"How reliable is the 1998 Porsche Boxster?"

"Based on 44 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Porsche Boxster has a median complaint mileage of 49398 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Porsche Boxster?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Porsche Boxster is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 44 total complaints filed."

1998 Porsche Boxster: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 44 complaints

Total Complaints

49,398mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

43,500 25th Percentile

49,398 Median Mileage

57,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THIS SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON. IS IT CONSIDERED A SAFTY ISSUE IF THE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INTERIOR?"

"INSIDE RELEASE MECHANISM ON DRIVER'S DOOR BROKEN."

"THE DEFECTIVE DOOR CABLE MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 8 complaints

25th: 44,500 mi Median: 47,050 mi 75th: 51,875 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 11 LA: 6 SC: 3 TX: 3 FL: 3 WA: 2 NV: 2 IL: 2 MI: 2 AZ: 2

Who Files Complaints?

52.3%

Original Owners

47.7%

Second+ Owners

Porsche Boxster — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	30	55,000	AIR BAGS	0
1999	35	50,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE	1
2001	24	19,600	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1
2005	21	34,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	0

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28