Total Complaints
2 filings
TOYOTA MR2 · model year
2 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2004TOYOTAMR2 carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 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 2004 MR2 is power train with 2 filings. 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 2004 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.
Total Complaints
2 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 2 |
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 vehicl
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA MR2 SPIDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK TRANSMISSION LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. WHENEVER THIS OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT GEARS. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE CODES TO THE TRANSMISSION MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,000. UPDATED 04/10/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED OVER A YEAR AGO, THE VEHICLE STARTED STALLING AFTER ABOUT 50 MILES. THE EVENT BECAME MORE AND MORE FREQUENT, AFTER A SHORT 50 MILE DRIVE. WHEN HE STOPPED, THE MOTOR WOULD RE-START, BUT THE SEQUENTIAL TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT RESPOND UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. ON ONE OCCASION, THE TRANSMISSION BECAME STUCK IN 2ND GEAR. UPDATED 04/13/12
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.