Engine Failure Problems of Porsche Boxster

The intermediate shaft bearing when out and spread metal shaving throughout the engine. This caused a catastrophic engine failure. I have to have the car towed to the mechanic and will have to have an engine rebuild. The car has been service according to the company provided service manual. I called Porsche USA to see if they woudl do anything about the failure, since this has been a documented problem with certain Porsches, but the company would not help.

See all problems of the 2004 Porsche Boxster 🔎.

Engine failure with cause determined to be connecting rod bolt failure, subsequently leading to damage to nearly all internal engine components.

See all problems of the 2008 Porsche Boxster 🔎.

Traveling 75mph on freeway when oil & engine lights came on and vehicle simultaneously came to dead stop in traffic; diagnosed as catastrophic engine failure by dealer service mgr. , engine replaced at cost of $17,000+. No prior warning. No fault of my own per svc. Mgr. 38k miles on 2005 vehicle, 3 mo out of warranty. Many similar incidents reported on several web sites. Service mgr reported Porsche well aware of this issue but does nothing because its too costly to repair and prefers to handle on case by case basis. Sometimes covers part of cost, sometimes nothing. Had I not been able to brake and coast to stop, I would have rolled over and most likely been killed! damaged engine returned to Porsche in germany. I have the part that broke from which little balls spewed throughout the engine. I am informed this occurs in approx. 20% of Porsche Boxsters and other Porsche vehicles for several years until they redesigned the bolt in 2010 models. Unable to determine how many injuries and/or deaths resulting from these catastrophic engine failures because accidents would appear to be from driver error and no one would know the engine failed under these circumstances! Porsche employees are instructed not to acknowledge knowing anything about this being an ongoing issue and not to make repairs at Porsche expense except for the customers who raise the biggest fuss. Another Boxster was in the shop at the same time as mine for the same problem. The google address link below shows a photo of a Boxster crankshaft and intermediate shaft. One of the connecting rods broke near the piston wrist pin end and the intermediate shaft is damaged. This catastrophic engine failure is the result 1) a seized connecting rod bearing, 2) a loss of oil pressure, 3) bad original component design, 4) intermediate shaft assembly failure (bolts or mechanical connection weld, crimp). This is what happened to my car. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2005 Porsche Boxster 🔎.

My 2005 Porsche Boxster, 23k mi, had catastrophic engine failure at idle. The engine stalled;I was able to restart but a loud clanging noise came from engine. The car then died again. The mechanic said it was due to an intermediate shaft (ims) failure; the required engine replacement is $14k. The mechanic said he has heard of significant number of ims failures (but Porsche has not notified owners). There were no injuries, but certainly engine failure like this could have serious consequences at freeway speeds. Porsche forums on internet show frequency of failures from this defect (poorly designed bearing assembly on ims) is very high, as much as 8-11% in one forum poll.

2004 Porsche Boxster, 58-60k mi, had catastrophic engine failure at 10 mi/hr. Engine stalled; was able to restart and drive a few feet, but badly missing. Loud clanging noise from engine. No smoke. Oil drained from car when tilted on towtruck. Dealer found intermediate shaft (ims) failure; required engine replacement at $18k. Dealer said they had seen a significant number of ims failures (but Porsche has not notified owners). No injuries, but certainly engine failure like this could have serious consequences at freeway speeds. Porsche forums on internet show frequency of failures from this defect (poorly designed bearing assembly on ims) is very high, as much as 8-11% in one forum poll. Defect found in my97-08.

Ims engine failure. Known issues with Porsche. Porsche Boxster 49,500 miles. Place car in reveres, engine seized. Replacement of engine necessary. $8000- $15,000.

See all problems of the 2002 Porsche Boxster 🔎.

My engine failed due to a part called the intermediate shaft. The car is a 2003 Porsche, Boxster s with 47,000. This problem is well documented on line and appears to be a manufacturing problem. The dealership I went to, knew right away about the failure as they see at least 1 per month. When this part fails, the remedy is a new (or used engine). There is no way to know of this failure until it happens. I replaced my engine and it cost $12,000. . Read more...

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I have a 2003 Porsche Boxster s with 32,000mi on it. On the 8th of March, the engine failed with an intermediate shaft bearing failure requiring the replacement of the engine. Porsche cars north America are not helpful. Such a catastrophic failure of the engine in my opinion is dangerous and should be taken more seriously by pcna considering the number of cases that are out there.

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.

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On Saturday, may 16th this Boxster suffered engine failure while traveling at ~ 30 mph. The engine failed with no prior warning. The initial indication was a loud and distracting flapping noise that sounded like something had been picked up on the car¿s undercarriage. This was followed within a moment by shutdown of the engine and loss of power steering. We feel fortunate that this engine failed at relatively low speed in light traffic, so that no accident or injuries occurred. Had the failure occurred earlier in the day while we were driving at highway speed on curving roads, we believe we would have been involved in a serious accident. Property damage was limited to loss of the engine itself - installation of a remanufactured engine is estimated at $14,000 to $15,000. We purchased the vehicle this past January for $20,000 so that this engine failure represents a near total, uninsured loss. The engine failure has been diagnosed as an intermediate engine shaft (ims) failure by a local mechanic specializing in Porsche maintenance and repair (the closest Porsche dealership is over 100 miles away). Our subsequent internet research indicates that ims failure is a common problem for Porsche automobiles with the m96 engine, with some estimates that greater than 25% of these vehicles will suffer engine failure prior to reaching 100,000 miles. Unfortunately, the true statistics are not available to consumers. Porsche has not admitted that this failure mode results from a bearing design flaw, however that is the generally accepted root cause. Porsche cars north America declines to assist with repair. We recommend that you open an investigation into the failure rate and safety aspects of the Porsche m96 engine. We further suggest that it is likely that fatal accidents involving Porsches with these engines have been improperly assigned to driver error. We believe that Porsche should be held responsible for ims failures of m96 engines through a safety recall.

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.

Engine failure/breakdown; no real explanation from pca, many other Boxster owner with engine failure, search at--. . Read more...

See all problems of the 1998 Porsche Boxster 🔎.

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.

Complete engine failure at 4600 miles, seems to be a common problem.