Used Toyota 86 1st Gen (2013-2020): Buyer's Guide

The 2013 Scion FR-S has more NHTSA complaints on file than the other seven model years of this generation combined. Same platform, same 2.0L flat-four, same badge lineage running through to the 2020 Toyota 86. What changed was a valve spring recall issued five years after the car launched, and a fix that a class-action lawsuit alleges made some engines worse instead of better. If you're cross-shopping this generation, the year on the title matters more than it does on almost any other used sports car.

This guide covers the full ZN6 platform run: the Scion FR-S from 2013 to 2016, and the Toyota 86 from 2017 to 2020, before Toyota killed the FR-S/86 naming split for the redesigned 2022 GR86. Same car underneath both badges. Different reputations, different recall histories, and a five-horsepower bump that came with a suspension retune worth knowing about before you test drive one.

This Generation at a Glance

Toyota and Subaru co-developed this car. Subaru builds the naturally aspirated 2.0L FA20 flat-four; Toyota supplies its D-4S dual-injection system on top of it. The result was badged three ways at launch: Scion FR-S in the US, Toyota GT86 in most other markets, and Subaru BRZ everywhere, each with minor tuning differences. When Toyota shut down the Scion brand in 2016, the FR-S nameplate went with it. The car didn't change; Toyota just started selling the identical coupe as the "86" for 2017, and used that model year to push through the only real mechanical update this platform ever got: a five-horsepower bump on manual-transmission cars (200 to 205 hp), a suspension retune with stiffer front springs, softer rear springs, a thicker rear sway bar, and added body bracing for rigidity. Automatic-transmission cars kept the original 200 hp tune the whole way through 2020.

There's no engine or trim split to weigh here the way there is on most vehicles this guide covers. Every FR-S and 86 sold in the US ran the same 2.0L FA20, RWD only, with a choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic. The dividing line that matters is the 2016/2017 model-year break, which changed the recall exposure, the power output, and the suspension character all at once.

Sales volume stayed modest across the whole run, a few thousand to low tens of thousands per year depending on the model year, which is why used inventory for this generation is thinner and more scattered by state than a mainstream compact. That scarcity, combined with the platform's enthusiast following, is also why prices have held up better than most 2013-era coupes: this isn't a car that depreciated the way an ordinary economy hatchback would have over the same stretch.

Current pricing and inventory: Toyota 86 market data and Scion FR-S market data, with per-year pages for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Powertrain & Trim Breakdown

2013-2016 Scion FR-S: the cars with the recall history

This is the era that defines this platform's reputation, for better and worse. Owners who bought a 2013-2016 FR-S and never tracked it report the FA20 running well past 150,000 miles on stock internals. The complications are specific and documented.

The valve spring recall. NHTSA campaign 18V772000, filed in late 2018, covers the 2013 Scion FR-S along with the 2013 Subaru BRZ and several other Subaru models sharing the same engine family. The valve springs can fracture, causing an engine malfunction or stall while driving. The fix is free at any Toyota or Subaru dealer. Here's the part that matters more than the recall itself: a Center for Auto Safety investigation and a subsequent class-action lawsuit (covered extensively by The Drive and Torque News) allege that a meaningful number of owners who had the recall repair performed went on to develop knocking, power loss, or complete engine failure afterward. A registry thread on the FT86Club forum collected 17 owner reports of engine trouble following the fix, 15 of them Scions. Toyota and Subaru have not conceded the fix causes damage, and the exact failure mechanism remains disputed. What's not disputed: if you're buying a 2013 FR-S, you want to know not just whether the recall was completed, but how the car has run since.

Rod knock and ring land failure. Separate from the recall, the FA20's bottom end is a known weak point under sustained high RPM or track use. Tuning shops that specialize in this engine (ARG Performance, Crawford Performance) point to an oil galley design where one main bearing feeds two rod journals instead of one, leaving less margin under hard, sustained driving. Forum consensus across FT86Club and the GR86 forum is that stock, street-driven cars rarely see this; heavily tracked cars without an oil cooler are the ones that show up in rebuild threads, typically in the 60,000 to 100,000-mile range once it happens. A full bottom-end rebuild from a specialty shop runs $4,500 to $8,000 depending on whether you replace with OEM-spec parts or forged internals; a handful of owners report paying more for dealer-level or fully built engines.

High-pressure fuel pump chirp. Toyota issued TSB S-SB-0007-16 for 2013-2016 FR-S models exhibiting a chirp or squeak from the high-pressure fuel pump at warm idle. It's covered under the 60-month/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, but out of warranty, a chirping pump that goes unaddressed can fail outright.

