Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||||
| 00202 | 05/31/2002 | 00202 | 10010086 | Paint stains under rapgard. (all toyota 2002-2005 models). *jb all '02 - '06 toyota & all '04 - '06 scions. *tt | 11/04/2004 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - BODY - ROOF AND PILLARS | ||||||
| PE06024 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 07/07/2006 | 12/06/2006 | GLASS MOONROOF SHATTERS | ||
| Odi's investigation discloses that the subject vehicles sustain moonroof shattering and/or damage at rates comparable to those for most other similarly equipped vehicles.this review also discloses that such incidents occur in most vehicles with moonroofs and that while tempered glass panels commonly used in moonroof fabrication are shatter-resistant, some catastrophic failures do in fact occur.impact with small stones or road debris may result in immediate or delayed shatter incidents, depending on the extent and nature of damage sustained by the glass moonroof panel.the manufacturer concludes that incidents of moonroof shatter are random occurrences that result primarily from impact with small stones or other objects while the vehicle is in motion. a safety-related defect trend has not been identified and this pe has been closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 07/24/2012 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Trunk handle to hatch snapped off as i was trying to open my trunk. now i can't access my trunk. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2010 | 50000 | 1 | |
| I purchased my tc in september of 2010... i notice afterwards that it rattles in the back,loud while going down the road... and it is so annoying. i've tried everything to get it to stop. also, sitting still with the car not in neutral it makes this loud rattle on the left side close to the gas tank.. what the heck??? *tr | |||
| 04/15/2011 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota scion tc. while the contact was driving approximately 70 mph, the sunroof glass unexpectedly shattered into the interior of the vehicle. the metal support frame also disengaged. the contact immediately pulled over to the side of the road and attempted to remove the broken pieces of glass. the contact stated that previously whenever driving over a bump in the road, a clicking noise emitted from the sunroof. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated that the failure was an unusual occurrence. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown. | |||
| 04/15/2011 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 toyota scion tc. while the contact was driving approximately 70 mph, the sun roof glass unexpectedly shattered into the interior of the vehicle. also. the metal support frame disengaged. the contact immediately pulled over to the side of the road and attempted to remove the broken pieces of glass. the contact stated that previously whenever driving over a bump in the road, a clicking noise emitted from the sun roof area. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician informed that the failure was an unusual occurrence. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was unknown. js | |||
| 02/28/2007 | 23 | 1 | |
| I have a 2006 toyota scion tc and the rear hatch back handle just completely came off. the car has close to 23,000 miles on it. i never use force to open the hatch back, never had any issue with it at all. one day i simply went to open the hatch and off came the entire panel with the handle. people honk at me when i drive to let me know it's hanging. (this is exactly the same as several people i know own tc's). right after it happened i got honked at on the freeway and it's distracting to myself and others. i really want this to be recalled for myself and others. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2006 toyota scion tc and the rear hatch back handle just completely came off. the car has close to 45000 miles on it. i never use force to open the hatch back, never had any issue with it at all. then last week i simply went to open the hatch and off came the entire panel with the handle. it was crazy i have pictures of it just hanging by the wires for the back lights. i took to dealership they denied to fix even with my platinum warranty package. i am very upset i feel this is not my problem. the manager at the dealer even said he sees this all the time. i have read on plenty of websites that people are having same problem. people honk at me when i drive to let me know it's hanging. right after it happened i got honked at on the freeway and it's distracting to myself and others. i really want this to be recalled for myself and others. *tr | |||
| 09/23/2007 | 25500 | 1 | 02/13/2006 |
| On 9/23/07 i was in an accident while driving my 2006 scion tc. the front end of my car hit the passenger side of another car. i had been at a stop and had just proceeded into the intersection about 20 feet when we hit, so i could not have been going more than 15-20 mph. the other driver's speed is unknown, although the posted speed limit is 35 mph. the entire front end of my car was ripped off and the frame was pushed back. the body shop estimated the damage to be well over $11,750 so the insurance company declared it a total loss. damage to the other vehicle was minor. not one of my 6 airbags ever deployed even though the force of the crash was enough to demolish the car and throw me against the driver's side door. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 12/03/2012 | 66000 | ||
| Hatchback door handle broke off in my husband's hand when he was opening the hatch. the handle is made of thin plastic and broke off with normal pressure and use. | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 50000 | ||
| I own a 2006 scion tc. when i grabbed the handle to raise the trunk the entire rear handle ripped completely off the car. upon research i see that this a completely common issue. when i called the dealer they claimed this was entirely my responsibility to replace. however clearly this is malfunction in the design of the vehicle | |||
| 09/05/2011 | 122000 | ||
| The trunk handle on my broke off. scion refuses to accept responsibility for this design defect. my husband glued it down, but my concern is that if the piece breaks off or detaches it could cause damage to another vehicle or injury. scion representatives said that it isn't a design flaw, but rather user error from failure to open the latch properly. this is not the case, as i am now even more careful now that the latch is glued on. even now when i am overly cautious to open the latch correctly, it still gets stuck and i'm concerned it will break again. now that i have had the incident happen, i have seen 4 other scions in various places that have their handle taped up, most likely due to the same reason. i find it hard to believe that scion believes it is the consumer who is at fault when it is clearly a flaw in the designs of their vehicle, and they refuse to correct the issue unless you have dropped hundreds of dollars with them at their dealership for oil changes or other services. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| There is a rattle noise coming from the rear left area around the hatch. this problem has been ongoing for years, and just realized many have reported the problem to toyota online and a few complaints on your site. the rattle occurs when idle on a stop light, or idle somewhere. there appears to be something loose as you can hear a loose object when going over a pot hole or uneven road. the noise is a distraction and almost caused me to have several accidents as i try to identify where the noise is coming from. the noise can be very loud at time. please make a recall on this issue since this problem appears to be a defect on the way the framing / body of the scion's was built. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| The hatch back trunk handle is very flimsy and made out of plastic. the trunk never opens just by pression the release latch, it also requires to pull on the flimsy latch, which could cause it to break. i have had to already replace it once. i have seen many reports here and online of the same problem with other owners. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| There is a rattle noise coming from the rear left area around the hatch. this problem has been ongoing for years, and just realized many have reported the problem to toyota online and a few complaints on your site. the rattle occurs when idle on a stop light, or idle somewhere. there appears to be something loose as you can hear a loose object when going over a pot hole or uneven road. the noise is a distraction and almost caused me to have several accidents as i try to identify where the noise is coming from. the noise can be very loud at time. please make a recall on this issue since this problem appears to be a defect on the way the framing / body of the scion's was built. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| The hatch back trunk handle is very flimsy and made out of plastic. the trunk never opens just by pression the release latch, it also requires to pull on the flimsy latch, which could cause it to break. i have had to already replace it once. i have seen many reports here and online of the same problem with other owners. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| There is a rattle noise coming from the rear left area around the hatch. this problem has been ongoing for years, and just realized many have reported the problem to toyota online and a few complaints on your site. the rattle occurs when idle on a stop light, or idle somewhere. there appears to be something loose as you can hear a loose object when going over a pot hole or uneven road. the noise is a distraction and almost caused me to have several accidents as i try to identify where the noise is coming from. the noise can be very loud at time. please make a recall on this issue since this problem appears to be a defect on the way the framing / body of the scion's was built. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| The hatch back trunk handle is very flimsy and made out of plastic. the trunk never opens just by pression the release latch, it also requires to pull on the flimsy latch, which could cause it to break. i have had to already replace it once. i have seen many reports here and online of the same problem with other owners. