER YEARS AND THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FAILS FROM 1999 UP. IN EITHER CASE< THE ENTIRE ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $16,000. I SURVEYED RWO PORSCHE DEALERS IN METRO DETROIT. ONE DEALER HAS REPLACED FOUR ENGINES THIS SUMMER WHILE THE OTHER IS CURRENTLY REPLACING ONE. IF YOU CHECK VARIOUS PORSCHE FORUMS, CHATROOMS ETC YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM. PORSCHE WILL REPLACE ENGINES ON VEHICLES IN WARRANTY BUT WILL OFFER NO ASSISTANCE ONCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I OWN A 2000 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA WITH ONLY 20,000 MILES AND AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT FOR FEAR OF THE ENGINE FAILING AND BEING STUCK WITH A $16,000 REPAIR. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35MPH, A FIRE ERUPTED FROM THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OFF THE ROAD FLAMES WERE SEEN COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND PROVIDED A WRITTEN REPORT. THE FIRE MARSHAL'S REPORT STATED, "THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE COATING CORRODED THROUGH AND ELECTRICAL CONTACT WAS MADE". THE INSURANCE COMPANY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DEEMED IT TOTALED.

BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT REAR STABILIZER BAR MOUNT WELDS BROKEN AWAY FROM BODY.