Concerned with reliability... should I be?
 

I am due to pick up my 2013 Ultramarine FRS later this week so in the meantime, I've been doing TONS more researching.

The "Issues and Recalls" section of this message board scares the life out of me! Failing DI systems, chirping fuel pumps, cricket noises...

Should I be concerned?

I don't plan on modding the car till it's paid off and well out of the warranty period. I intend to keep the engine completely unmodified for the next five years and use this car as a daily driver. I commute quite a bit since my workplace is 40miles one-way. But those 40 miles are extremely easy since my commute is literally 98% highway.

I grew up owning nothing but Toyotas. They all were rock steady reliable. But this new incarnation, the FRS, is totally different from the cars of the past. I've never owned a Subaru before and never really liked the boxer architecture at all. This is my first time into the boxer world. I just hope quality has not suffered in regards to what I have known Toyota for. My MR2 is that prime example.

I hope this is a 1 million mile car and not a technically flawed design. Obviously I'm betting with it being a great reliable car or else I would not have bought one.

Thoughts? Am I just being a paranoid bitch?

20k miles, hundreds of smokey burnouts, 500+ mile trips, no issues besides leaky taillights....you will be fine, drive her hard and do scheduled maintenance on time.

There are thousands if not millions of these cars on the road now. Your on a forum for this specific model meaning you'll read about this and that and assume its happening to SOOOO many cars when in reality it's probably maybe 3% give or take (real actual major problems). If the fuel pump chirp and rattles are what your worried about idk what to tell you that shouldn't really sway your decision. You buy a new car you have warranty which means everything will get fixed for free and if its really bad you'll receive a replacement vehicle given you don't void warranty. Stop hanging around the issues/recalls threads

Just don't expect perfection from a 25k car,.....it has its quirks and first year growing pains.

EVERY CAR HAS IT'S PROBLEMS!!! If you get that, you will be happy. Love the car. Other than crickets, i have zero issues. LOVE the car. I would buy it again in a second. No regrets here

Exactly. Every car has its share of issues. These cars have a lot of people participating in forums and I think the problems seem magnified.

Like suaveflooder said, I would buy my car again in a heartbeat.

This is the place to bitch about stuff.. For everyone with a complaint or an issue.. There are thousands who are happy with their car and no issues and no posts. Put it in perspective..
The car is awesome.. You won't regret it..

The build date makes a big difference. As this problems were discovered, steps were taken to eliminate them in production. The later the build date the better your odds are of getting a trouble free car. Mine was built in August 2012 and the only problem I had was the rattle back in the package shelf area. That was repaired and my car now is as close to perfect as it can be. I've got over 10,000 miles.

Clear bra the front bumper and you'll be good to go.



Because i'm at 20K and i already need to repaint it.

500 miles in the only thing I can say that is bad are that the crickets are evident every time I'm in neutral, otherwise not a whole lot to bitch about... Still early, though.

I will say this: the car needs boost. I got smoked by a G37 with 4 people in it last night...needless to say my ego is a little hurt right meow

Sell your car and a buy a Mustang.

I've had mine for a year (and about 18,000 miles) now with only a couple of minor issues (tail light condensation and a window seal). Both were promptly handled by my dealer. One thing to remember...people don't complain about a car that has no problems. For every major issue that pops up, there are thousands of happy owners that don't experience it. A lot of us here are enthusiasts and tend to drive hard or push the limits a bit, so the "failure" rate would likely be a little higher than with the general population. Other than the 2 things I've been in for, and some squeaks/rattles, the only issues that seem to be consistant are the crickets (which doesn't hurt anything...it's just an annoying noise), and notchy shifting on the MT (many people have found changing the fluid makes a big difference there). It is a first year car...some growing pains are to be expected.

12k miles, tried to break my car at the track a few times....still going. (Raven, promise I will treat my 10 Series better, my kids don't believe me lol!)

First year cars will always have a few quirks. I have crickets, a couple of rattles, and my right door speaker vibrates when there is a lot of low tones.

The only thing that really worries me is the growing number of people with di seal problems which causes damage that requires repair. I had planned on getting a tune but now that I have seen so many of the seal problems crop up I am too afraid of getting a tune and then possibly having the problem and having to take it in for repair.

Boxer engines are known to last for a very very long time, the only issue with the old models is that they have oil leaks but hopefully with this new engine they addressed that. Other then that, it is reliable for me, no issues yet and im at 7,500+

look at Crawford BRZ, they have miles on that thing too...

This thread is giving me deja vu.

Lol

So I should almost certainly be in a later built date vehicle. Hopefully mine is perfect :)

Yes, I understand that the forum only resprents the people that choose to participate in it. I really do hope that all the issues so far only represent a tiny fraction of the cars as a whole.

Knowing my luck....

Keep in mind that you're buying a new car with a warranty. If anything goes wrong, just tell the dealer and they will fix it. Plus you said you aren't doing any mods, so you shouldn't have any issue.

Bad example. That damn thing breaks down all the time. "When it's working right...."

I honestly had the same concerns (although somewhat less concerned than you seem to be) with the car being a brand new model, so I just got the extended warranty. Case closed. For the next 7 years or 160,000kms I dont have to worry about anything whatsoever, aside from regular maintenance.

Now I can really drive it hard, be worry free (as it should be with a new vehicle), and will likely have two years of warranty on it left after Im done with the financing, which will obviously be great for the resale. It was really a no brainer for me.

The only downside is the lack of modding I can do now; stuck with TRD parts I guess (still waiting for CAI and exhaust to arrive :mad0260:at dealership), which you seem to be okay with anyways.

