The 1998 Porsche Boxster has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 12,234 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 44 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN03V0040002003-01-2312,234 affected
Defect
CERTAIN 2-DOOR CONVERTIBLE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TIPTRONIC (AUTOMATIC) TRANSMISSION MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH AN INCORRECTLY ADJUSTED KEY-LOCK-CABLE DOWN TO THE SHIFT SELECTOR. IF THE KEY-LOCK-CABLE IS NOT ADJUSTED CORRECTLY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE IGNITION KEY WILL SNAG UPON BEING REMOVED FRO THE…
Consequence
IF THE SELECTOR LEVER IS THEN SHIFTED FROM POSITION "P" TO POSITION "R, N OR D" WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED, AND IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT ON, THE VHEICLE WILL NOT BE SECURED FROM INADVERTENLY ROLLING AWAY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CABLE ADJUSTMENT AND, REGARDLESS OF THE RESULTS OF THIS INSPECTION, THE KEY-LOCK-CABLE MUST ALSO BE ADJUSTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 15, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
8
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
1
Total complaints44
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1998 porsche boxster. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle engine problems. *smd the consumer stated between 1997 and 1998 porsche produced an engine with two known flaws. The first, was the engine block, that was too porous. It caused the cylinder walls to crack, causing loss of all compression…”
“My vehicle had only approximately 65,000 miles when the horn started to malfunction. The horn started to routinely deploy on its own. In the short term I had to have it disconnected by my regular mechanic so I could continue to operate the car. I called barrier porsche in bellevue washington where…”
“My vehicle had only approximately 65,000 miles when the horn started to malfunction. The horn started to routinely deploy on its own. In the short term I had to have it disconnected by my regular mechanic so I could continue to operate the car. I called barrier porsche in bellevue washington where…”
“We bought a 1998 porsche boxster in aug 2009. Serviced as required. On 9/7/10 out driving, stopped at a stop sign as we proceeded through the stop sign the engine died, white smoke came pouring out the back. Had it towed to mechanic and was informed that then motor had seized due to the ims…”
“1998 porsche boxster airbag light, related to seat belt buckle, known issue with a fix that has a part number, but porsche never had a recall so the only way they will replace it for free is if the light came on within the warranty time. Cost out of warranty $500 to $1500. This should not be a…”
“The air bag light illuminated on the car spontaneously and stays lit at all times indicating a fault in the system. From all reports on various porsche discussion forums (thousands of incidents that have been reported and discussed), this is a common problem in the first generation porsche…”
“I have a 1998 posche boxster. The car has a problem in that the airbag light will come on and the owner will not know if the airbags are working properly or not. Porsche has had over 7 fixes on this issue and none have worked to date. They have not replaced mine under warranty. I have been…”
“I recently purchased the 1998 porsche boxster, automatic transmission, and have discovered a latent defect which pcna designates a305, and ntsb has additional recalls relating to the same defective part on the same model and year involving the ignition switch and attached ignition assembly. The…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE98039 Opened 1998-07-09 · closed 1998-11-24
DOOR CABLE FAILURE
ALLEGED THAT THE INTERIOR DOOR LOCK RELEASE MECHANISM MALFUNCTIONS AS A RESULT OF A FAILED BOWDEN CABLE.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Porsche Boxster as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.