Toyota Service Bulletin: Body Panel Fitting Issues
 

I searched and could not find mention of this:

For those that already have a FR-S/BRZ, on Toyota's tech info web site (https://techinfo.toyota.com) there is a service bulletin regarding body panels not being flush. Toyota is currently investigating and the bulletin is just a single page acknowledging there ''may'' be an issue, but someone at Toyota decided some body pannels may not be flush enough to meet ''customers expectations''. NOTE: This bulletin does not make any conclusions or admissions other than there is the possibility of a body panel fitment issue.

We should have a dedicated section or thread regarding recalls and service bulletins.


This particular bulletin is named:
S-TT-0043-12: FR-S: Body Panel Fitting Issues

I posted about it in the thread about condensation in the tail lights, which several people have had happen.

Jeff

Ok cool ill post updates there

I know this is a touchy subject, but any feedback from folks who have the FR-S?

japan has had these cars for a while already. i wonder why it took them so long to release this information.

No panel issues on mine.

About to buy mine and just checked, everything looks good! Don't think condensation will ever be an issue in the desert either...so I won't know if there is a latent problem with my tailights, but oh well.

No issues on mine as far as I can tell, I would like to see a picture of what the issue looks like to know what to look for.

either a) your taillights have condensation in them after a drastic weather change (such as from rain into sunshine, cold to hot, etc)

or b) the distance between the hood and the fender / trunk and quaterpanel is different side to side

or both

So the fit will look sorta like a Cadillac CTS.

not know if joke? Are Caddies poorly built?

No issue here yet on the FR-S. I remember Moto-P saying that he had contacted Chief Engineer Tada-san about the condensation and he said they had handled it at the production line level. If you have the problem, Toyota will gladly fix/replace it for you under warranty.

As smart as the engineers are, it's always possible for things to happen when it comes down to production. You have to remember, the same engineers that design the car down to every curve and bolt are not the ones assembling it. That and being first model year for a car always has its rough spots.

I have faith that Toyota does not want this car to fail due to issues like this so if they do exist, they will do their best to fix them for affected customers. After all, that's why you have a warranty, use it! Also, if you notice issues with something later down the road, mention them to the tech and get it documented. That way if something related happens when you're out of warranty, there's a good chance Toyota will do it 'on good faith' since you were having the issue during warranty.

I had condensation in my taillights when the dealer washed the car for me. I haven't done a full detail on the car yet but if it shows up again I'm bringing it to the dealer ASAP.

I've just noticed whenever I'm behind one the trunks aren't centered in the opening...usually shifted to the left.

I have the body panels not being flush issue and the condensation issue. I admit both are very minor and very annoying. I called Scion customer service and they gave me a case number. I have to bring the car to my dealer to have it checked out.

It's not a big deal and Toyota seems like they want to help get it fixed which is nice!

I haven't had any of these issues, but what I did notice and I don;t like is the aft part of the windows get slightly damp inside when washing the car. Other than that My taillights were good and panels fit fine inside...seems this would have been sorted since the car has already been out for awhile in Japan.

can you describe which panels werent flush?

I dont know if its my imagination or what but I noticed this before I even read this. The gap of trunk meeting the rear quarter panel on the right side seems to be larger then the one on the left. Same issue? Im going to take a tape measure to it in a little bit.

Reat trunk lid at the top does not mert flush with fender. Trunk lid is lower. In mine is worse on the right side

Took a tape measure to mine, the right side gap between the trunk and the rear quarter panel is 1/16th to 2/16th of an inch larger then the the left side. Does this warrant me doing something about it? Opinions welcome :]

I've got one issue with mine, my windshield appear to be wrongly wash on the driver side when watch under the sun. But actually it's a defect on it like between the layers. I've try to wash it several time, bring it to the dealer and they try to wash it correcty but was still visible under sun. Next week my windshield will be replace.

Please try and be there when they do this. Most likely the dealership will outsource this job to a third party company so you can probably sit outside and watch. I have had a few botched window jobs and on modern cars its very easy to get wrong and also destroy the clips and plastic that is in the way.

condensation and body panel fit
 

I do to my trunk looks a little off and my passenger tail light has condensation in it that is still there after 5 days. I'm sure that Toyota will take care of it under warranty.

My friend got an FR-S. I noticed when we picked the car up at the dealership that the gap between the door and rear fender is relatively large on the top (where the door window glass is). The gap becomes smaller at lower corner. I checked the other (passengers) side and it did look symmetric though.

Not sure if this is related...

Unfortunately I can't be there, I'm a car mecanic too. But it's not a third party compagny their a guy who do windshield at this place.

I noticed the gap between the fender and the trunk on the driver side is about twice as large as the one on the passenger side. :( I haven't seen the condensation yet because the car didn't get wet yet.

Is the body panel issue only supposed to concern the rear fender / trunk region?

I have check all fits around the front and side of my car, and everything seems to be symmetric. Problem is, this is the first car I have paid that much attention to and I don't know what would be considered an 'excessive' gap.

I'm wondering the same thing as you now. I don't know what would be considered an excessive gap. This is the first time I have paid attention to the gap as well. I thought I found my trunk and fender gap uneven. But when I checked the other Toyota cars, their trunk and fender gap was as uneven as my FR-S. So, mine must be acceptable. :confused0068:

I'm a victim. I was just looking at my FR-S and I noticed a pretty serious body panel misalignment on my passenger front fender. I know there's a tech tip (S-TT-0043-12) out there, but it shows no fix. Has anyone dealt with Scion regarding this issue?

Any pics? I'm just curious how out of line the body panels are that people are reporting

This seems to be a common compaint. First thing I noticed.

I'll have better pictures tomorrow. I'll be calling Scion tomorrow as well to see what options are available for me.

Here's a quick comparison for now. Driver's side on left and passenger on right (duh, lol).

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8...07103eeb_b.jpg

As you can see, the driver's side gap remains consistent from top to bottom. The bottom running boards line up as well. Different story on the passenger. Large gap up top that narrows as you go down. Notice the lines along the bottom of the door and fender don't match up.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8...b28c689d_b.jpg

Perfectly flush driver's side whereas the passenger fender is bowed out approx. 0.25 inch up top and bows inward at the bottom.

I suppose it's not a HUGE deal since the car still drives fine unlike the CEL issue people have been dealing with, but it bothers me, and now that I know it's there, I'm going to notice it all the time.

did you ever noticed how some of the color on body panels are off? (pearl white)

This is due to the different materials, aluminum vs plastic. The paint sets different. Nothing can really be done about it unfortunately

Hmm now I kind of want to see if my car has this

Right and Left Fender Panel Gaps
 

Here are photos of the difference in panel gaps on my fenders. Not sure what Scion can do about it. Not pleased.

I have this exact same issue. Dealer was unwilling to do anything about and buying a brand new car where the body panels don't sit flush is really souring my opinion of Toyota/Subaru/Scion.

Every time I visit that god-forsaken dealership I leave there saying the same thing to myself: "I should have just bought a used S2000".

Ro Ja: Who did you contact to get this addressed?

Yup. Same here.

I haven't called Scion yet (will do that a little later), but I went onto live chat on Scion.com and the representative gave me this phone number: 866-707-2466

If it comes down to it, I know some people who know Jack Hollis (Toyota VP) and Craig Taguchi (Scion PR) personally. I'd rather not have to go that far, but I'll do it if it must be done. I'll be sure to mention you guys as well.

I'm also going to be in the LA area in 2 weeks, so if need be, they can see the car in person.