2008 SCION TC Complaints

THERE HAD BEEN A BIG SNOWSTORM THE DAY PRIOR. I WAS DRIVING IN THE MORNING IN VERY COLD TEMPERATURES. THE ROADS HAD BEEN PLOWED BUT THERE WAS STILL SLUSH ON THE HIGHWAYS. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, MY BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH I WAS NOT DRIVING AT AN INCREDIBLY FAST SPEED. I WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAIT AN HOUR FOR THE TEMPERATURES TO WARM UP. SINCE THEN, I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES HAVE A REPEATED TENDENCY TO NOT PROPERLY SLOW DOWN THE CAR IN COLD CONDITIONS (BOTH RAIN AND SNOW). THE SYMPTOMS OF THIS INCIDENT VERY CLOSELY MATCH THE TOYOTA RECALL THAT WAS INITIATED FOR OTHER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN 2008 THAT HAD BRAKE FAILURES WHILE DRIVING IN SNOW AND COLD CONDITIONS. I CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT TO REPORT WHAT HAD HAPPENED BUT THEY INSISTED THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE. THEY ADVISED ME TO HAVE THE VEHICLE INSPECTED. ON 21 MARCH, I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO AN AUTO SHOP FOR A BRAKE INSPECTION. I WAS TOLD THAT THE BRAKE PADS APPEAR NEW AND THERE ARE NO NOTICEABLE ISSUES WITH MY BRAKES. *TR

ENGINE IS BURNING LARGE AMOUNTS OF OIL BETWEEN SCHEDULED 5000 MILE OIL CHANGES. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS IN AUGUST 2014. WHILE DRIVING MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I STOPPED AND CHECKED THE DIP STICK TO FIND THAT THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF OIL. AT THIS TIME I CHECKED FOR LEAKING OIL IN MY GARAGE AND WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANY. I ASSUMED THAT POSSIBLY THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT PUT ENOUGH OIL IN THE VEHICLE DURING THE LAST SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE. THE SECOND TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS ON 12/14/14. MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN I PULLED OVER REALIZED I HAD NO OIL IN MY CAR AGAIN. STILL NO LEAKING FOUND IN MY GARAGE. I AM SURE IT HAD ENOUGH OIL IN IT AFTER THE LAST OIL CHANGE WHICH OCCURRED BETWEEN THE TWO INCIDENTS. AFTER HAVING THE OIL CHANGED THE LAST TIME I CHECKED THE VEHICLE TO BE SURE THAT IT HAD ENOUGH AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

WE OWN A 2008 SCION TC AND IN THE WINTER THIS CAR GETS EXCESSIVE SNOW AND ICE BUILD UP IN THE WHEEL WELLS AND THIS BECOMES A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN TRYING TO TURN. I AM WONDERING IF THERE HAS BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR THIS CAR FOR THIS ISSUE, THE PLASTIC USED IN THE WHEEL WELLS SEEMS TO HOLD THE SNOW AND ICE RATHER THEN FALLING OFF. IS THEIR ANYTHING THAT YOU KNOW OF THAT COULD BE DONE TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE? I HAVE SPOKE WITH OTHER SCION OWNERS AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. PLEASE REPLY WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IF THEIR IS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU, *TR

JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS, MY REAR HATCH PANEL CAME OFF I WAS OPENING THE TRUNK. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS ISN'T A RECALL. I NEVER GOT THE LETTER STATING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO REPLACE THIS. HORRIBLE. THE ONLY REASON IT HASN'T COME OFF PRIOR TO THIS IS BECAUSE I CONTORT MY BODY TO OPEN THE TRUNK BECAUSE I CAN TELL IT WANTS TO COME OFF. WELL IT FINALLY DID. ANYONE THAT GOES NEAR THAT REAR HATCH PANEL WITH THE EMBLEM GETS YELLED AT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SCION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE HATCHBACK DOOR DUE TO THE BACKDOOR GARNISH ASSEMBLY SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

EACH TIME I BRAKE, MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON. WENT TO THE LUBE PLACE, AND WAS ALMOST OUT OF OIL. NO LEAKS, BUT BLACK SMUT IN EXHAUST PIPE. SEEM TO BE BURNING EXCESSIVE OIL. RESEARCHED ON INTERNET, AND IS A RECOGNIZE PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA CARS. TOYOTA ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN TO ITS DEALERSHIP. DEFECTIVE PISTONS WERE USED IN MANUFACTURING THE CARS, BUT THERE IS NO RECALL. TOYOTA TOLD ME IT'S NORMAL FOR THEIR CARS TO BURN A QUART OF OIL EVERY 800 TO 1,000 MILES, TO CHANGE MY OIL AT 3,000 MILES (WHICH I NORMALLY DO), TO CHECK IT EVERY 1,200 MILES AND TOP OFF IN LOW. UNACCEPTABLE. WHY WOULD I BUY A BRAND NEW CAR WITH DEFECTIVE PARTS? AND WHY SHOULD A MANUFACTURER THINK IT'S OK TO MAKE AND SELL CARS WITH DEFECTIVE PARTS? WHY ARE THEY NOT HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR BASICALLY STEALING FROM PEOPLE? THE SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT A COST OF AROUND $6,000 (ABOUT 25% COST OF A NEW CAR). *TR

