Yahoo Autos Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ Engine Failures Now Subject of Class Action Lawsuit
The Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ boxer engine drama continues. After more than one viral example of the horizontally opposed four-cylinders going boom, there’s now a class action lawsuit saying the manufacturers knew the engines were defective yet chose to “conceal it from purchasers.” As a result, the litigation alleges that owners of the sports cars equipped with 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter boxers are left with vehicles that could suffer from low oil pressure and eventual oil starvation.
Arkansas plaintiff Laura Young filed the suit seeking more than $5 million for those involved in the class action, as Car Complaints reports. Young bought a used 2019 Toyota 86 back in October 2021. In April 2023, it suffered a total engine failure with approximately 64,000 miles on the odometer. That meant it was just outside Toyota’s five-year/60,000-mile warranty, leaving her to pay. Young’s car is seemingly still broken after more than a year as Toyota has “not replaced her defective engine with a non-defective one,” the suit reads.
Of course, there are plenty of variables we don’t know about Young’s situation. Engine oil change intervals and other general maintenance practices are important to consider here. It’s also unclear if the car was showing any signs of issues before the engine expired.
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We’ve reported on this topic time and again over the past two years, talking to multiple owners whose engines blew on the track. In one GR86 owner’s case, Toyota initially decided against replacing the engine because the car was entered in a high-performance driving event when it blew. Later, following media coverage, Toyota reversed course and supplied a new 2.4-liter for free. Clearly, not every affected owner has enjoyed the same result of their warranty claims, though most claim there was a common thread with the failures: RTV.
The lawsuit alleges that Toyota and Subaru used RTV silicone where the engines should have normal gaskets. Because RTV hardens and breaks apart in high heat, it can flake off and find its way into the engine’s crankcase. The suit says the manufacturers “applied RTV excessively and clumsily during the manufacturing process,” which would make it even more likely to find its way into oil and coolant passages. This could be what causes the low oil pressure and resulting oil starvation.
Each of the following models are included in the lawsuit:
2013-2016 Scion FR-S
2017-2023 Toyota 86/GR86
2013-2023 Subaru BRZ
The Drive reached out to both Toyota and Subaru for comment. While Subaru hasn’t provided one yet, a Toyota spokesperson replied, “Toyota is committed to customer satisfaction. We will respond to the allegations in this lawsuit in the appropriate forum.”
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