Head-to-head reliability
Porsche Boxster vs Honda Accord
How the Porsche Boxster and Honda Accord compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records
Porsche Boxster averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Porsche Boxster has 26 complaints and 8 recalls on record; Honda Accord has 2,653 complaints and 38 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Porsche Boxster | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 26 Better | 2,653 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 8 Better | 38 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 1 Better | 127 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 2.6 Better | 265.3 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 106 |
| Reported deathsTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 3 |
Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.
What actually goes wrong
The problems owners report
The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.
Porsche Boxster
- 01POWER TRAIN10
- 02ENGINE5
- 03SUSPENSION4
- 04SERVICE BRAKES3
- 05STRUCTURE3
“I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR 8-LANE HIGHWAY. I SHIFTED UNEVENTFULLY THROUGH THE GEARS, UNTIL I ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT FROM 5TH TO 6TH. AT THIS POINT, I DISCOVERED THAT THE SHIFT LEVER OFFERED NO RESISTANCE AND HAD NO EFFECT: THE SHIFT LINKAGE HAD FAILED CATASTROPHICA…”
“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 T…”
Honda Accord
- 01ELECTRICAL SYSTEM584
- 02UNKNOWN OR OTHER495
- 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE494
- 04ENGINE452
- 05SERVICE BRAKES341
“This vehicle is experiencing an aggressive, heat-accelerated hardware degradation of the central capacitive screen assembly commonly identified as ghost glitching, culminating in a total crash of the primary graphic interface and touch controller hardware. Wh…”
“Component Affected: Electrical System / Vehicle Speed Control / Forward Visibility / Navigation / Infotainment Description of Safety Hazard: I am experiencing a severe, highly unpredictable, and dangerous hardware defect involving the factory infotainment sys…”
Official recalls
Safety recalls on record
Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.
Porsche Boxster — 8 recalls
The defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Boxster, 2013-2014 Boxster S, 2014-2015 Cayman, Cayman S, 2015 Boxster GTS, and Cayman GTS vehicles. The rear-axle carrier side sections may fracture.
The risk: A carrier fracture may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the rear-axle carrier side sections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB7.
The defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Boxster, 2013-2014 Boxster S, 2014-2015 Cayman, Cayman S, 2015 Boxster GTS, and Cayman GTS vehicles. The rear-axle carrier side sections may fracture.
The risk: A carrier fracture may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the rear-axle carrier side sections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB7.
The defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Boxster, 2013-2014 Boxster S, 2014-2015 Cayman, Cayman S, 2015 Boxster GTS, and Cayman GTS vehicles. The rear-axle carrier side sections may fracture.
The risk: A carrier fracture may cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the rear-axle carrier side sections, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2022. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AMB7.
The defect: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (Porsche) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Porsche 911, Boxster, and Cayman vehicles manufactured May 7, 2014, to September 23, 2014. The front hood upper lock components were not manufactured to specification and may fail to securely latch the vehicle's ho…
The risk: A failure of the hood latching mechanism may cause the hood to suddenly open during vehicle operation and will severely impede the driver's ability to see out the front windshield, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
The fix: Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lock on the front hood, free of charge. The recall began December 12, 2014. Owners may contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche's number for this recall is AE04.
Honda Accord — 38 recalls
The defect: Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Civic, Acura RDX, Acura Integra, and 2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A ball valve in the vehicle stability assist (VSA) modulator may leak brake fluid, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the brake hold feature is engaged or an…
The risk: Unintended vehicle movement or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the VSA modulator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are OEJ, XEK, AEY, XEX and OEW.
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura R…
The risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls ar…
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV,…
The risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansi…
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022…
The risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH,…
Check the actual car
Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.
Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Porsche Boxster or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Porsche Boxster vs Honda Accord
- Porsche Boxster total complaints
- 26
- Honda Accord total complaints
- 2,653
- Porsche Boxster total recalls
- 8
- Honda Accord total recalls
- 38
- Porsche Boxster avg complaints/year
- 2.6
- Honda Accord avg complaints/year
- 265.3
- More reliable overall
- Porsche Boxster
- Porsche Boxster top complaint area
- POWER TRAIN
- Honda Accord top complaint area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM