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 speed. I contacted my local porsche dealer to see if any recalls or notices were out for this issue and they confirmed nothing has been done by porsche. Attached are pictures of the two cables removed from my car. One is still in tact while the other broken one clearly shows the broken/sheared off cable end that attaches to the transmission.
The worst 2011 Porsche Boxster (987) problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Transmission1
Problems by type
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- Transmission1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987) 386
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Parts Information for Parts Withdrawal
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche A40 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C30 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C20 Engine Oils
- Manufacturer's Certificate for Overview of Approved Porsche C40 Engine Oils
- Special Tools and Equipment Information for alignment machines
What 2011 Porsche Boxster (987) owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Compare the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987)
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Questions about the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987)
Is the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987) reliable?
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987), fewer than a typical Boxster (987) model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987)?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 1 complaint.
How many recalls does the 2011 Porsche Boxster (987) have?
No recalls on record.
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