Owners have filed 127 complaints on the Porsche Boxster, covering 1997–2015. The system named most often is Engine And Engine Cooling (38 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2005, 1998; cleanest: 2012, 2007, 2014. 7 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 7.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Porsche Boxster
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 127 Boxster complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine And Engine Cooling 38 Read
On two occasions and on two separate vehicle engine camshaft failed while driving. Dealer and manufacturer were aware of problem. Feel free to provide any further information
The contact stated while driving various speeds on normal road conditions or when stationary, there was a smell of fuel coming from the engine compartment. The smell was noticeable and came in through the vents. There were no warning signals prior to the incident. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times, who…
The contact stated while driving 35 mph on normal road conditions, and when stationary, there was a very distinct fume smell coming from the engine compartment. The smell was noticeable and came in through the vents. There were no warning signals prior to the incident. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times,…
Air Bags 18 Read
The door panels are warping and detaching from the door. I'm sure the airbags should be affected as well. I have contacted Porche America but no one calls except customer service who keeps no records of previous calls
The contact stated each time the engine was started or while driving various speeds, the airbag light illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined while the airbag light was illuminated, the airbags would not deploy in the event of a crash. Also, the dealer determined the front passenger side seat…
2005 porsche boxster s, is a 2 seater that lacks any means to disarm front/side passenger airbags. Dangerous condition for child passenger given the lack of a back seat or alternative seating. Certaintly foreseeable that children will ride in such a vehicle
Electrical System 17 Read
There was evidence of electrical faulting within the dashboard and the fire originated within the vehicle where there is evidence of electrical faulting within the dashboard sufficient to ignite the wiring insulation and immediate combustibles into open flame
I awoke one saturday morning after it had been raining all night to find my spoiler up (which is only supposed to go up at 75 mph), my car windows down and my rear lights on. When I attempted to move the vehicle and shut the windows, nothing worked. The car ran okay, as far as I could tell, but the alarm started to go…
We own a 2002 porsche boxster with approximately 66,000 miles. We purchased the vehicle, used, in late 2003. On three separate occasions we have experienced total loss of use of the vehicle due to water leaking into the interior compartment and flooding the control unit, rendering the car totally inoperable. The…
Power Train 17 Read
The contact owns a 2015 Porsche Boxster. The contact stated that the vehicle rental app TURO informed him that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V679000 (Power Train). The dealer was then notified about the recall and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had…
It lost power brakes during my driving at 45 miles/hour. The vehicle couldn't stop more than 200 yard before a traffic light. I almost hit into traffic which runs at 55 miles per hour. The car drove about 25000 miles when power brakes failed. Porsche said vehicle's vacuum pump broken. They fixed. I asked them what is…
2013 porsche boxster. Car rolls when stopped with transmission in 'park.' similar to recalls of porsche cayennes and panameras. May be similar to the transmission connection bushing problem that came loose in other models
Engine 8 Read
The engine spontaneously caught on fire while driving between the gas station and my home. The distance was no more than five miles and the speed was no more than 45mph
2014 Porsche Boxster- Consumer haves concerns about the hydro-mounting, which is causing a PADM fault. Consumer paid for the repair & it occurred again. The first occurred after 35000 miles and again after 42000 miles. Consumer has read that others have had the same problem. Consumer thinks its a design problem &…
My 2013 boxster is currently at the dealer for repairs for the 7th time due to rodent damage to wiring. Porsche used a soy based compound on its wires which is extremely attractive to rodents. Porsche germany and porsche north america deny the use of these products. An email yesterday stated "we do not have any…
Structure 5 Read
March 5, 2019. [xxx]. [xxx] 2003 porsche boxster 3.2 engine with brand new michelin ultra-high-performance tires. On december 31, 2018 about 10:30 am, I was driving the car going east, about 80 to 100 miles per hour in the middle of three lanes.when I reached the top of the hill, the front end of the car wobble in the…
Potential fatality / severe injury - roll bar is located too far forward and does not have adequate padding for drivers over 5' 10" tall. A relatively minor accident can easily become a fatality as a taller driver's head will impact the roll bar instead of the headrest. A retrofit providing additional padding is…
On the 2013 boxster the tailpipe can burn your leg if you're not carefully when you go to open the rear trunk. It my view that the tailpipe extend to long from the bumper of the car and therefore, when someone goes to open the trunk your leg will touch the tailpipe. My wife was burn on her leg from the tailpipe. I…
Suspension 5 Read
The right front suspension failed. Something broke so that the wheel/brake component bent away from the car causing a sudden left hand turn/jerk. This was confirmed upon exiting the car and looking at the front right semi-attached wheel. The car traveled THROUGH highway safety cables, front windshield shattered, right…
The contact owns a 2015 porsche boxster. While driving at a low speed, there was a violent vibration and noise near the front end of the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to porsche jacksonville (904-725-9155, located at 10100 atlantic blvd, jacksonville, fl 32225) where the technician stated that the…
2013 porsche boxter. Consumer writes in regards to issue with control arm mounts on rear suspension. The consumer referenced recall 21V-679. The consumer stated the parts necessary to complete the recall repair were unavailable
Steering 4 Read
The contact owned a 2003 porsche boxster s. While driving uphill at 100 mph, the vehicle vibrated violently when the brake pedal was depressed. Also, the steering pulled to the right and the steering wheel detached from the steering column. The vehicle struck a curb and the passenger side air bags deployed. The rear…
Strong vibration and noise in front end steering, suspension and wheels at higher steering angles and slow speed motion. This occurs in driveways, parking lots and sharp turns onto city streets and has been continually present since I purchased this vehicle, and reported it to the servicing dealership in june, 2018
Driving on freeway at about 70 mph and intermediate shaft failed. Created dangerous situation as engine started billowing smoke, obscuring traffic causing many cars to swerve dangerously and had stop abruptly. Car towed to repair shop empire autohaus, inc. Where problem was diagnosed. Owned car for three years with…
Boxster years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags,structure | — | — | |
| 2013 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2012 | Service Brakes | — | — | |
| 2007 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2004 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2002 | Electrical System,structure,equipment | 3 | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Engine | — | 1 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 102 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.4 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 5. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Boxster?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2005, 1998 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Boxster years are the cleanest?
2012, 2007, 2014 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Porsche Boxster have?
127 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1997–2015. Of those, 7 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.