What 10 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Toyota Gr86

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota GR86. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the engine blew up, causing the vehicle to stall, and there was a significant amount of smoke coming from underneath the hood. The message "Engine Misfire" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that engine oil had leaked out and spread underneath the hood, and the oil was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it remained for 8 months, and the contact was informed that there was sludge in the oil due to lack of maintenance. The dealer sent diagnostic pictures to an unauthorized party, who forwarded the pictures to the contact. However, the contact stated that the engine oil color was amber, and there was no sludge. The contacted stated that the diagnostic pictures also displayed fragments of a piston and a lifter in the oil pan. The contact contacted the Police, who arrived at the dealer with the contact and forced the dealer to release the vehicle with the service reports. The contact stated that the dealer had previously refused to disclose the diagnostic information. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was returned to the owner the same month the warranty had expired. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied the warranty coverage. The failure mileage was 35,053.

NHTSA ODI 11744164

A defective set of spark plugs with certain model year 2023 Toyota GR86 to have premature failure. While driving at highway speed spark plug blew up resulting in a cylinder 4 misfire and loss of drivability. The service advisor from the Toyota dealership unofficially confirmed this has happened to multiple other gr86 models. Along with being unofficially confirmed by an aftermarket specialist. Original diagnostic from the dealership was to replace the motor due to all of the issues, while a local certified mechanic has replaced the spark plug, coil pack, and is continuing to troubleshoot as the head gasket also needs to be replaced. No warnings lights or signs were present prior to failure.

NHTSA ODI 11700627

There are two fuel lines on each side of the engine bay, driver and passenger going into the injector rails. One of the fuel lines on the driver side is rubbing on the underside of the hood, when closed, causing marks, and potentially a burst on a fuel lines, causing fires. The fuel line on my car has rub marks, and visually “wearing it down”. No bursts, yet. There has been about 10-15 cases of GR86/BRZ (essentially the same car), with fires starting randomly from the engine bay on the driver side, rising the chances of this being a reality, and a VERY SERIOUS issue with these cars. And with this issue arising from FB groups, many other owners have come forward and confirmed the same rubbing marks on the same fuel line, or even in both on the same side instead of just the one.

NHTSA ODI 11668417

Fuel lines in the engine bay are rubbing against the hood insulation and wearing down. The first generation GR86 fuel lines had sleeves compared to the second generation..

NHTSA ODI 11668428

Fuel lines on right hand side of engine bay (when viewed from front of vehicle) show signs of wear due to contact with other components. I am unsure what components exactly, but wear significant enough to cause material removal from EPDM fuel line outer sleeve.

NHTSA ODI 11668429

The contact owned a 2023 Toyota GR86 Sport vehicle. The contact stated that while driving 139 MPH for a couple of minutes, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was covered under warranty; however, the dealer informed the contact that the repair could not be covered under warranty because the engine failure occurred due to customer abuse. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with a maximum speed of 140 MPH. The contact was charged a repair fee, and the vehicle was traded for another vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

NHTSA ODI 11666520

Oil leak caused from poor/bad spark tube seals Fire Hazard: Oil leaks, especially from hot engine parts, can increase the risk of fire. Oil on the exhaust system or other components can ignite, causing a dangerous situation. Car was brought to dealership for a leak. Oil was found leaking from engine gasket cover from spark tube seals. Toyota only fixes the seals that are found cracked. ALL seals should be replaced as preventative measure. It is a known issue that these seals are bad from various forums. Subaru has a service bulletin SB22-168 related to spark plug pipe gasket leaks. (same engine as their Subaru BRZ)

NHTSA ODI 11642659

One day I noticed something dangling near the rear license plate while parked. It was the right-side license plate light. Upon inspection of the (good) left-side license plate light, everything seemed pretty secure. The right-side license plate light has a plastic bracket on the one side and a plastic clip on the other side. The plastic clip broke off. I don't think it's been that way long, and I can't think of anything that could have caused it as a daily driver. I do drive it in the snow, and I only noticed it while wiping snow away with my snow brush. I don't think the brush ripped it off, but I also don't know if it was hanging out prior. Maybe the brush bristles got between the light assembly and the bumper, but it's such an unusual spot for anything to interface with the light assembly. There doesn't appear to be a vapor barrier between either of the license plate lights (for better or worse). The rectangular light assembly is somewhat obstructed from dangling further out thanks to the license plate bracket, although dangling wires could later induce other problems. There are no faults or indicators on the dashboard. The light is still operational. The plastic of the license plate light assembly doesn't appear to be the highest quality plastic though, kind of an odd design. The car is a lease and under warranty, but otherwise the OE hardware is about $35, plus labor.

NHTSA ODI 11578428

The drivers side window imploded on me while driving on the highway. A rock did not hit it, it just cracked into a thousands pieces on me.

NHTSA ODI 11571279

The car began throwing alerts about SRS system failure, RAB failure and eyesight (safety system) being disabled suddenly while driving. Dealership said dashcam plugged into the 12v port in the car overloaded the fuse. Issue remains that the dashcam remained functional before and after and fuse for 12v is independent of the electrical wiring for the safety features. Dealership dismissed as it as a non warranty/safety issue as a third party device was connected to the car. Claimed this is applicable for any devices connected into the car including a phone. 10amp fuse independent of the safety system (7.5amp fuse) was replaced to remedy the problem. Concern is any device connected to the vehicle may disable all safety system of the car including the airbags or possible manufacturer defects made during assembly of this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11487412