Scion · tC · 2010
2
Recalls
20
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2010 Scion tC has 2 recalls and 20 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: engine (7 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 AND JUNE 2, 2008 WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. DEALERS WILL ALSO CORRECT THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA AT 713-580-3300.
SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY MODIFICATION LABELS.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
My car is burning oil, like a quart per week I always maintain the oil level, not leaks I just want to know if Toyota can help me, I am a third owner of this car has 94000 miles
Warranty Enhancement Program – ZE7 OIL Leak Certain 2007-2010 Scion tC Extension of Warranty Coverage for 2AZ Engine Oil Consumption Toyota is now announcing the part replacement phase of Warranty Enhancement Program ZE7 for vehicles exhibiting excessive engine oil consumption. Eligibility for part replacement under this Warranty Enhancement Program is dependent on a Toyota dealer performed engine oil consumption test in accordance with T-SB-0158-14(Toyota) and S-SB-0031-14 (Scion). My daughter was never notified of this issue and they will not honor this and they told me it would have to be reopened in order for them to fix it at no cost to my daughter. Toyota needs to reopen this and fix my daughters car. The two letters that went out went to the original owner and I was told they used the DMV database which clearly had they it would have shown the date of purchase and the letter would have made it to my daughter. How many others did not get their car fixed are there more on the road with this issue?
Warranty Enhancement Program –Part Replacement for Excessive Oil Consumption (NEVER INFORMED OF THIS ISSUE) I just found out that this expired on 3/27/2020 but Toyota mentioned this was created by your department. and within this letter we never received they are not willing to fix my car since it just started happening to my car. I took it to the Toyota dealership because I kept getting my oil changed at VA tire and Auto and after 2000 miles 4 quarts of oil is gone. They told me to take it to Toyota so I did and the service manger gave me a copy of the letter that was never sent to me in November 2015. I spoke to Carlos at the Toyota HQ in Texas and he said that they used the DMV website to find the second owner which is me and on my Vehicle Registration Card from DMV the Purchase date is 8/6/2015 and the car fax shows DMV reported me on 8/26/2015 new owner living in Winchester VA. Carlos explained to me that the letter was sent in May and November 2015 to Manassas VA which means it was sent twice to the 1st buyer of the car. I am thinking if this is happening to me there maybe others who were never informed of this situation. I was told by Carlos your department is the only one who can reopen this claim because I was never listed as the owner of the car that I bought 8/6/2015 and still own. I am hoping that you can help me get this claim reopen and because from the ways things look Toyota did not follow the rules of informing the correct owners of the vehicles on this Support Program they called it. Toyota said that your department did not feel it to be a recall. I would appreciate some assistance in this matter. I have all the documents proving I was the second owner. I contacted Susan Hogan for assistance because Toyota HQ said they are not responsible. My files are too big to upload I would need to email the PDF files to show you proof.
I took my car to Toyota on August 7th 2021 and was informed my car needed a new engine due to losing three quarts of oil. The employee then informed me my car was under recall but they would be unable to fix the problem because the recall had expired. I never received a letter in the mail instructing me to take my car in for repairs due to this recall.
VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING ON HIGHWAY WHEN KNOCKING WAS HEARD AND ENGINE FAILIRE OCCURRED. WAS COASTED TO A STOP AND OIL WAS CHECKED. NO OIL IN THE VEHICLE. NEW ENGINE NEEDED FOR VEHICLE. VEHICLE IS AT 80,000 AND OIL CHANGES WERE MAINTAINED. NO OIL LEAKS VISIBLE.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION LEADING TO MOTOR LOSS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND SCHEDULED OIL CHANGES EVERY 3-5,000 MILES. IT SEEMS IT SHOULD BE HANDLED AS A RECALL BY TOYOTA IF THIS MANY VEHICLES ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION BEGAN AROUND 90K MILES. AT 148K, VEHICLE WAS REQUIRING MORE OIL THAN I WAS ABLE TO PUT IN. ENGINE BEGAN "KNOCKING", AND EVEN AFTER TOPPING OFF OIL, WITHIN 48 HOURS EXPERIENCED COMPLETE MOTOR LOSS. KNOCKING SEEMED TO BE WORSE WHEN IDLE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH A COUPLE STOP LIGHTS AND MAKE IT TO A SAFE PLACE BEFORE ENGINE STALLED COMPLETELY.
