1999 Porsche Boxster

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT BELTS IN THE VEHICLE HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE. ON THE FIRST INCIDENT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD COME UNLOCKED WHEN THE CHILD TUGGED ON IT. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SEAT BELT AND THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY. ON 2-01-06 THE SEAT BELTS WOULDN'T RETRACT. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SEAT BELTS AND THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY AGAIN. NOW THE SEAT BELT IS INOPERABLE.

I HAVE A 1999 BOXSTER. AT 9500 MILES THE ENGINE BLEW UP. IRA MOTORS IN DANVERS REPLACED IT WITH A REBUILT ENGINE. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR SINCE THEN BUT IT HAS BEEN UNDER WARRANTY. MY CAR IS ALWAYS GARAGED IN WINTER AND HAS ONLY 25,000 MILES ON THE NEW MOTOR. IN MID OCT. OF THIS YEAR MY CAR STARTED RUNNING ROUGH WHEN STARTED IN THE MORNING. IT WAS DUE FOR IT'S 30,000 MI CHECK UP SOON SO I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER. I SPENT $1000 FOR THE CHECK UP AND TWO DAYS LATER PICKED IT UP AND IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH AGAIN. COUGHING, CHOKING AND STALLING OUT. I LEFT THE CAR THERE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR HOME AND WHEN THE WEATHER GOT COLDER IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND AGAIN. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER 4 TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND THAT THEY HAD SEVERAL CARS UP TO 2005 MODELS DOING THE SAME THING. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A WINTER FUEL ADDITIVE IN THE NORTHEAST THAT DOESN'T GET ALONG WITH PORSCHE BOXSTERS. MY OTHER CARS RUN FINE ON THE SAME FUEL. MEANWHILE WHAT AM I TO DO WITH A CAR THAT WON'T START IN THE WINTER. I CANNOT SELL IT THIS WAY AND IRA PORSCHE OF DANVERS, MA SAID THEY CANNOT FIX IT. I HAVE BEEN ON LINE AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. HOW CAN YOU HELP ME? SHOULD I ONLY DRIVE THE CAR IN SUMMER IN CALIFORNIA? PATRICIA COHEN. *JB

I HAVE A 1999 PORSCHE BOXSTER THAT HAD NO PROBLEMS CONCERNING SAFETY, AIRBAG OR THE SEAT BELTS OF THE CAR UNTIL THE AIR BAG LIGHT MYSTERIOUSLY TURNED ON. THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP DECODED THE CODE TO FIND THE PROBLEM IS A SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT THAT IS FAULTY, BUT THE AIR BAG WAS STILL WORKING PROPERLY. THE DEALER (RUSNAK PORSCHE OF PASADENA) ADMITTED THIS WAS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, THE PROBLEM IS COMMON, BUT WAS NOT COVERED SINCE MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE FOUND THIS PROBLEM IS VERY PREVALENT IN PORSCHES, AS IT HAS BEEN MENTIONED MANY TIMES ON A MAIN PORSCHE MESSAGE BOARD (WWW.PPBB.COM). ALSO, THE PROBLEM HAS ITS OWN WEBSITE WITH HOW TO DEAL WITH IT, BUT THE DEALER WILL NOT REPLACE THE PART EVEN THOUGH IT IS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. HTTP://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/ESKLUT/AIRBAG.HTML IF NECESSARY I WILL COLLECT CONTACT INFORMATION FOR A SET AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM COVERED BY WARRANTY OR NOT. BILL WOJDAK. *JB

LEAKING COOLANT TANK. THE COOLANT TANK ON THIS VEHICLE HAS FAILED IN NUMEROUS CARS RESULTING IN EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. MANY OWNERS I HAVE CONTACTED HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME TANK FAILURE. I BELIEVE PORSCHE SHOULD FIX THESE CARS UNDER A RECALL. THIS IS CLEAR CASE OF A DESIGN DEFICENCY WHICH WILL LEAD TO OVERHEATING AND FAILURE OF THE ENGINE. IF THIS HAPPENS IN TRAFFIC, THE OPERATER COULD BE INJURED OR KILLED. THE TANK MUST BE REPLACED WITH AN UPDATED PART FROM PORSCHE THAT HAS HAD THE MATERIAL CHANGED.*AK

I HAVE HAD A REOCCURING AIRBAG LIGHT COMING ON, THE DEALER HAS HAD IT ON 5 OCCASIONS, AND THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD IT TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS ONS 4 OCCASIONS. I THOUGHT THAT THE DEALER HAD IT REPAIRED IN JANUARY OF 2003, THEN IT CAME BACK ON AGAIN IN JAN OF 2004. THE DEALER STATES THAT THE REPAIR IS THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES. THEY HAVE REPLACED THEM 3 TIMES, I DONT KNOW WHAT THE PREVOIUS REPAIRS WERE PRIOR TO MY OWNING THE VEHICLE. THIS TIME WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIR, IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, AND I WAS GIVEN A GOODWILL BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR 50% OF THE REPAIR BILL. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN A YEAR WHEN THIS COMES ON AGAIN? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I HAD AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE LIGHT WAS ON BECAUSE OF THIS? THE THING THAT STIKES ME THE MOST IS THAT THE DEALER HAS HAD THE PARTS IN STOCK EVERY TIME AND THEY HAVE STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, SHOULD THERE NT BE A SAFETY RECALL IF THIS IS THE CASE?*AK

I WAS DRIVING ON I-95 S IN MIAMI. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE, THEN I FELT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE GIVE OUT. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND INSPECTED THE TIRE. THE TREAD PORTION OF THE TIRE ON THE OUTSIDE SIDEWALL SEPARATED FROM THE BEAD AROUND THE RIM. THE TIRE IS A KUMHO ECSTA 712, SIZE 205/50ZR17 89W ,DOT YOLJ YAN (2101). *AK