Supra drawbacks

[REDLINE]

Hey folks,

Current GT350 owner over here thinking of making the switch over to the supra. I was just wondering whether you guys have ran into “common” issues with the supra? The car will mostly serve as weekends and hpde track days ride.

Common problems Iran into with the GT350 are: sagging rear bumper, squeaks/rattles (car only has 18K on odometer), panel misalignments, and replacing the starter motor twice due to heat soak. I never had the dreaded oil consumption issue, but have had engine wiring break due to excessive shaking of the motor (I’m actually worried the car is going to vibrate/shake itself to death due to the voodoo motor)

Any issues I should be on the look out for? PS other than wheels and tires, I plan on keeping the car stock

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[FuzzyRev]

You looking to buy a new or used MKV? That may change some of our answers.

 

[underdonk]

If you buy a Supra can I buy your GT350 from you to turn into a track car?

 

[MYA90SUPRA]

1. From what I've read about for issues with the mkv is horn is embarrassing since they don't have both high and low pitch horns which is a fairly easy fix.
2. Wind buffeting....which can be fixed easily. They can cost between 5 to several hundred depending on your taste.
3. Door lock rattle or buzz. I don't hear it in my 2020 but I'm half deaf.
4. Squeaks and rattling on the brace behind the seats.
5. Emergency hatch release falls down and can damage your lock for your hatch. Most people put tape or some sort of item to keep it from popping out.
6. They can burn oil. 2020 don't seem to burn any or very little compared to 2021. Not all 2021 burn oil. So people are thinking that Toyota got a bad batch of piston rings. In the owners manual it says anything from 1500-3000 miles to burn a quart/liter is normal.
7. The sound system makes rattles. Someone did a write up on how you can fix that in this forum.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Most issues are not really bad.

 

[REDLINE]

You looking to buy a new or used MKV? That may change some of our answers.

I’ll be buying new

 

[REDLINE]

1. From what I've read about for issues with the mkv is horn is embarrassing since they don't have both high and low pitch horns which is a fairly easy fix.
2. Wind buffeting....which can be fixed easily. They can cost between 5 to several hundred depending on your taste.
3. Door lock rattle or buzz. I don't hear it in my 2020 but I'm half deaf.
4. Squeaks and rattling on the brace behind the seats.
5. Emergency hatch release falls down and can damage your lock for your hatch. Most people put tape or some sort of item to keep it from popping out.
6. They can burn oil. 2020 don't seem to burn any or very little compared to 2021. Not all 2021 burn oil. So people are thinking that Toyota got a bad batch of piston rings. In the owners manual it says anything from 1500-3000 miles to burn a quart/liter is normal.
7. The sound system makes rattles. Someone did a write up on how you can fix that in this forum.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Most issues are not really bad.

Wow. Other than the piston rings, these all sound very, very minor!

 

[zrk]

1. From what I've read about for issues with the mkv is horn is embarrassing since they don't have both high and low pitch horns which is a fairly easy fix.
2. Wind buffeting....which can be fixed easily. They can cost between 5 to several hundred depending on your taste.
3. Door lock rattle or buzz. I don't hear it in my 2020 but I'm half deaf.
4. Squeaks and rattling on the brace behind the seats.
5. Emergency hatch release falls down and can damage your lock for your hatch. Most people put tape or some sort of item to keep it from popping out.
6. They can burn oil. 2020 don't seem to burn any or very little compared to 2021. Not all 2021 burn oil. So people are thinking that Toyota got a bad batch of piston rings. In the owners manual it says anything from 1500-3000 miles to burn a quart/liter is normal.
7. The sound system makes rattles. Someone did a write up on how you can fix that in this forum.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Most issues are not really bad.

I still don't believe the oil thing is a real thing, but a minor thing that affected a handful of folks and the internet blew out of proportion. The 2021 also makes more boost out of the gate, which can have obvious effects on oil levels.

Otherwise, this list is pretty bang on.

 

[AHP]

No major issues but some annoyances.. The wind buffeting is the most notable but several aftermarket options available. Interior rattles seem pretty common and I have two intermittent - drivers side door panel and the passenger seat when not occupied. The 2021 oil consumption thing is wayyy overblown, IMO. A small subset of cars actually affected. The horn is indeed embarrassing.