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| There is a rattle noise coming from the rear left area around the hatch. this problem has been ongoing for years, and just realized many have reported the problem to toyota online and a few complaints on your site. the rattle occurs when idle on a stop light, or idle somewhere. there appears to be something loose as you can hear a loose object when going over a pot hole or uneven road. the noise is a distraction and almost caused me to have several accidents as i try to identify where the noise is coming from. the noise can be very loud at time. please make a recall on this issue since this problem appears to be a defect on the way the framing / body of the scion's was built. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| The hatch back trunk handle is very flimsy and made out of plastic. the trunk never opens just by pression the release latch, it also requires to pull on the flimsy latch, which could cause it to break. i have had to already replace it once. i have seen many reports here and online of the same problem with other owners. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| There is a rattle noise coming from the rear left area around the hatch. this problem has been ongoing for years, and just realized many have reported the problem to toyota online and a few complaints on your site. the rattle occurs when idle on a stop light, or idle somewhere. there appears to be something loose as you can hear a loose object when going over a pot hole or uneven road. the noise is a distraction and almost caused me to have several accidents as i try to identify where the noise is coming from. the noise can be very loud at time. please make a recall on this issue since this problem appears to be a defect on the way the framing / body of the scion's was built. | |||
| 11/26/2011 | |||
| The hatch back trunk handle is very flimsy and made out of plastic. the trunk never opens just by pression the release latch, it also requires to pull on the flimsy latch, which could cause it to break. i have had to already replace it once. i have seen many reports here and online of the same problem with other owners. | |||
| 01/02/2011 | 0 | ||
| My 2006 scion tc trunk latch was hard to open. then one day the whole assembly fell off. in checking with nhtsa it was revealed that there are several complaints of this issue. how do we get a re-call?? | |||
| 09/02/2008 | 42546 | 1 | |
| The rear door latch broke off in my hand. the whole mechanism needs to be recalled. scion claims that the owner's manual advises not to let the mechanism bear any weight. this is erroneous, as the owner's manual tells you to lift after pushing the button. this lifting over time causes wear of the tiny plastic pieces that are bearing the weight of the entire rear/hatch back door. after having this problem i have been looking at other vehicles on the road, and not many have this kind of faulty design. the safety issue is two-fold: number one, the light on top of this mechanism is the brake light. it just falls off over time. once it is broken, there is no way to hold it in place and it blocks the license plate and also could fall off entirely and damage another vehicle. needless to say i could not believe that this was designed into the vehicle. i am convinced that numerous other people have had this problem as both the dealership and the scion help line admitted that this happens frequently. they all seem to be in collusion about it being a design defect even though they admit there is a problem with the weight bearing aspect of the trunk latch. i was to open it by touching the button and then lifting from the bottom of the trunk. when doing this it is impossible to open the door as the latch needs to be pushed at the same time it is lifted upward. otherwise the latch just stays locked. i find this whole situation problematic as i purchased a scion because of toyota's solid reputation of standing by their vehicles. as may vehicle is past its warranty this defect is not covered. i was told that as one time gesture they would fix the problem if i paid for it and then applied for reimbursement. i live from paycheck to paycheck and do not have the money to fix the dangling door latch. after speaking with scion over several days they agreed to cover the repair if the dealership would bill scion for the cost. the issue is that it will happen again. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - BUMPERS | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 9800 | 1 | 07/15/2005 |
| Tl* - the contact had a 2006 scion tc. the contact stated that his vehicle had been deemed a lemon by scion corporate. the vehicle was deemed a lemon because of rattling sounds coming from the hatchback for which 3 unsuccessful attempts were made to repair. other failures included: the transmission wouldn't engage when you put the car in reverse gear, the rear bumper was cracked, and the tires screeched. the contact was in an accident on 11/25/2006 at 3:30 am, on 110 expressway in los angeles. the contact was driving 60 mph. neither the weather nor the road conditions were a factor in the crash. during a turn, the tires weren't gripping the road well. the vehicle veered to the right and he applied brakes to slow car down. the consumer overcorrection to the left and proceeded into a ditch. the vehicle spun around and another vehicle hit him on the passenger side. the contact also stated that the airbags never deployed. the contact stated that the car being a lemon was the cause of the crash. the contact has a police report. *jb | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||
