Toyota Will Cover GR 86 Rejected Warranty Claim After All

In case you’ve been out of the automotive loop this week, Toyota has found itself in hot water over a denied warranty claim on the Toyota GR 86. Blake Alvarado took his 86 to the track, as one does. A few days later, Blake suffered catastrophic engine failure. Upon asking a dealer for his boxer motor to be covered under warranty, the request was denied based on the photo below, with the dealer saying his use of the car on track was grounds to deny the claim.

Since then, we reached out to Toyota for comment on the matter, asking what it intended to do about Alvarado’s case. Toyota had, at that time, said it was looking into the matter after Alvarado was told there was nothing that could be done for him. In fact, he was prepared to pay $7,000 to have a low-mile motor installed independently. Since then, the story has gone viral, and Toyota has just issued a statement clarifying the scope of its warranty coverage and reversing the decision.

Toyota’s statement says “The GR brand is driven by enthusiasts and focused on delivering incredible experiences wherever the driver may take their vehicles, including the closed-course settings for which their vehicles are designed, so long as they are driven in a manner that falls within the terms of the warranty.”

Toyota states that while the 86’s warranty ” excludes damage that results from activities such as misuse and racing,” it says simple participation in National Auto Sport Association (NASA), High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), or similar, is not grounds enough to void the warranty. It also adds that claims are still evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Finally, Toyota has said that it will cover the repair of Alvarado’s 2022 Toyota GR 86 under warranty. This is a huge win for 86 owners, many of whom took to the forums to voice their displeasure at Toyota’s stance on the car’s use on the track, which is how it was marketed to them. Our own comments section was alight with upset buyers as well.

After all, Toyota ran a very aggressive ad campaign centered around the spirited ways in which you could drive your GR 86. That included drifting with a Supra Formula Drift car through an abandoned mall and sliding around on track with an original AE 86.