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2017 Toyota 86 Recalled Over Automatic Transmission Key Interlock

Remember the Scion FR-S? As it happens, the two-door sports car with 2+2 seating is no longer available in the U.S., chiefly because Scion is dead and bloated. In its place, the Toyota 86 for the 2017 model year will have to do. But even though it’s a brand new car, the 86 has already been hampered by its first safety recall.
2017 Toyota 86 11 photos
Photo: Toyota
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Not even one year old, the 2017 Toyota 86 suffers from a defect with the connector for the automatic transmission key interlock. According to a document sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the said connectors “may not have been connected during pre-delivery service prior to sale.” So what’s the worst that could happen? Well, it’s far from pretty.

As per the Japanese manufacturer, the described condition may allow the driver to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in gear positions other than “Park.” If this sounds remarkably familiar to you, that’s because 26,000 Scion FR-S vehicles were called back over a similar issue in 2016. That’s right; Toyota hasn’t learned its lesson from 10 months ago, which is why the same fault found its way into the 2017 Toyota 86.

I find it hard to comprehend how this could’ve happened. Did the peeps at Toyota didn’t do anything but change the Scion badge to Toyota when they replaced the ill-fated FR-S with the 86? Regardless of what happened behind closed doors and who is to blame, Toyota underlines that 94 vehicles are due a visit to the dealerships for fixing the transmission's key interlock system.

Known owners will be notified by first class mail in January, with dealers instructed to confirm the described fault. If necessary, the vehicle’s delivery mode connector will be properly connected to negate the defect. At no charge to the customer, of course. To find out if your 2017 Toyota 86 needs to be fixed, the automaker recommends owners to visit toyota.com/recall.
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Editor's note: Question: who orders an 86 with an automatic transmission instead of a good old 6-speed manual? Apparently, there are a handful of people who do.

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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