Porsche bulletin No. 171-23
What it saysTechnical information for APB3 - recoding airbag control unit NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Porsche filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 15, 2023, received Dec 7, 2023, about the air bags. It names 4 model years (2021–2024). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationTechnical information for APB3 - recoding airbag control unit
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 171-23 | Service bulletin | Nov 15, 2023 | 10246380 | PDF, 80 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 27 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 5 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Rear camera has failed twice since the recall was performed. The recall was performed on 20 May 2026. The first failure occurred on 27 May 2026. The second on 1 July 2026
2023 Porsche 911 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 3, 2026 · ODI 11748176
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the air bags
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Porsche 911 under the same component group (air bags), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74/25 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2026 | Belt Lock Warning on Driver Side Permanently Active / No Fault Memory Entries: Delete Airbag Control Unit Fault Memory (SY 74/25) |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Porsche, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Porsche No. 171-23 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the No. 171-23 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Porsche warranty extension on file lists the ones Porsche has filed.
Which vehicles does No. 171-23 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Porsche 911, 2023 Porsche 911, 2022 Porsche 911, 2021 Porsche 911. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.