Clutch release bearing. Especially common on early 2013 cars in cold weather: grinding when the clutch pedal is depressed, a pedal that sits higher than normal, and hard shifting. Left alone, it can damage the transmission housing, pressure plate, or input shaft.

The park/neutral interlock recall. NHTSA campaign 16V075000 covers every 2013-2016 FR-S with an automatic transmission: the ignition key could potentially be removed without the transmission fully in Park, a rollaway risk. Free dealer fix, applies across all four model years of this era.

2017-2020 Toyota 86: same engine, cleaner recall record

The valve spring defect that defines the FR-S years doesn't apply here. Toyota and Subaru had already moved to updated valve springs in production by mid-2013, well before the 2017 86 existed, so this generation's second half skips that entire chapter. What it got instead were two narrower, less consequential campaigns.

The 2017-only ignition recall. NHTSA campaign 16V920000 (Toyota's internal number G0E) covers a narrow slice of 2017 86 production: automatic-transmission cars built between July 1 and August 11, 2016, with a traditional ignition key rather than a push-button start. On affected cars, the key could be removed without the transmission being fully in Park. Manual-transmission 86s and push-button-start cars were never part of this recall. Free dealer fix.

The 2018-2019 fuel pump recall. NHTSA campaign 21V587000 is a broad Subaru-issued recall covering the 2018-2019 Toyota 86 alongside the Ascent, Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, WRX, and BRZ. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the tank can fail and cause a stall while driving. Free replacement. CarScout's NHTSA-sourced complaint data shows a real uptick for the 2019 model year specifically (10 complaints, including 2 crashes, 2 fires, and 3 injuries, versus 1-2 complaints in the surrounding years), which lines up with the window when this recall was active. That's not proof the recall itself caused those incidents, but it's a reason to ask a seller directly whether the fuel pump replacement was done.

The suspension and power changes hold up. Reviewers at the time (Car Connection, J.D. Power, U.S. News) were split on whether the retuned rear end was an improvement: it's more planted and less likely to snap into oversteer than the FR-S, which some owners who bought this car specifically for its playful tail found less fun. If you're shopping for a track toy that likes to rotate, drive a pre-2017 FR-S and a 2017+ 86 back to back before deciding.

Trim Levels

The FR-S never had trim levels in the traditional sense. Scion sold cars at a fixed price with a short options list, so every non-10-Series FR-S you find is mechanically the same car regardless of what a listing calls it. On the 86 side, the TRD Special Edition is the one trim actually worth a premium for something other than looks: it's the only version of this generation Toyota tuned for more power from the factory. The 860 and Hakone editions are worth seeking out if you want a numbered, collectible example, but budget-focused buyers lose nothing by skipping them. Every trim across both eras runs the identical drivetrain otherwise, so don't pay extra expecting different mechanicals under a special paint job.

Which Model Years to Target Within This Gen

The 2020 is the sweet spot if you can find one. It's the most mechanically sorted year of the entire platform, carries CarScout's cleanest recall record for this generation, and still gets the 205 hp manual and retuned suspension. If budget rules that out, a 2016 FR-S is the strongest value play among the early cars: it's the last and most refined year before the rebadge, and by 2016 most of the visible teething issues from 2013 had been addressed in production, though the valve spring recall's official scope is still the 2013 model year specifically. Either way, treat the 2013 model year as the one that demands the most scrutiny, not the one to avoid outright. Plenty of well-maintained 2013s are fine. You just need to verify more before you hand over money.

Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Every car, regardless of year:

• Ask for the VIN and run it through a recall check before you drive to see the car, not after.
• Start the engine cold. Listen for a knock or tick, especially from the bottom end, that's louder on a cold start than once the engine's warmed up. That's the sound worth walking away from.
• Check the oil level and condition yourself. The FA20 is known to burn oil under enthusiastic driving; a car that's noticeably low between changes isn't necessarily broken, but it tells you how the previous owner drove it.
• Ask specifically whether the car has ever been on a track day or HPDE event, and if so, whether an oil cooler was installed. A tracked FA20 without a cooler is a materially higher risk than a tracked one with a cooler.
• Depress the clutch and check for grinding, a pedal that sits abnormally high, or notchy engagement, particularly on manual cars built in cold climates.
• Look underneath at the oil drain plug. Cracked or stripped plugs from over-torquing at quick-lube shops are a documented, if minor, source of oil pan leaks on this platform.
• Inspect the hood and front fenders for stone chips down to bare metal. This generation's factory paint is soft, and heavy chipping is common even on otherwise well-kept cars.
• Check the taillights for internal condensation, a recurring cosmetic complaint across forums for this generation.

