Three problems related to power train have been reported for the 2003 Toyota MR2. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Toyota MR2 based on all problems reported for the 2003 MR2.
The car was parked with engine running and parking brake on. I released the brake on and the car lurched forward crossing a curb and hitting a aluminum guard rail. The service seq transmisame light came on . After being towed to the dealer. It was found a hydraulic line had broken from corroding. The dealer put in a new unit but the old computer would not work and is now putting a new computer about 6600. 00 at the this point. So far Toyota doesn't know us.
The design of the computer controlled power train makes throttle, transmission and starter inter-dependent. My vehicle has repeatedly lost power and coasted to a stop. The vehicle has been recently inspected by a Toyota dealer, who says there's nothing wrong with it. But the vehicle operator's manual anticipates stalling while underway and gives directions to re-start - sometimes successful, sometimes not and the vehicle has to be towed, in my experience. Manual directions (page 153): if your engine stalls while driving . . . Reduce speed gradually, keeping a straight line. Move cautiously off the road to a safe place. . . Manual transmission, na sequential manual transmission: turn the ignition key to the ?acc? or ?lock? position. Approximately 5 seconds after, try starting the engine again. If your engine will not start, see ?if you engine will not start -? on page 150 of this manual. How can one "move cautiously off the road to a safe place", if the engine won't run? this car is unsafe as manufactured, imo.
Problem 1: transmission will at random times during driving go into neutral without warning and lose power slowing the vehicle until it dies. The car will then not have power steering making it difficult to control. This has happened four times while driving in traffic twice causing a near serious accident. It has left my wife stranded and requiring the dealer to tow the vehicle as it would not re-start. It happened one time where there was room to pull to the roadside without incident. The car ran roughly and would not idle for a period of time as well as not go into forward or reverse gear. After about 1/2 hour I was able to get it into gear, but the check engine and sequential transmission lights were on. By the time I got to the dealer about 15 miles only the check engine light was still on. They found some codes but no one could find them in the book. Problem 2: after owning the car for about ten days, my wife parked the car in our driveway with the e-brake set and the car in gear as per the owners manual and the instruction of the sales team. After about 15 minutes, our neighbor came to our door and told us our car had rolled out of the driveway causing damage to the vehicle and our granite mailbox. I have statements from them as they were eye-witnesses. One of the witnesses is a certified accident investigator for many years. The dealer checked the brake on three different occasions and each time says the brake is working as it should. To this day, I can get the vehicle to roll on my driveway with the brake on. I had the shop foreman look at it with me in the car and him driving it. We parked on a hill behind the dealer, he set the e-brake and released the foot brake and the car rolled. After two more attempts and the brake lever at the maximum physical travel, the brake set to hold the car, by now at the bottom of the hill. He then stated that the brake was in working order.