Your vehicle report
1999 Porsche Boxster
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 28
- Received Apr 1999 to Jan 2012
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbag warning light stays on4 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #03V004000Certain 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 ignition lock or the slector lever can be shifted from position "p" with the ignition key removed and the locking button operated.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 person injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 1 listed problem by system.
Engine & powertrain
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 9 |
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 3 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 28 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag warning light stays on | 4 | 14% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #03V004000January 23, 200312,234 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission
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 ignition lock or the slector lever Can be shifted from position "p" with the ignition key removed and the locking button operated.
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 time should contact Porsche at 1-800-545-8039.
Other model years
- 1998 32
- 1999
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1999 Porsche Boxster.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN