Total Complaints
7 filings
TOYOTA MR2 · model year
2002 TOYOTA MR2
7 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002TOYOTAMR2 carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 MR2 is power train:manual transmission with 2 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (2) and air bags (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2002 MR2, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
7
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20100917POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A CLUTCH REPLACEMENT WHEN HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD ALSO NEED REPLACING. BOTH WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, WHEN THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE OFF THE DEALER'S LOT, THE ENGINE SEIZED. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED BY A DIFFERENT DEALER. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO BECOME STUCK IN CERTAIN GEARS AND WOULD STALL SPORADICALLY. THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED SINCE THE DATE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 47,000. UPDATED 01/31/11/ *BF THE ENGINE GASKETS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 04/20/11
Mileage: 47,000
20100917ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A CLUTCH REPLACEMENT WHEN HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD ALSO NEED REPLACING. BOTH WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, WHEN THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE OFF THE DEALER'S LOT, THE ENGINE SEIZED. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED BY A DIFFERENT DEALER. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO BECOME STUCK IN CERTAIN GEARS AND WOULD STALL SPORADICALLY. THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED SINCE THE DATE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 47,000. UPDATED 01/31/11/ *BF THE ENGINE GASKETS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 04/20/11
Mileage: 47,000
20100421ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA MR2. WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO LOOSE POWER AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 30MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE GARAGE. THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE CATALYTIC COVERTER, WHICH HAD BLOCKAGE CAUSING THE SENSORS TO FAIL. THE ESTIMATED COST TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND SENSORS WAS $3,800.00. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK A REPORT 1004210579;AND STATED THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEREFORE THEY WILL NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WILL BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.
Mileage: 118,000
20100225VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA MR2. THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING 35 MPH OFF OF AN ON RAMP AND STARTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE EVEN AFTER TAKING HIS FOOT OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
Mileage: 43,000
20100224VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2002 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER MID-DRIVING, SMT SLIPS OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL. ONLY WAY TO FIX IT IS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY & LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT, DISCONNECTED. THIS RESETS THE COMPUTER & THEREAFTER THE GEARS WORK AGAIN UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I'VE SEEN AT LEAST 50 COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT SAME PROBLEM, WHICH IS HOW I LEARNED HOW TO FIX IT. TOYOTA IGNORES COMPLAINTS. IT WILL HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING IT, ON THE ROAD. RECURS, NOT A ONE TIME INCIDENT. *TR
Mileage: 30
20100204POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER SMT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. (5 SPEED - CLUTCHLESS SHIFTING SYSTEM) SMT TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON MY MR2 SPYDER CAR. GOT IT FIXED (OR SO I THOUGHT)AT THE DEALERSHIP AFTER EXCESSIVE EXPENSE ($3,500) REPLACING TWO ASSEMBLIES WITHIN THE SYSTEM. AFTER THIS INITIAL FIRST TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SUPPOSEDLY REPAIR, I WAS ADVISED BY DEALERSHIP THAT THE CAR WAS THOROUGHLY TESTED, ALL CODES ERASED ON THE ON BOARD COMPUTER, AND CAR TRANSMISSION WAS FIXED AND WORKING PROPERLY. SO I DROVE IT HOME. DROVE AND SHIFTED FINE FOR ABOUT 1 1/2 WEEKS AND I THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED. THEN ONE NIGHT WHILE DRIVING, SURROUNDED BY TRAFFIC AND A FEW TRUCKS, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, BEGAN LURCHING - MIS SHIFTING WITH NEW SQUEALING NOISES COMING FROM THE BACK. I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR - NOT THE STEERING - THE MOMENTUM OF THE CAR VANISHED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY - WITH RANDOM SHIFTING OCCURRING WITHOUT EVEN TOUCHING THE STICK SHIFT. I WAS VERY, VERY LUCKY GETTING THE CAR
Mileage: 145,720
20060603CrashAIR BAGS
ON JUNE 3, I HAD A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER AUTO THAT HAD RUN A RED LIGHT. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS CROSSING IN FRONT OF ME ABOUT 30 MPH AND I IMPACTED HER CAR ON THE PASSENGERS SIDE AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THE AIR BAG ON MY 2002 TOYOTA MR2 DID NOT DEPLOY. HAVE NOT HAD THE CAR REPAIRED YET. *JB
Mileage: 21,500
Compare 2002TOYOTAMR2 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2002 TOYOTA MR2 have?▼
The 2002 TOYOTA MR2 has 7 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 TOYOTA MR2?▼
The most-complained component for the 2002 TOYOTA MR2 is POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2002 TOYOTA MR2 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.