ENGINE IS BURNING AT LEAST 1 QUART OF OIL PER WEEK AND ESTIMATED DRIVING MILES PER WEEK IS BETWEEN 200 MILES TO 300 MILES. THERE IS NO MAJOR OIL LEAKS ANYWHERE THAT I CAN SEE AND THERE IS NO OIL ON THE FLOOR WHERE THE CAR IS PARKED.
MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN A TOWN ROAD IN OUR COMMUNITY ON CAPE COD ON A CLEAR DAY. SUDDENLY WE HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT. IT SCARED THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF US BECAUSE IT WAS SO LOUD, LIKE AN EXPLOSION. WE PULLED OVER INTO A PARKING LOT TO INVESTIGATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE SUNROOF OF THE CAR HAD COMPLETELY EXPLODED WITH SHATTERED GLASS STREAMING OFF THE BACK OF THE CAR. THANKFULLY, WE HAD THE CANVAS PART OF THE SUNROOF CLOSED. IF LEFT OPEN, WE WOULD HAVE HAD GLASS COMING DOWN ONTO OUR HEADS AND LAPS. THIS, FOR SURE, COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE SOUND ALONE, WAS TERRIFYING! IT SEEMED TO EXPLODE OUTWARD, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT SEEMED TO HIT THE ROOF. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING ABOUT TEMPERED GLASS AND REALIZED THAT IT IS NOT SO RARE OF AN OCCURRENCE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE INCLUSIONS OF NICKEL SULFIDE OFTEN FOUND IN TEMPERED GLASS. IT SEEMS THAT NOBODY AT OUR DEALERSHIP HAS EVER HEARD ABOUT THIS. IT APPEARS, AFTER INVESTIGATING CASES ONLINE, THAT IT HAS HAPPENED MORE OFTEN THAN ANYONE REALIZES. IT IS TRULY A HAZARD. WHAT CAN BE DONE? IF YOU LIKE VEHICLES WITH SUNROOFS, DON'T DRIVE WITH THE CANVAS OPEN UNLESS YOU COMPLETELY OPEN THE SUNROOF TO THE AIR. OR, DON'T BUY ANOTHER VEHICLE WITH A SUNROOF. OR, CHANGE THE WAY SUNROOFS ARE MADE??? *TR
I PURCHASED MY SCION FROM MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN FEB OF 2015. ON THE 17TH OF MARCH WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE DRIVER SEAT MOVED FORWARD ON ITS OWN. THE SEAT HAD BECAME UNLATCHED FROM THE SEAT RUNNER UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT. I HAD TO ADJUST THE SEAT AND MADE SURE THAT IT LOCKED INTO PLACE. SINCE THEN THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED OVER AND OVER. I WOULD SAY AT LEAST 40 TIMES. THE SEAT WILL NOT LOCK INTO PLACE WHEN YOU SLIDE THE SEAT FORWARD OR MOVE IT TO PLACE ITEMS BEHIND IT AS WELL. IT WILL LOCK ON ONE SIDE OF THE SEAT RUNNER AT TIMES AND I HAVE TO ADJUST IT EACH TIME. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE A SAFELY ISSUE WHEN BRAKING HARD OR IN A ACCIDENT AS WELL. I HAVE SEEN RECALLS ON THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER MODELS OF THIS AUTO. I TALK TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT THEY SAY THERE IS NO RECALL OR REPAIR BULLETIN ON MY MODEL AT THIS TIME. UPDATED 09/08/15*LJ 10/5 MA UPDATED 12/16/2015*JS UPDATED 12/06/2017*CN
RIGHT FRONT BRAKE NOT RELEASING WORE BRAKE PAD DOWN TO NOTHING. DISCOVERED BRAKE OVERHEATING SOUNDED LIKE A WHEEL BEARING FAILING BUT MECHANIC DISCOVERED BRAKE NOT RELEASING. *TR
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD PRETTY MUCH IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN COLORADO, CLEAR BLUE SKY, NO TRAFFIC AND MY SUNROOF DEFLECTOR SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES. NO IMPACT, NO NOTHING! TEMPERATURE AROUND 65 DEGREES, NO WEATHER. TAKING IT TO DEALER UPON RETURN AS I WAS 200 MILES AWAY FROM HOME WHEN IT HAPPENED. UNKNOWN IF SCION/TOYOTA WILL COVER REPLACEMENT...IT'S OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE! *TR
