Toyota’s emphasis on performance vehicles and the driving that comes with them was recently questioned after one GR86 owner told us that the automaker refused to replace his unmodified engine under warranty when it blew up on the track back in May. Now, Toyota and the owner have confirmed to Carscoops that indeed, the warranty will cover this engine failure. Here’s what happened and why Toyota might have changed course.
Late last month, a Toyota GR86 owner told us about how his engine failed while he was taking part in a sanctioned track event. According to him, the dealer denied warranty coverage because they argued that he abused the car. That flies in the face of the advertising Toyota uses and the performance-driving events that it puts on for customers.
To get to the bottom of this we reached out to Toyota and finally have some answers. A spokesperson for the brand told us overt the weekend that the process took some time because it must consider each case individually. On May 25th, Toyota sent someone from corporate out to look at the car and on the 30th, permission was granted to pull the engine for further diagnosis, says the owner.
More: 2023 GR Corolla Owner Experiences Catastrophic Engine Failure, Toyota Foots $32,000 Bill
Toyota also told Carscoops that, as a result of the investigation, this owner was getting a new engine under warranty. It didn’t clarify exactly why the engine failed but we suspect that Toyota has little doubt about whether or not the car was misused.
Not only did the automaker tell us that it stands behind its product but also that taking a car to the track doesn’t necessarily limit or exclude the warranty. It says the same is true for its off-road products. The key word here is misuse. Missed shifts were one example of an action that Toyota called out as one that wouldn’t be covered.
More: Toyota Says That Using A GR86 On A Race Track Will Not (Necessarily) Void Its Warranty
Keep in mind that modern-day cars have their own black boxes of sorts. Automakers have access to all sorts of data about how the car is treated. That could include redline events, component temperatures, speeds, and more.
It’s also worth noting that this car was, as the owner claimed, unmodified. Dropping a giant turbocharger or NOS on a GR86 for example would certainly void warranty coverage for that item. So track junkies out there with GR Corollas, GR Supras, and even GR86s can rest easy. If your car is stock and it’s not misused, it seems like your warranty coverage should hold up.
