RoadVitals

1985 Toyota MR2

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest Jun 3, 2001
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1985 Toyota MR2, most frequently naming the engine, exterior lighting and seat belts categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 17 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine133.3%
  • Exterior lighting133.3%
  • Seat belts133.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE87047ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

Opened Aug 18, 1987
Closed Dec 10, 1987

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:AFTER INVESTIGATION, TOYOTA CANFIND NO COMMON OR SPECIFIC CAUSE OF THE 4 FIRES FROM A VEHICLE POPULATIONOF 77,034.WARRANTY CLAIMS ARE INCONCLUSIVE AND PARALLEL VEHICLE SALES.ANALYSIS:A REVIEW OF THE 2 COMPLAINTS ON THE 1986 MODEL MR2 SPORT COUPE(A RELATIVELY LOW PRODUCTION, SPECIAL INTEREST VEHICLE) DID NOT REVEAL APOTENTIALLY COMMON CAUSE.BOTH VEHICLES WERE OCCUPIED AT THE TIME OF THEFIRES.ONE FIRE WAS NOTICED BECAUSE THE ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES FAILEDAND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART, MOMENTS LATER SMOKE AND FLAMES ENGULFEDTHE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.THE OWNER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE REPORTS THEVEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT IDLE WHEN HE NOTICED FLAMES OUT OF THE RIGHT OFTHE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.STATUS:RECOMMEND CLOSING THIS PE AND MONITOR FOR FUTURE EVIDENCE OF ANEMERGING DEFECT TREND.#===

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Seat belts
Filed Jun 3, 2001

THIS VEHICLE APPEARS TO USE A MECHANICAL (MADE OUT OF PLASTIC!) ROCKER LEVER THAT ENGAGES THE SEAT BELT REEL WHEN THE DOORS ARE SHUT. DUE TO HIGH SPRING TENSION ON THIS PART, BOTH LEVERS HAVE BROKEN OFF AND DO NOT ENGAGE THE SEAT BELT REELS AS THE ARE SUPPOSED TO WHEN THE DOORS ARE SHUT. THE MECHANISM IS INSIDE THE BODY AND THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS, OR OTHER INDICATIONS, TO LET A DRIVER/OWNER KNOW THAT THE LEVER HAS FAILED. *AK

NHTSA ID
746325
Incident
May 30, 2001
Exterior lighting
Filed Jan 9, 1997

HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
807376
Engine
Filed Apr 4, 1996
Fire reported

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, ANOTHER VEHICLE HONKED, TURNED TO LOOK, VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. *AK

NHTSA ID
982302
Incident
Mar 20, 1996

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB003220

AIR BAGS; EQUIPMENT; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2023 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.

Toyota PRO19-02

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL; TIRES; WHEELS

POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be available to any customer that requests it. Customers can find this information on the Owner?s section of Toyota.com. Dealers can locate a copy of this guide on the Claims Processing & Resource Center in Dealer Daily as well.

T-SB-0032-20 Rev

EQUIPMENT

TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2021 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.

T-SB-0304-17 Obs

EQUIPMENT

TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates

T-SB-0032-20

EQUIPMENT

TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01, PG007-07, PG006-01, PG004-97, T-SB-0144-08, and T-SB-0304-17. The aforementioned bulletins are obsolete, and any printed versions should be discarded. Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2020 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.

PG004-97-Obsolet

EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Technical Service Bulletin: OBSOLETE NOTICE: July 31, 2018: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0304-17.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Toyota MR2 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2007000—
2006000—
2005100—
2004200—
2003600—
2002600—
2001200—
2000400—
1995000—
1994000—
1993400—
1992110—
1991121046.9
1990000—
1989100—
1988100—
1987501—
1986601—
1985Viewing301—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.