There are thousands of complaints/postings appearing on the Internet, including fixes, (many of which may be equally dangerous) whereby the vehicle's central locking mechanism fails, making it impossible for passengers to egress through either door or window. The locking mechanism on the driver's side door has a cheap part that…
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There are thousands of complaints/postings appearing on the Internet, including fixes, (many of which may be equally dangerous) whereby the vehicle's central locking mechanism fails, making it impossible for passengers to egress through either door or window. The locking mechanism on the driver's side door has a cheap part that is known to commonly fail. When it does, neither the driver nor passenger door may be opened from either inside or outside of the vehicle. The central locking system is tied in with the door lock, and the windows may sometimes also fail when the lock mechanism fails. We had to remove a fuse from her car to reset the windows so we could extricate her. The Internet is replete with unofficial fixes for this problem, frequently using home-made parts, and Porsche representatives commonly acknowledge the issue and charge a great deal to repair using the same flawed parts. In the event of a crash, both driver & passenger may be trapped with no possible means of egress, without disassembling the driver's side door, which would be impossible in an emergency. I am shocked and outraged that this condition has been allowed to go unaddressed for years, despite being so commonly known that there are literally hundreds of Internet posts and videos telling owners how to temporarily fix their cars using either Porsche parts, or in many cases, home-made parts which would also be seriously dangerous. It is unbelievable that NHTSA has never acted on this issue to compel Porsche to make so many thousands of vehicles safe. Merely googling "Porsche Boxster Lock Problem" will produce literally hundreds of videos demonstrating the problem and several home-made fixes. The American driving public deserves better than this from NHTSA and Porsche. Please do something about this while I look for a replacement car for my 16 year old daughter, whom I pray will not ever be in an accident in this car and become trapped, causing her death!!!
NHTSA ODI #11445767
200 miles · Oct 8, 2003
Electrical SystemStructureSuspension
THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UNLATCHED BY ITSELF WHILE DRIVING. THE WINDOW AT NIGHT CANNOT BE SEEN THROUGH THE CONVERTIBLE TOP WINDOW DUE TO CRACKS AND NEEDS CONSTANT REPAIRS. THE SUSPENSION OF THE CAR HAS A CRACKING SOUND WHICH THE DEALERSHIP HEARS BUT IGNORES, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKS ALL OF THE TIME IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO S…
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THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UNLATCHED BY ITSELF WHILE DRIVING. THE WINDOW AT NIGHT CANNOT BE SEEN THROUGH THE CONVERTIBLE TOP WINDOW DUE TO CRACKS AND NEEDS CONSTANT REPAIRS. THE SUSPENSION OF THE CAR HAS A CRACKING SOUND WHICH THE DEALERSHIP HEARS BUT IGNORES, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKS ALL OF THE TIME IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO SPLIT IN HALF, THE SUSPENSION MAKES A VERY LOUD METAL CRACKING NOISES AS IF IT IS SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. *LA
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2003-2020 Porsche Macan, Cayenne, Panamera, and Cayman S, 2001-2004 Boxster, Boxster S, 2004 Boxster 50 JAHRE SPYDER 550 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of all affected models and model years. The caps that cover the low-beam headlight horizontal adjustment screws are missing, which can allow the headlights to be improperly adjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Improperly adjusted headlights may not illuminate the road properly, or cause a glare to oncoming drivers, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the headlights for sealing caps and install missing caps as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 28, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche's customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is ANB4.
CERTAIN 2-DOOR CONVERTIBLE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TIPTRONIC (AUTOMATIC) TRANSMISSION MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH AN INCORRECTLY ADJUSTED KEY-LOCK-CABLE DOWN TO THE SHIFT SELECTOR. IF THE KEY-LOCK-CABLE IS NOT ADJUSTED CORRECTLY, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE IGNITION KEY WILL SNAG UPON BEING REMOVED FRO THE IGNITION LOCK OR THE SLECTOR LEVER CAN BE SHIFTED FROM POSITION "P" WITH THE IGNITION KEY REMOVED AND THE LOCKING BUTTON OPERATED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SELECTOR LEVER IS THEN SHIFTED FROM POSITION "P" TO POSITION "R, N OR D" WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED, AND IF THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT ON, THE VHEICLE WILL NOT BE SECURED FROM INADVERTENLY ROLLING AWAY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CABLE ADJUSTMENT AND, REGARDLESS OF THE RESULTS OF THIS INSPECTION, THE KEY-LOCK-CABLE MUST ALSO BE ADJUSTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 15, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT PORSCHE AT 1-800-545-8039.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
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