AI DamagePorsche Boxster (987): problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Porsche Boxster (987) across 6 model years: 11 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 64% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 9% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 5 Tires 9% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (64% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
False air bag malfunction warning light caused initial distraction followed by false steering wheel air bag deployment.. Trying to steer the car during this event and deal with traffic, vehicle entered intersection and was hit (t boned) on the passenger side by another vehicle..
The danger arises from unexpectedly low mileage to complete tread loss and cord appearing without warning with the risk of a blowout at highway speeds on out of town trips.
Car has a manual transmission. Shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, the shifter suddenly went completely loose, leaving the car stuck in 1st gear. After subsequent analysis, the root cause was determined to be a snapped shift cable between the shifter "stick" and the transmission.
Vehicle stuck in neutral after few seconds stop at stop sign in cross street. Was able to drive into hotel parking lot a few feet away and vehicle was towed home. Missed first repair appointment but rescheduled for 11/20/2014. 11/13/2014-vehicle now will not stay on when key is turned, will try a battery charge.
Vehicle (manual transmission) stuck in first gear while entering cross street. Very dangerous situation. I managed to avoid an accident, but it was a close call. The 6 speed manual transmission is unable to shift out of first gear.
I was driving on a major 8-lane highway. I shifted uneventfully through the gears, until I attempted to shift from 5th to 6th. At this point, I discovered that the shift lever offered no resistance and had no effect: the shift linkage had failed catastrophically and without warning.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.