2013-2016 FR-S specific:

• Confirm whether the valve spring recall (campaign 18V772000, 2013 model year) was completed, and if so, ask how the car has run since the repair. Given the documented pattern of post-recall engine complaints, a clean recall record isn't the end of your diligence here; it's the start of it. A compression or leak-down test is worth the money on any 2013 example regardless of recall status.
• Listen for the high-pressure fuel pump chirp at warm idle (TSB S-SB-0007-16 covers 2013-2016 FR-S). It's a warranty repair if still covered, but a nuisance-turned-failure if ignored on an older car.
• On automatic-transmission cars, confirm the park/neutral interlock recall (campaign 16V075000) was completed.

2017-2020 86 specific:

• On a 2017 automatic with a traditional ignition key, confirm the ignition interlock recall (campaign 16V920000) was completed. Manual-transmission and push-button-start 2017 cars were never affected.
• On 2018-2019 cars, confirm the fuel pump recall (campaign 21V587000) was completed. Ask directly; don't assume a clean-looking car had it done.

Running Costs

This is a cheap car to own if you drive it like a commuter and an expensive one to own if you drive it like it was designed to be driven. Regular maintenance (oil, filters, brake fluid, coolant on Toyota/Subaru's standard intervals) runs in line with any compact RWD coupe. The real cost variable is how the previous owner used it: a stock, street-only FA20 rarely sees expensive engine work, while a tracked example without an oil cooler carries real risk of a four-figure bottom-end repair. Insurance tends to run higher than a comparable economy car given the RWD, sports-coupe classification, but not dramatically so for a 2.0L four-cylinder with modest power.

Tires are the other line item worth budgeting for if you buy one of the factory summer-tire-equipped trims (GT, 860 Special Edition, TRD Special Edition). Those cars came with stickier, shorter-lived rubber than the base car's touring-oriented tires, and a set of replacements from a performance-oriented brand runs noticeably more than what you'd pay for a set of all-seasons on a Corolla. Factor that into the ownership math if you're comparing a loaded trim against a plainer base car at a similar price.

FAQ

Is the Scion FR-S/Toyota 86 reliable? Street-driven examples with documented maintenance regularly reach 150,000-plus miles on the original engine and clutch. The generation's reputation problems concentrate in two places: the 2013 valve spring recall and its disputed aftermath, and rod knock on heavily tracked cars without an oil cooler.

What year Toyota 86 or Scion FR-S should I avoid? Don't avoid the 2013 outright, but budget for extra diligence. It carries this generation's highest complaint count and is the only model year with the valve spring recall's official scope. A compression test before purchase is worth it.

Is the FR-S/86 rod knock issue a scam or overblown? Neither. It's a real, documented weak point tied to how hard the car has been driven, not a defect that hits every example. Stock, street-driven cars rarely see it; tracked cars without an oil cooler are overrepresented in rebuild threads.

Should I buy a manual or automatic Scion FR-S/Toyota 86? Enthusiast consensus, echoed across nearly every owner forum for this platform, favors the manual. It's the transmission this chassis was tuned around, and 2017+ manuals get the extra 5 hp the automatic never received. The automatic is the lower-risk choice if you want less clutch-related maintenance exposure.

Does the 2017+ Toyota 86 handle differently than the Scion FR-S? Yes. The 2017 suspension retune made the rear end more planted and less prone to snap oversteer. Some owners who bought this car for its playful tail-happy character in FR-S form find the 86 comparatively tame; others find it more usable at the limit. Drive both before deciding.

Bottom Line

Run every VIN through a recall check before you even go look at the car, and don't skip it just because a listing says "no accidents, all recalls done." On this generation specifically, ask what happened after the recall was done, not just whether it was done. A 2020 Toyota 86 GT or Hakone Edition with a clean CarScout recall history is the strongest overall pick in this generation: newest tech, retuned suspension, 205 hp manual, and the fewest documented recall complications of any year here. If budget points you toward an FR-S instead, a well-documented 2016 is the best of the early cars. CarScout members can set up a scout to track specific trims and years of this platform as they hit the market at usecarscout.com.

Data sourced from NHTSA's recalls database (campaigns 12V255000, 16V075000, 18V772000, 16V920000, and 21V587000), EPA fuel economy data, and owner experiences documented on the FT86Club forum, the GR86 owners forum, TrueDelta's reliability reports, and coverage from The Drive, Torque News, and the Center for Auto Safety. See the full Toyota 86 market data and Scion FR-S market data for pricing and inventory.