Toyota 86 2017–2020

Summary

4 model years in 1 generation, 16 owner complaints in total.
No model year holds enough complaints in its first three years to be compared with the others.
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Half of the complaints that give a mileage were filed by 12,131 miles (8 of them give one).
Owners reported 2 crashes, 2 fires, 3 injuries and 0 deaths across these model years.
3 recalls and 0 federal investigations cover these model years.

Why there is no page per model year

A model year earns its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it can either be compared with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. No 86 year clears that bar: the highest count is 10 complaints, in 2019. Rather than publish a thin page for each year, everything known about this model is on this page.

2017–2020

Each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Fewer than three years of this generation are comparable, so no year is named.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Most reported system	Note
2017	4	4	Engine	not compared
2018	1	1	Steering	not compared
2019	10	6	Engine	not compared
2020	1	0	Fuel & Propulsion	not compared

Every model year

A model year gets its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it either compares with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. The rest are listed here with their figures.

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Bulletins	Combined MPG	Page
2017	4	2	109	24–27	listed here
2018	1	1	97	24–27	listed here
2019	10	1	72	24–27	listed here
2020	1	0	71	24–27	listed here

What owners report across all years

System	Complaints	Share	Median mileage
Engine	6	38%	50,000 mi
Fuel & Propulsion	3	19%	12,131 mi
Body & Structure	2	12%	2,200 mi
Electrical System	2	12%	20,235 mi
Steering	1	6%	20,000 mi

Shares are over complaints that name a component; a complaint naming several systems is counted under each.

Engine

Owner report On [XXX], my 2019 Toyota 86 experienced a sudden engine failure while I was driving, causing the vehicle to lose power and become undrivable. The vehicle was towed to Camelback Toyota in Phoenix, AZ. The dealership initially diagnosed the failure as being caused by an “overfilled oil” condition. However, the vehicle w…

Owner report The contact owns a 2019 Toyota 86. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH with her grandson inside the vehicle, the contact heard a tapping sound coming from engine and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the right side of the road while awaiting tow truck assistance. The contact was un…

Fuel & Propulsion

Owner report Note: even though this is a Toyota vehicle, it has a Subaru Boxer 4 engine. This issue has happened twice this year, once at a stoplight back on May 20 and again Oct. 16 while in line at a Chic Filet. In both cases pressing the brake harder helped keep me from moving forward. During the second instance, I put the …

Owner report TOYOTA KNOWINGLY & WILLFULLY HAS MANUFACTURED AND SOLD DEFECTIVE VEHICLES TO CONSUMERS WITH A KNOWN SAFETY RISK DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MAKING THE VEHICLES UNSAFE TO DRIVE, HAVE NOT NOTIFIED CONSUMERS OF THIS MAJOR SAFETY RISK, HAVE NOT COMPENSATED OWNERS FOR THE LACK OF USE & THE DECREASE IN VALUE OF SAID CAR. THE MANAGEM…

Body & Structure

Owner report AS MY SON WAS DRIVING FROM DAVENPORT ON I-4 TO CONNECT WITH I-75 ON HIS WAY TO NAPLES, ON THURSDAY JANUARY 10, 2019 AROUND 10:50 AM, HE SUDDENLY ENCOUNTERED A LARGE METAL OBJECT ON THE ROAD. HE HAD NO OPPORTUNITY TO TO MOVE OVER AS THERE WHERE MANY OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD AND HE HAD NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE BUT TO DRIV…

Largest recalls

Campaign	Component	Filed	Vehicles
21V587000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2021-07-29	175,968
17V295000	TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE	2017-05-02	409
16V920000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION \| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2016-12-21	94

Whether a recall has been done on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Open investigations

None open.

Service bulletins

Toyota issued 349 service bulletins covering these model years, most often about equipment.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so a bulletin listed here may not be specific to one year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-01-07	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Serv…
2025-06-13	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…
2024-12-06	STRUCTURE:BODY	The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicl…
2024-12-05	STRUCTURE:BODY	Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow the Removal Procedure …
2024-12-03	STRUCTURE:BODY	Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can be identified by the …
2024-07-29	STRUCTURE:BODY	Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Serv…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and in…
2024-07-12	STRUCTURE:BODY	The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicl…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more after news coverage or a recall. That is why years are compared only with other years of the same generation, over the same span, and never with other models.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications (data as of 2026-10-28).
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines and fuel economy.

This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection.