The Lemon Index
Subaru's 2.0 L and 2.4 L naturally aspirated flat-4, DOHC in the Scion FR-S, BRZ, Toyota 86 and Toyota GR86, model years 2013–2026. YouTube likes the 2026 best.
Middle of the pack: YouTube owner tone 46/100, #102 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the middle third); 4 engine-related recalls on record, 11 known issues listed below.
Reliability by year
Why the car pages show more: the GR86 page counts 61 complaints and 3 recall campaigns for 2013–2025, everything NHTSA files as "86", other engines included; the BRZ page counts 101 complaints and 3 recall campaigns for 2013–2025, everything NHTSA files as "Brz", other engines included. This page counts only the 363 complaints and 14 recalls we can tie to the Subaru FA20 / FA24 boxer by model name or the owner's own words.
YouTube videos are most positive about the 2026 (51) and least about the 2014 (43); neighboring years share many of the same videos, so small gaps mean little.
How we count: owner complaints only where the car's name and year leave no doubt; YouTube tone from videos that name this engine or its cars. How we count
Owner complaints (NHTSA) are filed by model and year, not engine. We count one for this engine only when the model name and year had no other engine (e.g. "488 GTB", "GT-R"), or when the owner's own words name a version that had only this engine that year (Z06, ZR1, Hellcat, GT500 ...). They cover the whole car (wheels, air bags, electrics ...), not only the engine, and none of them is a failure rate. We chart them only for engines with 30 or more, over 3 or more years. YouTube tone = how positive the videos are, 0–100, from titles and transcripts (praise vs trouble words, the title counts 3 times), weighted by views; a year needs at least 3 videos' worth. A video counts for this engine when its title names the engine or a car that only had this engine in the years it names; a video whose title names no model year counts toward every year of that car, so neighboring years share most of their videos.
All the numbers, year by year
| Year | Cars | Owner complaints | YouTube says | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Scion FR-S, BRZ | 243 | 48 (113 videos) | 5 |
| 2014 | BRZ, Scion FR-S | 11 | 43 (97 videos) | 2 |
| 2015 | BRZ, Scion FR-S | 17 | 45 (98 videos) | 3 |
| 2016 | BRZ, Scion FR-S | 6 | 46 (98 videos) | 3 |
| 2017 | Toyota 86, BRZ | 9 | 46 (109 videos) | 2 |
| 2018 | BRZ, Toyota 86 | 2 | 44 (108 videos) | 2 |
| 2019 | Toyota 86, BRZ | 11 | 44 (108 videos) | 1 |
| 2020 | BRZ, Toyota 86 | 3 | 44 (108 videos) | 0 |
| 2022 | BRZ, Toyota GR86 | 31 | 46 (125 videos) | 1 |
| 2023 | BRZ, Toyota GR86 | 20 | 47 (112 videos) | 1 |
| 2024 | BRZ, Toyota GR86 | 6 | 46 (109 videos) | 1 |
| 2025 | BRZ, Toyota GR86 | 4 | 46 (110 videos) | 0 |
| 2026 | BRZ | 0 | 51 (116 videos) | 0 |
Recalls on cars with this engine 14
4 of them are about the engine, fuel, cooling or powertrain. They come first.
21V587000 Fuel System, Gasoline · Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86 2018–19
The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
18V772000 Engine And Engine Cooling · Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ 2013
The engine valve springs in these vehicles may fracture causing an engine malfunction or a possible engine stall.
16V075000 Power Train · Scion FR-S 2013–16
Vehicles with a push-to-start button are not affected.
16V920000 Electrical System · Toyota 86 2017
Vehicles with a push-to-start button or manual transmission are not affected.
24V548000 Equipment · Toyota GR86 2023–24
Show all 14
23V609000 Exterior Lighting · Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86 2022
The rear turn signals may intermittently become inoperative.
18V935000 Visibility · Subaru BRZ 2018
In the affected vehicles, a software issue may cause the audio display system to not initialize, resulting in the camera display remaining blank.
17V295000 Tires · Toyota 86 2017
The spare tire air pressure was not adjusted to the proper pressure as state.
16V236000 Tires · Scion FR-S 2016
The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added.
16V420000 Equipment · Scion FR-S 2015–16
The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories.
14V828000 Equipment · Scion FR-S 2014–15
The affected vehicles may have accessories installed by SET, such as running boards or other items, that were incorrectly installed.
13V123000 Equipment · Scion FR-S 2013
12V254000 Equipment · Subaru BRZ 2013
SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2013 BRZ VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 25, 2011, THROUGH MAY 25, 2012.
12V255000 Equipment · Scion FR-S 2013
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2013 SCION FR-S VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 22, 2012, THROUGH MAY 14, 2012.
NHTSA recalls by model and year. A recall counts here when every confirmed version of that model-year had this engine, or the recall names it. Check a car's VIN for its own open recalls.
Engine problems Subaru told dealers about
Subaru sent dealers 137 repair notes about the engine on these cars, including:
- "This bulletin announces availability of new reprograming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) developed…
- This Bulletin announces the diagnostic procedures to be followed when diagnosing engine oil leakage on FA and…
- This is to advise of various price adjustments that will affect Toyota Genuine Motor Oil and Long Life…
NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins), matched by model name and year like the complaints, engine-related ones only. A repair note is not a recall: ask a seller whether it was done.
Known issues on record
- Valve spring recall (Recall). On early 2013 FR-S cars, valve springs can fracture, which can make the engine run badly or stall. Fix: Dealer replaces the valve springs for free (NHTSA 18V-772). 1 owner complaint to NHTSA mention it (ZN6 GR86).
