- A new class-action points fingers at Toyota and Subaru over allegedly failing engines in the 86 and BRZ
- The cause of the problem is suggested to be a type of silicone used in said engines in place of a gasket
- The lawsuit ensnares all permutations of the model, all the way back to the 2013 Scion FR-S
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Numerous anecdotes have swirled online about the propensity of engines in the so-called “Toyobaru twins” to prematurely fail thanks to an oil-starvation problem. Now, an owner from Arkansas has filed a class-action lawsuit in New Jersey over the issue, alleging the engines fail due to defects concealed by co-builders Subaru and Toyota.
According to the suit, plaintiff Laura Young purchased a 2019 Toyota GR86 back in October 2021, enjoying the car until its engine gave up the ghost in April of last year with about 64,000 miles (~102,000 km) on the odometer. Outside the 60-month/60,000-mile warranty period, Young asked a mechanic to tear down the engine and find the root cause of this failure. The tech determined the failure was due to oil starvation which led to a loss of the oil film in the cylinders and thus excessive wear.
How’d that happen? The suit points an accusatory finger at Toyota-Subaru’s use of RTV (room-temperature vulcanizing) silicone material instead of actual gaskets between critical engine components. It is suggested engine heat hardens the RTV and causes it to break apart, with flakes of the stuff finding its way into the crankcase.
The fractured hardened silicone is then said to work its way into oil and coolant passages, damaging and – in Young’s example – destroying the engine. The plaintiff alleges the car companies “applied RTV excessively and clumsily during the manufacturing process,” actions which exacerbated the problem of using silicone instead of gaskets in the first place.
Included in the class-action are examples of the car stretching all the way back to its introduction a decade ago. Named are the 2013 through 2017 Scion FR-S; 2017 through 2023 Toyota 86 and GR86; and the 2013 through 2023 Subaru BRZ.
Gearheads know this is largely the same rose by a bunch of names; Scion and Subie collab’d from ’13 to ’17, at which point the Scion brand was unceremoniously dumped into the bin. Toyota then took the mantle, first calling the car an “86” before adding “GR” to drag the thing in line with its marketing efforts for Gazoo Racing (the consonants also appear in the Supra’s official title, for example).
Fun fact: it seems to have cost the complainant $405 in fees to file this case. Given they’re seeking a $5-million payday for owners, that could be a decently good return on investment (bills from pencil-necked lawyers notwithstanding, of course).
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