MY VEHICLE IS ALMOST 6 YEARS OLD. IT WAS BROUGHT BRAND NEW IN JUNE 2008. I'VE ONLY TAKEN IT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIPS SINCE PURCHASE FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THE MILES CURRENTLY ON MY CAR IS 70,775 AND I WAS SCHEDULED FOR MY NEXT MAINTENANCE CHECK AT 71,443 PER THE DEALERSHIP MAINTENANCE STICKER. PRIOR TO THIS EVENT, THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN I-95 SOUTH IN EMPORIA VA ON 05/21/2014 COMING FROM WASHINGTON, DC, I EXPERIENCED ENGINE FAILURE WHILE GOING THE SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO COAST SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AFTER AVOIDING MULTIPLE CARS AND TRUCKS THAT ALMOST CRASHED INTO ME. MY CAR INSURANCE COMPANY WAS CALLED. I WAS ABLE TO GET TOWED TO AN APPROVED REPAIR SHOP THROUGH MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THE DIAGNOSTIC FROM THE REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED I WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE DUE TO "WHOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK CAUSED BY LOW OIL" OF WHICH THE LEAST EXPENSIVE WAS GOING TO COST $4,000. I CALL THE NATIONAL SCION CENTER TO REPORT WHAT HAPPENED. THEY ADVISED ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE CLOSEST AUTHORIZED DEALER TO HAVE THEIR COMPANY LOOK AT THE VEHICLE WHICH I DID. PER THE AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIPS DIAGNOSTIC REVIEW "THE TECHNICIAN FOUND HOLE IN BLOCK BY CYLINDER #1, FOUND PISTON WRIST PIN IN BOTTOM ON ENGINE COVER, NEEDS NEW OR USED ENGINE". WHEN I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS HE SAID THE OIL LEVELS WERE VERY LOW AND THAT THE OIL WAS ALSO VERY DIRTY. I CALLED SCION TO SEE WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT AND I WAS TOLD NOTHING WOULD BE DONE BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OVER 60,000 MILES. I FIND THIS VERY UNSETTLING SINCE THE CAR WAS IN GREAT CONDITION PRIOR TO THIS OCCURRENCE AND THERE WAS SO INDICATION SOMETHING WAS WRONG. LIKE I MENTIONED, I'VE ONLY ALWAYS TAKEN MY CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND I WASN'T DUE FOR ANOTHER SERVICE CHECK FOR ANOTHER 668 MILES. *TR

MY ENGINE SEIZED. LONG STORY SHORT, MY CAR WAS BURNING OIL AT A RATE OF 1 QUART EVERY 700 MILES. I WAS TAKING MY CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP EVERY 5000 MILES FOR MY FREE OIL CHANGES. NO ONE NOTICED I WAS BURNING THAT MUCH OIL UNTIL I STARTED HEARING SOUNDS FROM MY ENGINE. IT WAS TOO LATE AT THAT POINT. THERE WAS PERMANENT ENGINE DAMAGE CONFIRMED BY 2 MECHANICS AT PRIVATE SHOPS. AFTER ADDING HIGH MILEAGE OIL TO MY CAR TO SLOW DOWN THE OIL CONSUMPTION AFTER A MONTH OF HEARING THE SOUND AND NOTICING THE AMOUNT OF OIL BEING BURNED, THE ENGINE SEIZED LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER THAT. I HAD TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ENGINE BLOCK. CORPORATE TOYOTA COVERED THE BRAND NEW ENGINE BUT I HAD TO PAY FOR SERVICE (ALL DONE AT ANOTHER DEALERSHIP) WHICH CAME OUT TO $3000 OUT OF MY POCKET. *TR

I WAS OPENING MY TRUNK AND THE HANDLE LATCH AND LIGHT CASE FELL RIGHT OFF. I AM NOT A VERY STRONG INDIVIDUAL SO HOW THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME COMPLETELY STUMPS ME. SINCE THIS INCIDENT I HAVE NOTICED THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON MORE AND MORE SCION TC'S. I BELIEVE THIS IS A STRUCTURAL BODY ISSUE THAT THE COMPANY SHOULD ADDRESS.

TRUNK BROKE OFF WHILE OPENING VEHICLE. I AM A 115LB FEMALE, SERIOUSLY LACKING THE STRENGTH TO BREAK A WELL MADE CAR. DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO FIX DEFECT WITHOUT CHARGE. *TR