Another TOYOTA GR86 pops engine on track

UPDATE 6/13/23: Toyota is going to warranty the engine. Boy is that good to hear!

So this guy takes his Toyota GR86 to a track day at Palmer Motorsports Park in Massachusetts & pops the engine. Toyota denies the warranty claim. It’s about minute-6 of the video below, when his good day turns bad.

Now for anyone who may not know…

The Toyota GR86 (and Subaru BRZ) is a collaboration between Toyota & Subaru. Toyota designs the chassis, and Subaru builds the 2.4-liter boxer engines. This particular GR86 had roughly 19,000 miles with no engine modifications.

This is not the first time a new GR86 has had questionable engine failures…

Nor is it the first time Toyota has been in hot water for denying warranty claims on the GR86 (see here). But before we get our torches & pitchforks, there are obviously a lot of outside factors leading up to this 6-minute video that we just don’t know. For all we know, he forgot to put oil in the engine or tighten the drain plug (just saying… it’s possible). But – there are also a lot of factors that we DO know from this video, such as moderate driving & and no direct evidence of abuse or poor judgement on track. We also know that the Subaru engine has a problem with an overuse of silicone/sealant that can block oil flow in an oil pickup line.

There is also the part where…

Toyota presents the GR86 as a driver’s car... capable of performance, spirited driving, and recreational track time. Toyota even gives GR buyers complimentary track day with NASA when you purchase a GR vehicle. In other words, it doesn’t appear that the owner of this GR86 is doing anything outside of what Toyota claims the car is capable of doing.

I’m a BIG BIG fan of the vehicles that Toyota is currently making for car-lovers.

And from personal experience, the GR86 is a total blast to drive. But that’s all the more reason why I don’t want to see Toyota’s valiant efforts tarnished or muddied. Is it time that the TOYOTA GR86 gets a TOYOTA engine?