Problems · NHTSA complaints
2011 Porsche Boxster problems
Owners filed 2 complaints about the 2011 Porsche Boxster with NHTSA between Oct 2010 and Nov 2018. The most-cited component is power train (1).
Complaints
2
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
- Power train1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Electrical system1
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 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 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
Power train
1 report
“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. FURTHER RESEARCH REVEALS THIS IS A VERY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITHIN THE PORSCHE COMMUNITY, CAUSED BY A BAD ENGINEERING DESIGN WHERE THE SHIFT CABLE IS MADE TO TAKE A SHARP BEND IN IT'S PATH TO THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING THE SHIFT CABLE METAL TO FATIGUE THROUGH THE BEND AND EVENTUALLY SHEAR/SNAP WITHOUT WARNING. SIMPLY GOOGLE "PORSCHE SHIFT CABLE BREAK" FOR EXAMPLE TO FIND THE MANY MANY FOLKS SUFFERING THIS ISSUE. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF IT HAPPENS AT AN IN-OPPORTUNE TIME LIKE ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN TRAFFIC! I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS TRAVELING AT LOW SPEED IN AN AREA WHERE I COULD SAFELY PULL OVER. IMAGINE IF I WAS CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEED AND THEN DOWNSHIFTING FOR SAY AN EXIT, SUDDENLY FINDING THE SHIFTER GO COMPLETELY LOOSE, CAUSING ME TO BE STUCK IN SAY 6TH GEAR. THE INITIAL SHOCK AND NOT HAVING TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO GET REAR ENDED AT…”
Service brakes, hydraulic
1 report
“MY 2011 PORSCHE CAYENNE HAS AN "AUTO STOP" FEATURE THAT KILLS THE ENGINE WHENEVER THE CAR IS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN. WHEN THE DRIVER'S FOOT IS REMOVED FROM THE BRAKE, THE CAR ENGINE RESTARTS. THE STOP-START DELAY IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BY A CAR THAT WAS BEHIND ME BECAUSE THE DRIVER WAS ANXIOUS TO "MOVE" AND MY CAYENNE'S ENGINE HAD TO RESTART BEFORE IT WOULD MOVE FROM THE STOP LIGHT. THIS SPECIAL FEATURE CAN BE TURNED OFF, BUT YOU MUST TURN IT OFF EVERY TIME YOU START THE CAR. OTHERWISE, THE AUTO STOP FEATURE WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE. I CONSIDER THE AUTO STOP FEATURE TO BE PROBLEMATIC. *TR”
Electrical system
1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.