2005 Scion TC problems
NHTSA has received 203 complaints about the 2005 Scion TC, and 25% of them involve wipers, windshield & visibility. After that come body & structure (16%) and air bags (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 203 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 34 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 40 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 37,000 miles 152 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 47 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 30 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 8 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 152 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 37,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 33,000 miles (38 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 34 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 40 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 93% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Scion TC with enough data (143 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
My daughter making a left turn was struck by a pickup truck. The driver's door was torn from the car, the drivers seat belt shredded causing her to be ejected from the car. The resulting injuries caused her death. 2005 scion tc.
My son lost his life on dec 11, 2008 he was riding passenger in his own car, when his friend whom driving lost control of vehicle, the vehicle slid side ways, passenger side into a utility pole slid around and rear ended a tree, at which time my son was ejected out through the back window as a result to his death. He had his seat reclined, in which you see people doing this all the time while traveling.
My 2005 toyota scion tc turned off while I was driving. I put vehicle in park and re started it. Moments later the brakes failed and I turned into a plaza. At that point the steering failed. I did not know the vehicle was on fire until this point. I had no control of the car so I reached back and grabbed my two year old who was strapped in her car seat. Right before we jumped out the car stopped completely ( tires melted) , the flames were visible in front of me and the car filled with smoke.
The rear trunk hatch molding panel broke off and the electrical cord with latch release is unsecured and dangling. It has to be secured to car with tape but that covers brake light. I was pulled over today by a california police officer , who informed me that it "is a safety hazard and unsafe". There are thousands of scion tx and xbs from 2005-2011 with the same problem as seen in this facebook page and petition for recall.