Porsche bulletin No. 51-25
What it saysTechnical information for Ambient Lighting Adjustment for Cup Holder / Center Console Not Possible Via Front Display and Control Panel: Check and Update Software Release of Front-End Electronics (BCM1) Control Unit if… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Porsche filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 17, 2025, received Aug 6, 2025, about the engine — 2 documents under this number. It names 14 model years (2016–2026). 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 Ambient Lighting Adjustment for Cup Holder / Center Console Not Possible Via Front Display and Control Panel: Check and Update Software Release of Front-End Electronics (BCM1) Control Unit if Necessary
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 51-25 | Service bulletin | Dec 17, 2025 | 11027272 | PDF, 46 KB |
| No. 51-25 | Service bulletin | Jul 15, 2025 | 11021598 | PDF, 187 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 Porsche Cayman GT4; 2023 Porsche Redundant Cayman GT4.
A 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 12 model years this bulletin names have filed 208 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 150 of them name Electrical System, Engine — 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.
The safety risk of having the car’s motor completely lose power on the road/highway is high, as you are then left powerless. We have not reproduced this issue ourselves. Our local Porsche dealer has looked at it and said it was a “one off” type of malfunction and could not find any issue with the car when we brought it in.
2020 Porsche Taycan · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 25, 2021 · ODI 11418476
The variable valve timing adjuster sprocket bolts have a tendency to shear under high load. This is a documented issue that was also common in several other Porsche models of similar production year ranges. The valvetrain loses timing, resulting in a catastrophic engine failure which disables a vehicle.
2016 Porsche Cayman · Engine · filed with NHTSA Nov 17, 2020 · ODI 11375115
Heard a ticking noise while driving. Pulled over, on freeway. It was not a safe situation parked on side of a major freeway. Turned off car to look around the engine and found nothing. Started the car again and it died within 5 seconds. The electric system completely died after and would not crank.
2024 Porsche 911 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Mar 16, 2024 · ODI 11577795
In depth: 2020 Porsche Taycan electrical problems →
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group167 other manufacturer communications filed against these Porsche models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Porsche list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 32-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | Technical information for an error message "engine power reduced" fault entry "exhaust flap actuator" (P047600 / P04A000) in DME control uni… |
| No. 31-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | Symptom based workshop manual for a Warning Message in Instrument Cluster: Fault Memory Entry “P060700 - Control Unit Reset” in The Front/Re… |
| No. 30-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils |
| No. 29-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils |
| No. 27-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils. Note that the bulletin covers all models back to model year 198… |
| No. 25-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils. Note that this bulletin covers all vehicles from model year 199… |
| WSM5 | Service campaign | Sep 18, 2026 | Porsche intranet posting for Campaign WSM5 – Replacing engine data sticker (VECI) |
| No. 36-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 8, 2026 | Symptom based workshop manual for Door Window Moves Up / Down Very Slowly or Reverses |
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. 51-25 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. 51-25 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. 51-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 14 model years: 2024 Porsche 718, 2023 Porsche 718, 2022 Porsche 718, 2026 Porsche 911, 2025 Porsche 911, 2024 Porsche 911 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.