Safety advocate raises questions about Toyota, Subaru valve spring recalls

The Center for Auto Safety is raising questions about the effectiveness of a valve spring recall issued late last year by Toyota Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. after complaints emerged about engines knocking and stalling after recall work.

Subaru and Toyota announced in November a recall of 411,000 vehicles globally for a valve spring problem that could stall the engine. The recall affects 140,249 Subaru vehicles in the U.S., including Impreza, Crosstrek and BRZ vehicles built between January 2012 and October 2013.

Additionally, 80,000 Toyota and Scion vehicles built in 2012 and 2013 are covered by the recall, including 25,000 Scion FR-S models sold in the U.S.

Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, called for NHTSA, the nation's top auto safety regulator, to investigate the matter.

He told Automotive News in an e-mail last week: "NHTSA needs to immediately review the ongoing recall remedy to determine where the repair is going wrong. Each of these manufacturers -- Toyota, Subaru, Scion -- should cease recall repairs and provide all vehicle owners who have received the repair a loaner until the problem is identified."

Levine's warning followed a growing number of complaints posted to a registry thread on the FT86Club owners forum, with the first listed complaint on Feb. 22. As of Wednesday, there were more than 160 comments, with most of the complaints from affected owners of Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, and Toyota 86 vehicles.

Jalopnik, a popular auto enthusiast website, further identified the problems in a March 12 report.

An affected owner with a 2013 Scion FR-S told Automotive News last week that he followed protocol and got his engine's valve spring fixed at his local dealership on March 4. Six days after his vehicle was returned, on March 11, his car engine shut off on the side of the road.

He wrote in an email, "The motor stopped running after a bunch of loud knocking from the engine. And it only has 200 km (124 miles) since the recall."

Tania Saldana, a spokeswoman for Toyota Motor North America, told Automotive News last week that the company is investigating reports of problems involving certain Scion FR-S vehicles after the engine valve spring recall remedy was completed. She had "nothing further to add" to Levine's comment on the situation.

Dominick Infante, a spokesman for Subaru of America, said, "All I can do is confirm that we have not seen any cars with engine issues caused by the recall fixes that we have conducted. We only had one person return post-recall fix. We still encourage owners to come in and complete engine repairs."

NHTSA spokesman Derrell Lyles said, "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been in communication with the affected automakers regarding the recalls. The agency will continue to monitor all the available data to determine if there are safety implications that merit additional agency action. Consumers can register their complaints about issues with their cars at www.nhtsa.gov or by calling our vehicle hotline at 1-888-327-4236."