If your driving alot and taking out a 60+ month loan you may be out of warranty before you pay off the car. 60,000 miles can sure come up fast. Some dealers offer extended warranties and lifetime powertrain warranties. I've never looked into them, but maybe you should. Most of the time they are a waste of money though.

By the way, don't let the dealer charge you more than an hour for install (if you aren't doing it yourself). My dealer tried to charge me 2.5 hours because they hadn't done one before and thought the bumper had to come off. Toyota warranty estimates one hour (probably more than they need, but more reasonable).

NO!

But if you really want to modify your car, then use a pro.
Keep your hands in your pockets and don't fiddle with it.
Resist the urge to DIY and you'll be OK.

Most of the bad stuff that you see on this forum comes from "fiddlers", and very few will admit that.

First Year problems.

I think im'a wait for the 2014 models. Some of the bugs should be gone by then. I'd like a Release 10 but I don't think they'll be any left by the time I can purchase this car.

The problem is you already won the race without having to move and you didn't even know it, if someone feels the need to drag race because your car looks better than theirs then you've already won. I've noticed how during break in period, I or anyone else seem to attract the attention of showoffs. Like that black Genesis coupe I encountered on wednesday.

My previous car was a 2011 Camry SE 4 cylinder. About as bulletproof as they get, and the last of that generation.

I owned it for 29,000 miles in the span of 19 months.

It had THREE transmissions, a right front axle, a JBL Nav unit fail, a blown left front speaker and the body control module all replaced in that period.

I've had no issues with my FR-S. It goes both ways, and sometimes you just get a bad car.

thats funny cause i have a 2007 camry SE i4, first year of that generation
never had a problem except for the water pump that i replaced 2 weeks ago... water pumps are known to go bad on these cars
has almost 53,000 miles, and my foot is made out of lead:burnrubber:

The prices for both were all inclusive, and are worked into my monthly financing rate, but thanks though. But its pretty sad when the car takes six weeks to arrive, and were at about 11 weeks now and counting and still waiting for the add-ons.

I won't be touching the powertrain/drivetrain. I've been a long time tweaker and pretty much consider myself an intermrdiate with regards to auto mechanics and modifying. But with the warranty provisions, the engine will stay stock 100%. However, I do plan on wheel and tire upgrades and possibly lowerng springs with a very mild drop on stock shocks. That's as far as I plan to modify until the car is paid off. After that, sky's the limit!

I just saw a whiteout FRS at the grocery parking lot but didn't catch the driver. It would've been nice to chat with him about any issues regarding the car that others are having. ...see if he was having any sort of issues too.

As another FRS driver, perhaps in a different parking lot... I have 2k miles on the odo.. No issues.. I did hear some chirping once or twice.. Nothing I consider an issue or anything to worry about.. Hear similar noises in others too with DI.
I have had my car at the track with no issues other than I need better pad and fluid.. All stock down to the tires.. Mine is a 2013 feb build.. You will enjoy it immensely.. This is scion number 3 in my family.. All have been trouble free and enjoyable to drive and own.. I assume this one will be no different. The xB and xd were made by dhaihatsu.. Toyota has high standards for quality..

Saying you will be fine to anyone who is concerned on a brand new platform when one is asking about reliability is baffling. Especially when the car has been out for a year and there has been way more issues with just my local 86 crew than any of us has ever had with a brand new vehicle. Apparently I drove mine " too hard" because I've blown through 4 Direct Injectors ( 2 months in the shop ) within the first year.

But my experience is a little more extreme. DI failures are rare so far.

nope, thousands. i dont think there will ever be millions. there arent even a million miatas and that car has had both more success and more time to get there.

i think the only thing to worry about is the dealer being a douche with warranty stuff like the people over on the di seal thread. getting jerked around like that cant be fun.

I have >43M miles, it's a first month model and it had it's minor issues that were resolved at the dealer. Nothing in life is perfect, I enjoy the ride and experience more than I have any other car. That's what counts. Warts and all it's a great car.

This is my first brand new car I have ever purchased so of course, I want it to be perfect. I know, unreasonable, but I hope I played my cards right and hit a royal flush. I know EVERYBODY says this but I plan to keep this car forever. My first brand new car, I am going to drive it till the wheels fall off. BUT, I'm just concerned about when those wheels will fall off LOL.

Yes, I understand that it's WAY too early to tell how the reliability of this car will pan out. I'm just throwing this thread out there to get a feel of what I'm getting into and what others have already experienced. I'm really hoping this is a "one-million-mile" car in its design. I love everything about it which is why I bought it (except for no armrest!).

With all cars in general, it's usually about the 80k-100k mile mark when the gremlins start to show their faces. Hopefully this is another solid Toyota that has kept me as a follower all these years.

Sure, Toyota these days ain't what is was back in the 90's. But they still make damn good cars, if not the BEST cars. It's just this Toyota/Subaru, Toyobaru, thingy that leaves me feeling slightly not confident. I'm headed into uncharted waters with no compass. Today, Toyota simply builds towards cost... not like how they used to be back in the 90's when they built towards 1000% quality! Not to say that the new cars of today are not quality, but Toyota in recent years has lost some of it's shine that is had back in the 90's.

Anyways, enough with my pessimism. My FRS is coming this week and we'll see how she goes.

You worry too much seriously. Lol.

Like with just about anything you buy today you pay your money and take your chances. Odds are you'll be fine. I've had mine for 4 months with zero issues, I'm sure there are thousands more like me. So quit worrying and enjoy the car when you get it - life is too short to do otherwise.