Photo: Toyota
As you’re well aware, the GR Supra isn’t manufactured by Toyota. A company named Magna Steyr handles manufacturing, and most of the parts come courtesy of BMW. In other words, the MKV Supra has little to do with its venerable predecessor.
This – let’s call it outsourcing – also translates to worse quality control than you would expect from a Toyota. More to the point, Magna Steyr is listed as the supplier of the badly welded fuel tanks installed on 49 units of the GR Supra and soft-topped Z4.
According to NHTSA campaign number 20V-700 filed by BMW of North America, “the weld between the fuel tank halves may not have been performed according to specifications.” This issue leads to weld separation in the worst-case scenario, “creating an unreasonable risk to safety.”
But wait, there’s more! The chronology of events lists “a non-U.S. filed report” as the trigger for this safety campaign. More to the point, a BMW Z4 produced in 2019 experienced a fuel leak for no apparent reason.
After investigating the matter with the help of Magna Steyr, the Bavarian automaker concluded that “a specific process parameter involving the heating time of the tank halves may not have been met.” According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are no accidents or injuries related to the issue.
The fix, as you would expect, boils down to the replacement of the fuel tank with an all-new unit featuring proper welds. Part number 7462371 is how the replacement tank is called in BMW jargon, and owners will be informed of the recall starting on January 4th, 2021.
Looking back, this isn’t the first quality-related problem of the GR Supra and Z4. September 2019 is when a recall was issued over defective seat belt guide loop mounts, October is when the rearview camera had to be recalibrated, and at the very end of 2019, failing headlights prompted yet another safety recall in the United States of America.
According to NHTSA campaign number 20V-700 filed by BMW of North America, “the weld between the fuel tank halves may not have been performed according to specifications.” This issue leads to weld separation in the worst-case scenario, “creating an unreasonable risk to safety.”
But wait, there’s more! The chronology of events lists “a non-U.S. filed report” as the trigger for this safety campaign. More to the point, a BMW Z4 produced in 2019 experienced a fuel leak for no apparent reason.
After investigating the matter with the help of Magna Steyr, the Bavarian automaker concluded that “a specific process parameter involving the heating time of the tank halves may not have been met.” According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are no accidents or injuries related to the issue.
The fix, as you would expect, boils down to the replacement of the fuel tank with an all-new unit featuring proper welds. Part number 7462371 is how the replacement tank is called in BMW jargon, and owners will be informed of the recall starting on January 4th, 2021.
Looking back, this isn’t the first quality-related problem of the GR Supra and Z4. September 2019 is when a recall was issued over defective seat belt guide loop mounts, October is when the rearview camera had to be recalibrated, and at the very end of 2019, failing headlights prompted yet another safety recall in the United States of America.
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