By alley - Jun 23, 2016, 7:30 AM ET

LM24: Toyota finds source of heartbreaking failure

Toyota's staggering loss in the final minutes of the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans with the No. 5 TS050 Hybrid was due a turbocharger-related issue, according to the Japanese brand.

The report from Toyota Gazoo Racing matches what RACER overheard immediately following the event in Le Mans, and while the wording is somewhat vague, it appears the piping between one of the twin-turbo V6's turbos and intercoolers became disconnected.

"Car #5 suffered a technical defect on a connector on the air line between the turbo charger and the intercooler, causing a loss of turbo charger control," the team confirmed.

With that intercooler-to-turbo connection broken, a drastic and immediate loss in power would follow. Within the electronic engine control unit, numerous alarms and possible failsafe modes would likely be triggered to save the engine from perceived failure, which would explain driver Kazuki Nakajima slowing to a stop on the front straight.

"The team attempted to modify the control settings to restore power and this was eventually achieved, allowing the car to complete the final lap," the report continued. Just as Toyota's CEO vowed to

return and fight for its first win at Le Mans

, the Germany-based Toyota Gazoo Racing team has pledged to find the exact reason behind the No. 5's failure and prevent a future repeat.

"Currently it is not clear exactly why this failure occurred as we have verified the process used to produce the part here in Cologne," TGR said. "Further analysis is required to determine the root cause.

"Comprehensive investigations are underway at TMG to determine the precise reason for this issue with the aim of establishing countermeasures to avoid any repeat in the future."