Supra (A70)

1986-1993 / Coupe / Japan

All Supra (A70) problems All workshop issues

Minor Body

Pop-Up Headlight Motor Failure

Symptoms

One or both headlights fail to raise or lower, raise slowly, or raise unevenly. Clicking or grinding noise from the headlight motor area.

Cause

The electric motors and their nylon gearboxes wear over time. The gearbox teeth strip, or the motor itself fails electrically. Water ingress through worn seals accelerates failure.

Fix

The motor and gearbox assembly can be replaced as a unit.

Toyota OEM parts are still listed but expensive ($200-400 per side).

Aftermarket replacements are available and generally adequate.

The motors can also be rebuilt by replacing the gearbox gears with aftermarket metal replacements ($50-100 DIY).

Some owners convert to fixed headlights, but this changes the car's appearance significantly.

Cost mentioned in fix

$200-400 per side$50-100

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Other known issues

Common Body

Targa Roof Seal Deterioration

Water leaks into the cabin when it rains or when washing the car. Staining on the headliner, musty smell, and damp carpets. In severe cases, water collects in the footwells and causes corrosion of the floor pan and electrical connectors.

Minor Body

Targa Bolt Seizure

The bolts that secure the targa roof panel to the body seize in place. Attempting to force them strips the threads or breaks the bolt heads.

Common Engine, 7M-GTE (Turbo)

Head Gasket Failure

The head gasket blows, allowing coolant into the combustion chambers and/or oil passages. White smoke from the exhaust, coolant loss without visible external leak, overheating under boost, milky oil on the filler cap, and bubbles in the coolant overflow tank. In severe cases, hydrolock (coolant filling a cylinder and bending a connecting rod on startup).

Critical Engine, 7M-GTE (Turbo)

Low Oil Pressure at Idle

Oil pressure drops below 10 psi at hot idle. The factory oil pressure warning light may flicker or illuminate at idle, particularly in traffic on hot days. The engine may develop bearing noise (deep knocking from the bottom end).

Common Engine, 7M-GTE (Turbo)

CT-26 Turbo Failure

Loss of boost pressure, excessive oil smoke (blue/grey) on startup or deceleration, whistling or grinding noises from the turbo, and oil in the intercooler piping.

Critical Engine, 7M-GTE (Turbo)

Cooling System Inadequacy Under Boost

Coolant temperature climbs rapidly under sustained boost, particularly in traffic or on hot days. The temperature gauge sits higher than normal and doesn't recover quickly.

View all 17 Supra (A70) problems