Problems · NHTSA complaints

2004 Toyota MR2 problems

Owners filed 2 complaints about the 2004 Toyota MR2 with NHTSA between Feb 2012 and Jul 2025. The most-cited component is power train (2).

Complaints
2
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20121
20130
20140
20150
20160
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20251

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

2 reports
“Within the first two weeks after purchasing the vehicle, I noticed a transmission issue where the vehicle would not properly shift gears. I sometimes would try to up or downshift but there would be no change in the display on the gear indicator. Later there became an issue where the vehicle would put itself into neutral while I was in gear and driving, which would cause the vehicle to stop completely in traffic, putting myself and other drivers in the vicinity at risk. This became more and more frequent, and the vehicle even got to the point where it would not shift beyond 2nd gear and was essentially inoperable. After taking the vehicle to Toyota, it was explained to me that they would not be able to repair the vehicle as one of the faulty parts has been discontinued, and advised that I get my money back on the car. The Toyota mechanic further explained that even if the part was replaced, the vehicle may continue to experience the same issue. The dealership that I purchased the vehicle from was unwilling to refund me, but did hold my vehicle for repairs for over 2 months. The vehicle seemed to drive normally for about 1,000 miles after that, but then the same…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 31, 2025Power trainODI 11677560
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.