A expressão é, na verdade, "out-of-box failure", e se refere a problemas que podem ser encontrados imediatamente após a retirada do equipamento da embalagem, conforme definição abaixo:

"Out Of Box Failure is a take on a common quality analysis term Out Of Box Experience, used in the electronics and personal computer industries. It refers to a system that has a major defect preventing (or severely restricting) use that is immediately apparent upon opening the box of a new unit or first turning the unit on. The short form of OOBF is a typical abbreviation. Some companies also use OBF; another synonym, also used in numerous unrelated contexts, is DOA–Dead on Arrival."