“You had a chance to make this right Toyota of Orange,” Josh captioned his post.
It seems the Toyota GR86 nameplate can’t catch a break as around the same time GR86 owner Blake Alvarado went through a warranty fiasco with Toyota of North America, Toyota GR86 owner Josh (who goes by JZX_JK on Instagram) is in the middle of his own GR86-related nightmare.
@JZX_JK posted dramatic video and photos of his GR86 literally bursting into flames and burning to the ground just 12 hours after a 4-month long repair job handled by Toyota of Orange.
Check out the stomach churning video for yourself below.
It’s not clear why Josh’s GR86 was in the shop, why it was there so long, and what caused his an engine fire but, according to comments, Josh is entering into litigation against Toyota of Orange so it’s probably in his best interest not to share too many details.
As we can see in the photos and videos, the fire seems to have originated in the engine area, the fire quickly spreading to underneath his car.
As with most fire damaged vehicles, the GR86 is destroyed beyond repair.
Shortly after Josh posted up his video, someone from the Toyota of USA’s social media team left a comment on his post.
“Hi Josh,” the comment from Toyota of USA reads. “We’d like to speak with you about this experience further. When you have a moment, please send us a DM. We look forward to speaking with you.”
“Other than that, you can speak with my lawyer,” Josh replied. “Also, you have been reported to NATSA and your dealership has been reported to the Better Business Bureau and will be notified shortly.
SoCal locals in the comments were quick to point out that it’s ironic Toyota of Orange’s motto is, “You won’t get a lemon at Toyota of Orange.”
It’s been Toyota of Orange’s motto since at least 1971.
As mentioned, this all comes on the heels of GR86 owner Blake Alvarado having his warranty service denied by Toyota of North America over a social media post of said GR86 in a drift condition.
After social media backlash and extensive media coverage, Toyota has since agreed to rebuild Alvarado’s engine.
Alvarado’s case has brought up similar engine problems, specifically RTV sealant clogging up oil pickups, from other owners, bringing into question the reliability of these Subaru boxer engines. (see link here for an example) and how willing Toyota is upholding its end of their warranty/.
More than likely Josh will share details of his case against Toyota of Orange in regards to his GR86 repair as his case makes its way to court.
Until then, we can only speculate what caused his GR86 to self destruct in dramatic fashion.
