Toyota Parts Spell Trouble for Lotus' Electricals

Random Neutral Gear Shifts: Not A British Part Issue

There seems to be a generally accepted opinion amongst fans of Lotus automobiles that whilst the British-assembled components may be prone to breakdowns, the parts placed in from Toyota are traditionally dependable. Yet a video clip illustrating the hitches with a 2013 Evora has revealed that sometimes even the parts obtained from Toyota can still suffer difficulties.

This Evora had made its way to the Car Wizard’s workshop due to the transmission slipping from gear into neutral when the vehicle was in motion. Worth mentioning is the fact that the mid-mounted engine and gear set up coincides with many Toyota designs from that decade. To be more specific, the Toyota 2GR-FE V6 with 3.5 liters of capacity can be found in models such as the Camry, Avalon, and Sienna among others, all produced somewhere between the mid-2000s up until 2010 most likely. Then again, later variants of this Evora have implemented a supercharged version of the same power unit – like the one pictured beneath, which is capable of outputting a hefty 410 hp.

Upon the sudden transmission to neutral, the automobile will not allow the driver to switch to some other gear. Without the ability to get the car to ‘Park’, flipping the key and killing the engine is also impossible. To provide a temporal resolution, using a scan tool or unplugging the battery can be necessary. Still, the issue is likely to return in the future.

Working on this Lotus seems like an arduous job, due to the limited accessibility of the mid-mounted engine. Ahead of it lies a firewall while directly behind is only a small area for storage. Even more frustrating, a full bank of the V6’s cylinders are obscured by an air intake.

Following rigorous investigation, the professionals surmise that the difficulty is due to a difficulty with the Toyota-issued wiring harness or perhaps an impaired module, as opposed to the transmission itself. Interestingly, these harnesses are a widely known defect for Toyota cars from the beginning of the 2010s. The only resolution is to change it.

“I had the same Lotus Evora. I faced a similar issue. It ended up being a loose ground wire connected to the ECU. When the engine heated up, the wire would vibrate and lose contact,” stated someone in the YouTube comments who experienced the same problem.

People on forums who own a Toyota of this era report various wiring problems resulting in multiple issues. As an example, a person with a 2012 Sienna states: “So far malfunctions are limited to the lights, windows, locks, power doors/lift, alarm. Sometimes nothing works, sometimes all of it, sometimes a few things work.” Similarly, a forum member with a 2013 Camry reported difficulties with the engine not starting and the gauge lights not working. Another person mentioned that the blinkers were not operating and the engine was stalling.

In the event that you’d thought of acquiring a new Lotus as a result of supposing that its Toyota parts might make it somewhat reliable, we strongly suggest that you take the time to do further investigation.

This Gorgeous Lotus Evora Has SEVERE Toyota Issues