Engine Failure problems of the 1999 Porsche Boxster

The contact owns a 1999 Porsche Boxster. The contact had massive engine failure while driving 20 mph and the crank shaft broke. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic and the engine was replaced. The manufacturer advised the contact that the warranty was not valid and that there were no recalls for the failure. Routine maintenance was performed on the vehicle prior to the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000.

It's well documented that early production Porsche Boxsters had a significant number of engine failures due to cracked or slipped cylinder liners. There was never a recall but Porsche did replace failed engines under warranty. Porsche has not divulged exactly how many engines this actually occurred in other than a broad range of 2. 5 engines in late 1998-early 1999. Nor have they released any engine numbers that have had sleeves installed. I purchased my car 2 weeks ago from the original owner with 69k miles and full main dealer service history. The engine has now failed due to a slipped cylinder liner. The engine has not been raced or over-revved. I'm looking at a possible $8 - $13k repair bill for a replacement/rebuilt engine. Fortunately the engine seized whilst in a car park. Had it done so whilst driving on the busy interstate, the consequences could have been catastrophic. With the introduction of the Boxster, Porsche teamed up with kolbenschmidt to manufacture their new water-cooled engine. The cases experienced several issues starting with their porosity. In 1998 kolbenschmidt¿s casting machine was damaged. This lead to liner failures in late 1998 to early 1999. This would translate into only the 1999 model year due to production dates. The time required to repair the machine could have slowed Boxster production down severely unless a fix was found. The solution was to reline some not-quite-perfect blocks that were on hand. Most of these blocks had a casting defect or a porosity problem in at least one cylinder. Kolbenschmidt began the process of the repairs until the casting machine was fixed. This process started by boring out the failed cylinder to allow for the insertion of the liner.

I had driven the car without incident to a store. When I tried to start the car later it would not start. It was determined by both an independent mechanic and a Porsche dealer that the car had sustained catastrophic engine failure of an unknown origin. (they were not be able to determine exactly what the problem without disassembling the engine. I did not ask them to do this. ). I replaced the engine.

The vehicle experienced premature engine failure, the engine siezed.

Catasrophic engine failure in heavy traffic resulting in loss of breaks and very heavy steering. Had this happened on the free way the results could have been fatal. Further more many other Porsche Boxster owners have had the same problem. Engine replaced under warranty.