DRIVING TO WORK ON THE INTERSTATE ONE MORNING. ITS RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC SO WE ARE BARELY GOING 30MPH. I HEAR A LOUD NOISE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GUN SHOT. SO LOUD. IT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. UPON INSPECTION I SEE THE GLASS SUNROOF SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES AND TRICKLING DOWN THE BACK GLASS. TOYOTA NOR SCION WOULD TAKE FAULT. TOYOTA TOLD ME SOMEONE MAY HAVE SHOT A GUN INTO THE AIR AND THE BULLET HIT IT OR A HUGE ROCK HIT IT. REALLY PEOPLE, I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC VARELY MOVING IN THE INSIDE LANE.
DRIVING SURFACE WAS PAVED DRY TWO LANE ROUTE. SPEED APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR. LEFT REAR TIRE CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED. THE STEEL BELLED TREAD BECAME TOTALLY (100%) DETACHED FOR THE INTERIOR SIDE WALL OF TIRE. TIRE WAS BRIDGESTONE TURANZA (T0506) EL4PNZ 215/45ZR17. THIS IS THE SECOND TIRE IN LESS THAN A MONTH THAT HAS HAD A SIDE WALL FAILURE. I HAD ALREADY REPLACED A TIRE EARLIER IN THE SUMMER OF 2013 FOR SIDE WALL FAILURE. THREE OUT OF FOUR TIRES HAVE HAD SIMILAR FAILURES IN LESS THAN A YEAR. *TR
ON 11/14/13 I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 75 IN TROY, MICHIGAN AT A RATE OF 68 MPH WHEN AT APPROXIMATELY 8:15 A.M. I HEARD A LOUD SHATTERING NOISE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY. I LOOKED AROUND MY VEHICLE TO FIND EACH OF MY SIDE, REAR, AND FRONT WINDOWS INTACT. I THEN PULLED BACK THE SUNROOF COVER, ONLY TO HAVE SHARDS OF GLASS FALL ON ME. I DISCOVERED A LARGE WHOLE IN THE CENTER OF MY SUNROOF WINDOW. I EXITED THE CAR TO EXAMINE THE DAMAGE FROM THE OUTSIDE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION I DISCOVERED THAT DESPITE HAVING THE SUNROOF IN THE FULLY CLOSED POSITION THE WIND DEFLECTOR SHIELD HAD POPPED UP AND THE ARMS THAT ATTACHED THE GLASS TO THE SLIDING TRACK HAD BROKEN OFF. ADDITIONALLY, THE GLASS WAS BOWED OUTWARDS, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE BROKEN GLASS UNDERNEATH THE WIND DEFLECTOR SHIELD INSTEAD OF INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FRACTURING PATTERN AND BREAK LOCATIONS WERE INDICATIVE OF A STRUCTURAL PRESSURE BREAK AND NOT AN IMPACT BREAK. TOYOTA DENIED ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE SCION TC AND INSISTED THAT THE BREAK HAD TO HAVE OCCURRED FROM AN IMPACT. THE WEATHER THAT DAY WAS CLEAR AND 33 F AT THE TIME OF THE BREAK WITH CLEAR SKIES. I WAS ON AN OPEN ROAD WITH NO NEARBY OVERPASSES. *TR
DRIVER'S SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY IN POSITION AGAINST THE ROOF OF THE CAR AND FALLS AT WILL, WHICH IS A HAZARD AS IT LIMITS VISIBILITY, SOMETIMES AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME. AT TIMES IT MERELY STAYS IN THE LOWEST POSSIBLE POSITION, WHICH MAKES CERTAIN DRIVING MANEUVERS VERY DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS - ESPECIALLY IN BAD WEATHER. I KNOW TOYOTA HAS A RECALL FOR THIS SAME ISSUE ON THE CAMRY, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD BY ONE OF THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS THAT SEVERAL OTHER MODELS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE, BUT WITH NO RECALL. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY TOYOTA. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 SCION TC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL FILLER TANK CAP WOULD DISLODGE WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REFUELED. ALSO, THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD ABNORMALLY TRAVEL TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN DEPRESSED AND WOULD FEEL SPONGY. AS A RESULT, THERE WAS A DELAY IN RESPONSE FROM THE VEHICLE WHEN BRAKING. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,486.
