Yahoo Autos Toyota, Subaru Facing Class-Action Suit Over GR 86 / BRZ Engines
Trouble continues to brew in the world of boxer-powered Subaru and Toyota sports cars. Following two years of reports from Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR 86 owners of broken engines and warranty repair difficulties, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against the automakers in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
The lawsuit, which claims that Subaru and Toyota knowingly provided customers with an engine that was prone to failure in its BRZ and GR 86 sports cars, was filed on July 1. The plaintiffs specifically point to issues with oil pressure and oil starvation within the jointly developed machines. The lawsuit isn’t limited to the current models either, including first-generation examples from both automakers as well. That means both 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter variants of the powertrain are impacted.
Toyota and Subaru first teamed up to produce the sports car twins in 2012, selling them under the Subaru and Scion brands in the United States. The engines themselves are largely a Subaru-led affair, owing to the brand’s expertise in the boxer layout.
Road & Track has previously reported on customer complaints related to engine’s use of room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone gaskets. Unlike more traditional gaskets, RTV becomes brittle under high heat. Customers allege that an inordinately high use of RTV in the construction of these engines is at fault for the oiling issues. They claim pieces of hardened RTV can break off and obstruct coolant and oil channels within the block of the engine, causing premature failure. The suit argues more traditional gaskets should be utilized to prevent these issues from taking place. The automakers continue to deny that the use of RTV is in any way related to the failures.
According to Car Complaints, Laura Young of Arkansas is responsible for filing the lawsuit, seeking some $5 million for those involved in the legal effort. Young previously purchased a used 2019 Toyota 86 in 2021, but the car experienced an engine failure in 2023 at just 64,000 miles. Because this issue happened outside of the car’s 5-year/60,000-mile warranty period, Toyota did not replace the motor. Young and fellow plaintiffs believe that the automakers should recall the engines for repair, and extend the current warranty period associated with boxer powertrains.
A loss in this case would not look great on behalf of either Subaru or Toyota, as the plaintiffs maintain the brands are actively concealing these alleged issues. If the court agrees that the automakers haven’t been as clear and forthcoming as possible, stiff penalties could be at play. Here’s hoping that this whole situation gets resolved sooner than later — with a solution that allows us to keep enjoying the Toyobaru twins for the years to come.
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