2017 Porsche 718 Boxster problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Wheels (1) · Visibility/Wiper (1) · Power Train (1)
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2019-07-17 · campaign 19V533000 · 7,517 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2016-2017 911 and Boxster, 2016 Cayman and Panamera vehicles. The air bag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in air bag deactivation or inadvertent deployment of the air bags.
Risk: Deactivated air bags increase the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 13, 2019. Owners received a second notice and the recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKB4.
Structure 2019-02-20 · campaign 19V113000 · 14,388 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017-2019 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S vehicles and 2018-2019 718 Boxster GTS and 2018-2019 718 Cayman GTS vehicles. In the event of a crash, a crossmember may detach from the luggage compartment bracket, possibly causing a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will secure the crossmember with additional rivets, free of charge. The recall began April 19, 2019. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AKA3.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-03-02 · campaign 17V134000 · 120 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2016 911 GT3 RS and 911 R vehicles and 2017 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4, 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Targa 4, 911 Targa 4S, 911 Turbo S, 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S vehicles. The passenger frontal air bag inflator initiator may fail to ignite during a crash.
Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2017. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AH03.
Visibility:windshield 2017-03-02 · campaign 17V135000 · 21 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Targa S, 911 Targa 4S, 911 Turbo Cabriolet, 718 Boxter and 718 Boxter S vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 212, "
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the windshield separates from the vehicle, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will rebond the windshield, free of charge. The recall began on May 12, 2016. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for the recall is AH04.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2017-01-25 · campaign 17V054000 · 4,090 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2017 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera 4, 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Targa 4, 911 Targa 4S + GTS, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman, and 718 Cayman S vehicles. The screws that fasten the fuel collection pipes in the engine compartment may shear off, resulting in a fuel leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will install improved fastening screws, free of charge. The recall began March 27, 2017. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AH01.
Air Bags:side/Window 2016-12-30 · campaign 16V946000 · 85 vehicles
Defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2017 718 Boxster, 718 Boxster S, 718 Cayman, 718 Cayman S, 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera S, 911 Carrera S Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4S, 911 Turbo, 911 Turbo S, 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, and 911 Turbo Cabriolet vehicles. The seat mounted side air bag inflator initiator may fail to ignite during a crash.
Risk: If the air bag inflator initiator fails to ignite, the side air bag will not deploy, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AG10.
Service bulletins (518)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 28-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c40 engine oils. note that this bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which c40 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 27-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c20 engine oils. note that the bulletin covers all models back to model year 1984, for which c20 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 26-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche c30 engine oils. note that the bulletin includes all models back to model year 1984, for which c30 engine oils are allocated.
Power Train 2026-09-22 · No. 25-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
manufacturer's certificate for overview of approved porsche a40 engine oils. note that this bulletin covers all vehicles from model year 1997 to 2020, for which a40 engine oils are assigned. model years 1997-2001 are not available for selection in the system.
Wheels 2026-09-14 · SPTL2609 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
special tools and equipment information for alignment machines - q3 2026 software spec update available
Electrical System 2026-09-01 · No. 12-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical information for damage to nano plug contacts due to utilization of incorrect measuring equipment
Showing the 6 most recent of 518 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-11-13 · Power Train · 17,821 mi“2017 porsche boxster 718 with pdk has started in 2nd gear on 3 occasions making entering into traffic at a slow rate of speed very dangerous. 1st time the pdk transmission was in park and then i moved it to drive. the pdk selected gear 2 while in sport mode. 2nd time i was backing out of my driveway, stopped to put in drive, and the pdk selected…”
2019-05-21 · Visibility/Wiper · 11,644 mi“while driving with my wife at approximately 20 mph after making a right turn in the lane closet to the curb at night we heard a very loud bang that sounded like a gunshot. i pulled over about two blocks away and noticed my passenger side mirror was destroyed and the cover was missing as well as the mirror. the mirror was rotated inwards toward th…”
2018-04-27 · Wheels · 5,000 mi“rear tires are complete bald after 5000 miles. we have had car for over a year. dealership has inspected and verified alignment is fine and there are no signs of aggressive driving. when we purchased vehicle parts were missing from rear tire and we had to wait for them to be replaced. the car is not drive able at his point. they are saying that we …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.