TL* THE CONTACT LEASED A 2010 TOYOTA SCION TC WITH YOKOHAMA S32A93201(NA) TIRES, SIZE 215/ 45 R17. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRES WOULD CONTINUOUSLY LOSE AIR. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO ADD AIR TO THE TIRE WEEKLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SIDEWALLS OF THE TWO PASSENGER SIDE TIRES WERE CRACKED. THE MECHANIC TRIED TO SEAL THE TIRES BUT THE TIRES BLEW AS THE CONTACT DROVE HOME. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 11,000. UPDATED 9/4/13 *CN THE TIRES WERE REPLACED/REPAIRED.
TRAVELING AT POSTED SPEED ON CURVED ROAD IN RAIN. APPLIED BRAKES COMING INTO THE TURN, BUT TIRES LOST TRACTION AND VEHICLE SPUN AROUND AND SLID ONTO A DIRT EMBANKMENT WITH SHRUBS AND SMALL TREES. NEITHER THE FRONT OR SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND I HIT MY HEAD AGAINST THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW. I DO NOT BELIEVE THE TIRES THAT ARE PROVIDED ARE SUITABLE FOR WET PAVEMENT. *TR
AT 70 MPH ON A STRAIGHT SECTION OF I-40, THE SCION TC 2010 UNEXPECTEDLY VEERED LEFT. DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO STEER RIGHT AS THE VEHICLE CONTINUED GOING LEFT FROM THE RIGHT LANE TO THE LEFT. THE STEERING WAS NOT RESPONSIVE, RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE GOING INTO THE MEDIAN SAFETY WIRES. THE VEHICLE IS TOTALED. *TR
HAPPENED LAST WEEKEND, WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN IN MY NEW 2010 SCION TC. CAR IS JUST BARELY 2 MONTHS OLD AND LESS THAN 800 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MIDDLE PART OF A NICE, MILD DAY, DRY ROAD, BUT SOME BROKEN PAVEMENT/ROUGHNESS AT THE CORNER THERE. SOMEONE COMING FROM MY 3 O'CLOCK POSITION WAS PLANNING TO MAKE A U-TURN IN THE INTERSECTION SO I ATTEMPTED TO STOP FOR THEM BEFORE COMPLETING MY RIGHT TURN. APPLIED BRAKES AND PEDAL RESISTANCE AND DECELERATION RATE INITIALLY SEEMED NORMAL, BUT THEN WHEN IT GOT A LITTLE BUMPY THE BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT WENT TO ZERO AND SO DID MY BRAKING. SO MY CAR PROCEEDED WITH THE MOTION, AT COASTING SPEED -- NOT ACCELERATING (MY FOOT WAS OFF THE GAS, ON THE BRAKE PEDAL), BUT ALSO NOT SLOWING AT ALL! *JB
The 2010 Scion tC has 2 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 20 owner-reported complaints for the 2010 Scion tC.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2010 Scion tC.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2010 Scion tC are engine (7 reports), visibility (3 reports), service brakes,fuel/propulsion system (1 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 2 recalls on record for the 2010 Scion tC. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.