1998 Porsche Boxster Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Boxster years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Porsche Boxster. That is the most of any Boxster model year in the database (14 years). The most reported problem area is structure (11 complaints, 34%), typically at around 49,697 miles. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 32owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Porsche Boxster problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 11 | 34% | 49,697 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 8 | 25% | 47,050 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 22% | 30,940 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 6 | 19% | 55,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 3% | 49,100 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 3% | 34,700 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Porsche Boxster recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Door cable failure (PE98039) — opened Jul 9, 1998, closed Nov 24, 1998.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
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…
Other Porsche Boxster years
← 1997 Boxster · 1999 Boxster →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Boxster | 3 | 2 |
| 2014 Boxster | 2 | 3 |
| 2013 Boxster | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 Boxster | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 Boxster | 5 | 0 |
| 2005 Boxster | 16 | 0 |
| 2004 Boxster | 4 | 1 |
| 2003 Boxster | 12 | 2 |
| 2002 Boxster | 10 | 2 |
| 2001 Boxster | 13 | 2 |
| 2000 Boxster | 5 | 1 |
| 1999 Boxster | 28 | 1 |
| 1998 | 32 | 1 |
| 1997 Boxster | 22 | 3 |
See all Porsche Boxster problems by year, every Porsche model, or the Porsche VIN decoder.
Similar Porsche models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Porsche Boxster?
Owners most often report structure, air bags, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 11 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Porsche Boxster?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Porsche Boxster a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Boxster model years, the 1998 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.