For HPDE I would highly recommend upgrading the front lower control arms. The OEM part is made of putty and I bent one in the most innocuous encounter with a rumble strip and the same thing happened to my instructor with a MKV. Otherwise I've run multiple 20 min sessions in 90° heat with zero issues.

I will say the absolute worst part about this car is not the car itself but the dealers who will do anything to avoid having to work on it.

 

[Insomniac]

Not a 350, but about a month ago I Sold my 19 Mustang GT and bought a 22 Supra. Not 1 regret.

Richard

 

[NitroYellowMKV]

For me it goes like this ( 2020 related)
Horrible rattles and buzzing, but also probably something to do with stiffer ride and louder exhaust I put on the car (so kinda my fault, but I heard 2021+ is much more solid)

Horrible sound system
Meh stock steering wheel(easy fix)
No exterior trunk release button is super annoying
No rear DRL's on from factory (easy fix)
Fake sound is meh( easy fix)

that is pretty much it that really bothers or bothered me, besides that it is an awesome car, even mostly stock( how I've driven last few days after reverting) Hopefully my 23 arriving next week fix's some of these issues (mainly the rattles)

 

[swift.mk5]

The car is honestly pretty perfect, I don't have any complaints with it.

If you plan on keeping stock tire widths, definitely get the ZL1 rock guards.
Also if you do your own oil changes, make sure to get the jack pad adapters.

 

[Barmalay]

Also not a 350, sold my mach 1 for a mkv. The interior and ride quality is night and day, no regrets, couldn't be happier. Drawback for me is the steering wheel, overall steering feel. Not a deal-breaker obviously, and I've heard changing the wheel make a huge difference.

I thought going from 6 spd tremec to the auto was gonna be heartbreaking but the auto is soooo nice and I'm considering pulling my deposit for a 23mt, im genuinely having an internal crisis because I think the auto might be more fun for me.

 

[Tsuki]

Echoing everyone else here. The Supra is fantastic. Car & Driver had a fantastic run with their long-term tester, saying it exhibited surprisingly Toyota-like reliability for a BMW.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a32032594/2020-toyota-supra-reliability-maintenance/

As AHP said, the biggest downfall to the Supra is the dealership. If you can find a good dealer local to you, you will never have a problem.

One minor issue that no one has mentioned yet is the hood. It has two latches, and it's made from aluminum. You have to shut it with some decent force (push-drop it from about the point the shocks start to let it drop), otherwise you may only latch one, or neither. Some people have had their hoods warp from doing this improperly.

Now - don't get me wrong, I think it's really hard to screw it up, but some people are terrified of hurting their delicate little flower, so they won't use some force to close the thing, I guess!

A friend of mine had a GT350R. While I absolutely love the engine in that car, the rattles and other random issues killed it for me. I can tell you that the worst-built Supra is at least on-par with the best-built GT350. Yes, there are some minor things - but there's a simple fix for just about every one of them, if you search.

 

[Dannyvandelft]

7500 miles, absolutely nothing wrong with mine. Oil consumption, if any, is well within spec. Had a slight rattle from the cross bar, passenger seat against the bar fixed that.
Wind buffeting is easily fixed with an aftermarket purchase.

 

[REDLINE]

No major issues but some annoyances.. The wind buffeting is the most notable but several aftermarket options available. Interior rattles seem pretty common and I have two intermittent - drivers side door panel and the passenger seat when not occupied. The 2021 oil consumption thing is wayyy overblown, IMO. A small subset of cars actually affected. The horn is indeed embarrassing.

For HPDE I would highly recommend upgrading the front lower control arms. The OEM part is made of putty and I bent one in the most innocuous encounter with a rumble strip and the same thing happened to my instructor with a MKV. Otherwise I've run multiple 20 min sessions in 90° heat with zero issues.

I will say the absolute worst part about this car is not the car itself but the dealers who will do anything to avoid having to work on it.

That’s good to know about the control arms. Definitely something I’ll have to look into especially if I switch to stickier tires

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