Owners have filed 53 complaints on the Toyota MR2, covering 1985–2005. The system named most often is Power Train (12 reports). Worst years by volume: 2003, 1991, 2002; cleanest: 1988, 1992, 2005. 6 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire. On average the car was 9.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota MR2
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 53 MR2 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 12 Read
The car was parked with engine running and parking brake on. I released the brake on and the car lurched forward crossing a curb and hitting a aluminum guard rail. The service seq transmisame light came on . After being towed to the dealer. It was found a hydraulic line had broken from corroding. The dealer put in a…
Thanks for reading this - the Sequential Manual Transmission failed on the car - the warning light was on but it failed 3 times within 15 mins. Not sure if you are aware of this car and the transmission issues when the car was made new from 2003 to 2005. I have the parts to fix it but was there ever a recall on these…
Within the first two weeks after purchasing the vehicle, I noticed a transmission issue where the vehicle would not properly shift gears. I sometimes would try to up or downshift but there would be no change in the display on the gear indicator. Later there became an issue where the vehicle would put itself into…
Engine And Engine Cooling 10 Read
Vehicle fire
Driving on highway, another vehicle honked, turned to look, vehicle was on fire
The contact owns a 2002 toyota mr2 spyder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a clutch replacement when he was advised that the transmission would also need replacing. Both were replaced however, when the contact drove the vehicle off the dealer's lot, the engine seized. The engine was…
Vehicle Speed Control 5 Read
The contact owns a 2003 toyota mr2 spyder. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact mentioned that the vehicle spun out of control and crashed into a curb. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and no injuries…
While driving, the cruise control switch became intermittent in operation, with potential of being unable to disengage it
The contact owns a 2002 toyota mr2. The vehicle has experienced unexpected acceleration. When the vehicle was driving 35 mph off of an on ramp and starting to accelerate, the vehicle continued to accelerate even after taking his foot off of the gas pedal. The failure mileage was 43,000. The current mileage was 60,000
Air Bags 5 Read
On june 3, I had a collision with another auto that had run a red light. The other vehicle was crossing in front of me about 30 mph and I impacted her car on the passengers side at about 25 mph. The air bag on my 2002 toyota mr2 did not deploy. Have not had the car repaired yet
Air bag deployment was violent, causing multiple bruises, hearing loss in both ears,cervical strain, severe bruising to both thumbs, and loosened lower bridge in mouth
The contact owns a 1991 N/A Toyota MR2. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 91V223000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, who confirmed that the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer provided a Lien letter. The manufacturer was…
Tires 4 Read
2003 toyota mr2 spyder bridgestone potenza re040 215/45r16 DOT no. Ej1ejaa3602, mounted on driver's side rear wheel mileage at failure: 9142 road conditions at failure: clear, dry, ~ 40 f., south-bound on u.s. I-69 michigan exit no. 3, no road hazards, 70 mph vehicle speed the tire in question was inspected by a…
Size 185/55/R15 82B. A set of tires was purchased May 2024 from Tire Rack. After driving less than 400 miles - the front drivers tire went flat while driving. Upon inspection of all four tires we noted all four are dated 2013. We were sold tires that are 11 years old and are therefore a danger
While driving down the road it felt like vehicle had a flat tire. Inside of the tire the tread was coming loose. Consumer has taken vehicle to dealer 3times within last 2 years
Electrical System 3 Read
Around 1:48 am while the vehicle was parked it caught on fire. The fire department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a garage for inspection. *ak the relay switch under the battery caused the fire. Reported by a progressive insurance inspector. *sc
My car has a hard shift problem. It stops at every traffic light and I have to start it again. Also when I shift the stick it changes so hard, it pushes me and shake it itself so hard. I was going to crash when it happened first time. I took it to repair shop. They said "transmission control computer needs to be…
The contact owns a 2003 toyota mr2. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle stalled and the steering and gears seized. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road and towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was invalid. The…
Steering 3 Read
I was checking for the takata airbag recall and found this recall which includes steering wheel and airbag(91V223) and the toyota dealership says it is to old of a recall to fix
NHTSA reference id 91V223. Escondido toyota says they can't replace the steering wheel
Told by patt lobb toyota in mckinney, tx that toyota na will be reaching out to me. "unable to replace steering wheel" under recall 91V223
Structure 2 Read
Plate under engine comes loose, hanging under car and exposing the engine compartment to the road. This plate had come loose several times and I have replaced screws to put it back in place, but this time it completely failed and broke
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) I bought my used (9,000 miles approx) from stevson toyota in auora, colorado on march 8, 1993. I was never informed by the salesman that the internal trunk released kit was required to fix the problem (NHTSA 39588). Of course…
MR2 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Power Train,unknown Or Other | — | — | |
| 2004 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2003 | Electrical System | 3 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2001 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1992 | Structure | — | — | |
| 1991 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1988 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 1 | |
| 1987 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1986 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 1985 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 42 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 9.7 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the MR2?
By complaint volume, 2003, 1991, 2002 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which MR2 years are the cleanest?
1988, 1992, 2005 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Toyota MR2 have?
53 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1985–2005. Of those, 6 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.