The Porsche Boxster has 11 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 1997–2015. On average a defect was admitted 7.4 years after the car was built, the slowest took 21 years. The most recalled system is Power Train (3 campaigns). Owners also filed 128 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Porsche Boxster
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Power Train 3 Read
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Boxster, 2013-2014 Boxster S, 2014-2015 Cayman, Cayman S, 2015 Boxster GTS, and Cayman GTS vehicles. The rear-axle carrier side sections may fracture
Risk. A carrier fracture may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the rear-axle carrier side sections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB7
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Boxster, 2013-2014 Boxster S, 2014-2015 Cayman, Cayman S, 2015 Boxster GTS, and Cayman GTS vehicles. The rear-axle carrier side sections may fracture
Risk. A carrier fracture may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the rear-axle carrier side sections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB7
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Boxster, 2013-2014 Boxster S, 2014-2015 Cayman, Cayman S, 2015 Boxster GTS, and Cayman GTS vehicles. The rear-axle carrier side sections may fracture
Risk. A carrier fracture may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the rear-axle carrier side sections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB7
Exterior Lighting 3 Read
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2020 Porsche Macan, Cayenne, Panamera, and Cayman S, 2001-2004 Boxster, Boxster S, 2004 Boxster 50 JAHRE SPYDER 550 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all affected models and model years. The caps that cover the low-beam headlight horizontal adjustment screws are missing, which can allow the headlights to be improperly adjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk. Improperly adjusted headlights may not illuminate the road properly, or cause a glare to oncoming drivers, which can increase the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect the headlights for sealing caps and install missing caps as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is ANB4
What's wrong. Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors
Risk. Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash
Fix. Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on july 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798
What's wrong. Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors
Risk. Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash
Fix. Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on may 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589
Electrical System 2 Read
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2014 Boxster, Boxster S, Cayman, Cayman S and 911 Carrera (S, Cabriolet, S Cabriolet, 4, 4S, 4 Cabriolet, 4s Cabriolet) vehicles manufactured September 2, 2013, through September 23, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the passenger seats may be equipped with defective wiring harnesses resulting in intermittent contact with the harness plug
Risk. The intermittent plug may cause the passenger seat frontal and knee airbags may be deactivated. In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, this may increase the risk of injury to the front passenger
Fix. Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2013. Owners may contact Porsche at 1-770-290-3500. Porsche's recall number is AD04
What's wrong. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The ignition switch can crack and cause electrical failures
Risk. This condition can cause failure of the air conditioning, heater blower, headlamps, and windshield wipers
Fix. Dealers will install a new type ignition switch
Latches/Locks/Linkages 1 Read
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Porsche 911, Boxster, and Cayman vehicles manufactured May 7, 2014, to September 23, 2014. The front hood upper lock components were not manufactured to specification and may fail to securely latch the vehicle's hood during operation
Risk. A failure of the hood latching mechanism may cause the hood to suddenly open during vehicle operation and will severely impede the driver's ability to see out the front windshield, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash
Fix. Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lock on the front hood, free of charge. The recall began December 12, 2014. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AE04
What's wrong. Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Porsche 911, Boxster, and Cayman vehicles manufactured May 7, 2014, to September 23, 2014. The front hood upper lock components were not manufactured to specification and may fail to securely latch the vehicle's hood during operation
Risk. A failure of the hood latching mechanism may cause the hood to suddenly open during vehicle operation and will severely impede the driver's ability to see out the front windshield, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash
Fix. Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lock on the front hood, free of charge. The recall began December 12, 2014. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AE04
Seat Belts 1 Read
What's wrong. Porsche is recalling certain model year 2011 911 speedster and 911 gts rs 4.0; and model year 2012 boxster (including s and spyder); cayman (including s and r); 911 carrera (including s, gts, 4, 4s, and 4 gts); 911 targa 4 and targa 4s; and 911 turbo and turbo s models manufactured from may 31, 2011, through june 10, 2011. There is a possibility that the mounting holes in the seat belt anchor plates fitted to the vehicle are too small. If the hole diameter is too small, the anchor plate may not be able to rotate about the fastening bolt as designed
Risk. Should this occur, the seat belt may not be routed optimally around the occupant, or may potentially loosen at some point in the future increasing the risk of injury during a crash
Fix. Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt anchors and, if necessary, replace the seat belt. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 2, 2011. Owners may contact porsche at 1-800-767-7243
Air Bags 1 Read
What's wrong. Equipment description: child seating system air bag deactivation kit for use on 1997-1998 911 carrera s, carrera 4, carrera 4s, and turbo (1997 model only), part no. 993 803 283 00, and 1997-1998 boxster model vehicles, part nos. 996 803 283 00 and 996 803 083 00. Due to a manufacturing problem, the contact buckle (which is part of the kit) does not deactivate the air bag(s)
Risk. In the event of a crash, this results in the deployment of the air bag(s) which could result in severe injury or death to the child seat occupant
Fix. Dealers will install a modified air bag deactivation kit
What's wrong. Equipment description: child seating system air bag deactivation kit for use on 1997-1998 911 carrera s, carrera 4, carrera 4s, and turbo (1997 model only), part no. 993 803 283 00, and 1997-1998 boxster model vehicles, part nos. 996 803 283 00 and 996 803 083 00. Due to a manufacturing problem, the contact buckle (which is part of the kit) does not deactivate the air bag(s)
Risk. In the event of a crash, this results in the deployment of the air bag(s) which could result in severe injury or death to the child seat occupant
Fix. Dealers will install a modified air bag deactivation kit
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 7.4 years |
| Slowest campaign | 21 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 71.4% |
| Campaigns on record | 11 |
Which Boxster years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Latches/Locks/Linkages | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | |
| 2013 | Power Train | |
| 2012 | Seat Belts | |
| 2004 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2003 | Power Train | |
| 2002 | Power Train | |
| 2001 | Power Train | |
| 2000 | Power Train | |
| 1999 | Power Train | |
| 1998 | Power Train | |
| 1997 | Power Train |
Check your own car
Each of these 11 campaigns covers a range of production, not every Porsche Boxster ever built — two cars of the same year can differ by a single week at the plant. Whether yours is among them, and whether the free repair was already carried out, is answered only by the number on its windscreen: check this Boxster by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
A campaign on one model says little about the brand as a whole — see how the Porsche Boxster compares in the full recall check by make and model →
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Porsche Boxster have?
11 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 1997–2015. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my Boxster still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 7.4 years, and the slowest campaign came 21 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.
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