Problems · NHTSA complaints
2000 Porsche Boxster S problems
Owners filed 3 complaints about the 2000 Porsche Boxster S with NHTSA between Aug 2005 and Jun 2011. The most-cited component is electrical system (2).
Complaints
3
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system2
- Engine and engine cooling1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
2 reports
“IGNITION LOCK FAILURE - 2000 BOXSTER S. DEALER MECHANIC ADVISED THAT PROBLEM IS SERIOUS AND COMMON. WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO STRANDED MOTORIST. PROBLEM SO COMMON MECHANIC REQUESTED QUOTE FOR 'NUKED IGNITION LOCK' FROM SERVICE WRITER. SERVICE WRITER REPLIES $450 WITHOUT HAVING TO LOOK IT UP AND ALSO HUMOROUSLY ACKNOWLEDGES FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE. PROBABLY WIDESPREAD ACROSS PORSCHE MODEL AND YEAR RANGE, INCLUDING CARRERA, THANKS TO STANDARDIZATION OF COMPONENTS. IN MY CASE THE KEY WAS STUCK IN THE ON POSITION, SO I HAD TO FORCE THE KEY TO THE OFF POSITION, STRAINING KEY AND DASH COMPONENTS. IT'S BEST FOR OTHER OWNERS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE AT THE DEALER BEFORE THEY FORCE THEIR KEY OUT. *JB”
Engine and engine cooling
1 report
“I WAS INTERESTED IN PURCHASING A 2000 PORSCHE BOXSTER S. I TOOK THE CAR TO A PORSCHE DEALER TO HAVE A PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION PERFORMED AND WAS NOTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE 53,000 MILE CAR ACTUALLY HAD A FACTORY REPLACEMENT ENGINE INSTALLED FOR UNKNOWN REASON. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP THAT ACTUALLY INSTALLED THE FACTORY REPLACEMENT ENGINE AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED AT 35,000 MILES FOR AN OIL LEAK. THE DEALERSHIP THAT PERFORMED THE INSPECTION REPORTED THAT A FEW MINOR ISSUES NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED BUT OVERALL THAT THE CAR WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. I TOOK OWNERSHIP OF THE CAR AND WITHIN 2,000 MILES OF MY OWNERSHIP, THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEARING BOLT FAILED DESTROYING THE ENGINE. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OTHER PORSCHE BOXSTER OWNERS AND THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON, EVEN ON ENGINES WITH 20,000 MILES ON THEM. AT THE MOMENT, THE ONLY FIX FOR THIS ISSUE IS AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT FROM THE DEALERSHIP AT A COST OF $8,000-$13,000. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.