Photo: Blake Alvarado via Facebook
The story of an unlucky Toyota GR86 owner became viral last week after he blew his engine. At first, Toyota refused to repair it under warranty because of a picture shared on social media. After public outcry, Toyota finally decided to offer a free engine rebuild.
For Blake Alvarado, the guy who saw his 2022 Toyota GR86 left powerless because of a well-known problem with the FA24 engines, the story had a happy ending. The social media campaign he started pressured Toyota to take a stand, and he was announced that his car’s engine would be rebuilt for free. But for countless other GR86 owners with similar problems, the struggle is still ongoing. Toyota still does not budge from its weird warranty conditions for North America, which prohibit using the GR86 in racing events.
Although the Toyota GR86 (and other GR-branded vehicles, including the GR Supra) is marketed as a car for racing enthusiasts, Toyota doesn’t want its U.S. customers to actually go racing. The North American warranty conditions exclude damage that results from racing. In contrast, the European version specifically says that attending “Track Days or similar events” will not invalidate the vehicle’s warranty. In the case of Blake Alvarado, his warranty was void the moment a Toyota representative saw a picture of him drifting the car on social media.
After public outcry, Toyota contacted Alvarado and offered a free engine rebuild. Nevertheless, Toyota did nothing to change the situation of dozens of other GR86 owners. Many reported a clogged oil pickup tube because the factory uses too much RTV (room-temperature-vulcanizing) silicone sealant. This is why Alvarado’s engine experienced a failed rod bearing in cylinder number four.
“The public response ultimately brought to light the elephant in the room that is marketing vs warranty policy,” wrote Alvarado in a follow-up post. “This is something that won’t get solved overnight, but I would like to see Toyota regain the trust of the enthusiast market it intends to capture with their GR brand. A step toward this would be reaffirming that track days and similar events should NOT void a valid warranty claim for a manufacturer defect.”
In a mail to Carscoops, Toyota admitted it’s not changing its North American customers’ warranty conditions. Instead, the Japanese carmaker states that the “warranty claims are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.” Even though racing falls under these conditions, Toyota should acknowledge that it not only promoted the GR86 with racetrack videos but outright encouraged people to use the car on a racetrack. Denying the warranty because of this is unfair, to say the least.
The clogged oil pickup tube has nothing to do with racing, although the oil starvation condition might worsen while racing. This is a well-known problem with the car’s engine, which is thoroughly documented. The forums and social media are littered with posts about this problem. Toyota should not only repair the affected engines on warranty, but they should issue a recall to verify and remedy the problem. This is what a responsible carmaker that cares for its clients and reputation would do.
Although the Toyota GR86 (and other GR-branded vehicles, including the GR Supra) is marketed as a car for racing enthusiasts, Toyota doesn’t want its U.S. customers to actually go racing. The North American warranty conditions exclude damage that results from racing. In contrast, the European version specifically says that attending “Track Days or similar events” will not invalidate the vehicle’s warranty. In the case of Blake Alvarado, his warranty was void the moment a Toyota representative saw a picture of him drifting the car on social media.
After public outcry, Toyota contacted Alvarado and offered a free engine rebuild. Nevertheless, Toyota did nothing to change the situation of dozens of other GR86 owners. Many reported a clogged oil pickup tube because the factory uses too much RTV (room-temperature-vulcanizing) silicone sealant. This is why Alvarado’s engine experienced a failed rod bearing in cylinder number four.
“The public response ultimately brought to light the elephant in the room that is marketing vs warranty policy,” wrote Alvarado in a follow-up post. “This is something that won’t get solved overnight, but I would like to see Toyota regain the trust of the enthusiast market it intends to capture with their GR brand. A step toward this would be reaffirming that track days and similar events should NOT void a valid warranty claim for a manufacturer defect.”
In a mail to Carscoops, Toyota admitted it’s not changing its North American customers’ warranty conditions. Instead, the Japanese carmaker states that the “warranty claims are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.” Even though racing falls under these conditions, Toyota should acknowledge that it not only promoted the GR86 with racetrack videos but outright encouraged people to use the car on a racetrack. Denying the warranty because of this is unfair, to say the least.
The clogged oil pickup tube has nothing to do with racing, although the oil starvation condition might worsen while racing. This is a well-known problem with the car’s engine, which is thoroughly documented. The forums and social media are littered with posts about this problem. Toyota should not only repair the affected engines on warranty, but they should issue a recall to verify and remedy the problem. This is what a responsible carmaker that cares for its clients and reputation would do.
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