- Engine failures after the valve spring fix (Owner-reported, disputed). Some owners reported power loss, knocking or a dead engine after the recall repair. Excess sealant getting into the oil is a theory, not a confirmed cause. 2 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZN6 GR86).
- Fuel pump recall (Recall). On some 2018–2019 Toyota 86s, the low-pressure fuel pump in the tank can fail and stall the engine while driving. Fix: Dealer replaces the fuel pump for free (NHTSA 21V-587). 1 owner complaint to NHTSA mention it (ZN6 GR86).
- Oil starvation and bearing failure (Owner-reported, disputed). Some early GR86s lost rod bearings; one dealer teardown blamed excess factory sealant blocking the oil pickup. How many engines are affected is not known. Fix: Toyota rebuilt that car under warranty after first refusing. 14 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZN8 GR86).
- Oil pressure drops on track (Owner-reported). An owner's data logging on one BRZ and one GR86 showed big oil pressure drops in hard right-hand corners on track. 2 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZN8 GR86).
- Valve spring recall (2013) (Recall). On 2013 BRZs, valve springs could break, making the engine run badly or stall. Some owners told The Drive their engines failed soon after the recall work. Fix: Dealer replaces the valve springs for free (NHTSA 18V-772). 32 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZC6 BRZ).
- Fuel pump recall (2018–2019) (Recall). On some 2018–2019 BRZs, the low-pressure fuel pump can fail, which can stall the engine while driving. Fix: Dealer replaces the fuel pump for free (NHTSA 21V-587). 27 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZC6 BRZ).
- Coil packs overheat (early cars) (Parts seller). A parts seller says coil packs on early BRZs tend to overheat, causing misfires and faster spark plug wear. Fix: Replace with the newest coil pack revision. 1 owner complaint to NHTSA mention it (ZC6 BRZ).
- RTV sealant and oil starvation (disputed) (Lawsuit claim, disputed). A 2024 class action claims excess factory RTV sealant can flake into the oil and starve 2013–2023 BRZ engines. It is an unproven claim; no bulletin or recall has been issued. 6 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZC6 BRZ).
- Oil pressure drops on track (disputed) (Owner-reported). One owner's logging on a 2022 BRZ and GR86 showed oil pressure falling from 62 to 28 psi in hard right-hand track corners. Subaru and Toyota did not comment. Fix: Owners suggest a full oil level, an oil cooler or a pan baffle for track use. 3 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZD8 BRZ).
- RTV sealant in the oil pickup (disputed) (Owner-reported / lawsuit claim). In 2022 a GR86 owner found RTV sealant in the oil pickup after a bearing failure; BRZ owners reported similar buildup. A 2024 class action makes the same claim. No bulletin or recall followed. 7 owner complaints to NHTSA mention it (ZD8 BRZ).
- No engine recall (Recall). NHTSA lists no engine recall for 2022–2025 BRZs; the one recall (2022) covers rear turn signals.
Sources: NHTSA recall 18V-772: engine valve springs, 2013 BRZ, other Subarus and Scion FR-S (Nov 2018), The Drive: Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ owners claim a recall fix is destroying their engines (Mar 2019), 8020 Automotive: The 4 most common Subaru FA20 engine problems (updated Apr 2025), NHTSA recall 21V-587: low-pressure fuel pump, 2018–2019 BRZ, other Subarus and Toyota 86 (Jul 2021), Jalopnik: Toyota will fix that viral GR86, but the bigger warranty question remains (Aug 2022), The Drive: 2022 Subaru BRZ owner's instrumented testing shows big oil pressure drops on track (Jun 2023), The Drive: Engines keep failing as the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S valve spring recall debacle drags on (Nov 2020), MAPerformance: Subaru BRZ / Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S maintenance and common issues (May 2022), The Drive: There's now a class action lawsuit over Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ engine failures (Nov 2024), The Drive: Toyota 'looking into' 2022 GR86 engine issues after owner denied warranty fix (Aug 2022), The Drive: 2022 Subaru BRZ owner's instrumented testing shows big oil pressure drops on track (Jun 2023), NHTSA recall 23V-609: rear turn signals, 2022 BRZ and Toyota GR86 (Aug 2023). The same list as on the GR86 page, the BRZ page.
Every US version with this engine
| Car and versions | Years |
|---|---|
| Scion FR-S FR-S | 2013–16 |
| Subaru BRZ BRZ | 2013–26 |
| Toyota 86 86 | 2017–20 |
| Toyota GR86 GR 86 | 2022–25 |
Engine codes: FA20D (Toyota: 4U-GSE), FA24D. Power: 197–234 hp, factory figures. Versions and years: EPA (fueleconomy.gov). Sources: Subaru FA engine.
Quick answers
What cars have the Subaru FA20 / FA24 boxer engine?
In the US: the Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86, Toyota GR86, model years 2013–2026. See the version table for each one.
Is the Subaru FA20 / FA24 boxer reliable?
Mostly, with known issues to check. YouTube owner tone 46/100, #102 of 165 engines with a YouTube study (in the middle third); 4 engine-related recalls on record, 11 known issues listed below. Owners filed 363 complaints we can tie to it, about any part of the car. Its cars had 14 recalls (4 about the engine, fuel or powertrain). Have any used car inspected.
How much horsepower does the Subaru FA20 / FA24 boxer make?
197–234 hp in factory figures, depending on the car.