| 08/20/2012 | 120000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2006 scion tc. the rear hatch handle garnish broke off while driving. it seemed to only be held on by a few plastic clips. i cannot open my back hatch, and am concerned for my safety. multiple reports have shown this to be a safety hazard- in the event of an accident where driver/passenger doors cannot open, i will not be able to exit the vehicle via the back hatch. also studies have shown the hole created by the missing part may allow carbon monoxide fumes from the exhaust to enter the vehicle while driving. i have researched there is currently a class action lawsuit in the works and this issue has effected thousands of people. scion refuses to do anything about it. i have contacted them and was informed there is no recall and they will do nothing to help with the cost of replacing this defective product. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE | |||
| 06/10/2006 | 1000 | 2 | 05/28/2005 |
| (1) rattle in hatch and sunroof caused driver distraction (2) when going over speed-bumps and slightly uneven roads, the rattle-distraction might be harmful to the other drivers on the road and to pedestrians (3 )more than five visits over a period of seven months to the dealership has not resulted in rectification of the problem. *nm | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 9800 | 1 | 07/15/2005 |
| Tl* - the contact had a 2006 scion tc. the contact stated that his vehicle had been deemed a lemon by scion corporate. the vehicle was deemed a lemon because of rattling sounds coming from the hatchback for which 3 unsuccessful attempts were made to repair. other failures included: the transmission wouldn't engage when you put the car in reverse gear, the rear bumper was cracked, and the tires screeched. the contact was in an accident on 11/25/2006 at 3:30 am, on 110 expressway in los angeles. the contact was driving 60 mph. neither the weather nor the road conditions were a factor in the crash. during a turn, the tires weren't gripping the road well. the vehicle veered to the right and he applied brakes to slow car down. the consumer overcorrection to the left and proceeded into a ditch. the vehicle spun around and another vehicle hit him on the passenger side. the contact also stated that the airbags never deployed. the contact stated that the car being a lemon was the cause of the crash. the contact has a police report. *jb | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - ROOF AND PILLARS | |||
| 09/02/2005 | 2696 | 1 | 06/27/2005 |
| My boyfriend and i were driving my car on a clear, sunny day at highway speeds with the air conditioner running and all windows closed on i-495 in maryland, when we heard a loud pop. thinking that there was something wrong with the car or the tires i pulled to the side of the road where i then discovered that it was the moon roof wind deflector shattered. glass was falling in though the cover for the moonroof on our head. we ended up switching places and taking the back roads to the dealership. i called them and let them know what happened and found that they were very accusatory. we explained that we had not passed under any overpasses and no debris were observed either visually or heard while in the car coming from the road or another car. once dropping it off they tried to make me feel as if it was me and that my insurance may have to handle it. after a month of dealing with them they returned the car with a new moon roof and freshly painted rear spoiler. recently i found an article in the wall street journal stating that toyota motor corp in recalling 71,000 05-06 scion tc's. that was a huge relief to me, seeing as the dealership made it seem that it was a very limited problem and only a few cases have come about. *jb | |||
| 08/24/2005 | 604 | 0 | 08/11/2005 |
| 1) i was sitting in a restaurant parking lot with only my ac running when and all of a sudden my sunroof just shatters. no reason for the glass to shatter, had not opened the sunroof in 3 to 4 days, nothing hit the sunroof at anytime, and i was motionless when the glass shattered. 2) when the glass shattered pieces of glass rained down onto me inside my vehicle. i had a few cuts but nothing major. if i would have been driving when this happened i feel there could have been major problems and possibly glass in my eyes. 3) the dealership replaced the glass, but only after i had to argue that they pay for the repairs because i had only had the car for just under 2 weeks. now there is additional damage caused by the glass that i have to try to get fixed. *nm email reply on may 17, 2006 confirmed that it was the sun/moon roof (not the wind deflector) that shattered. | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - TRUNK LID | |||
| 07/24/2012 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Trunk handle to hatch snapped off as i was trying to open my trunk. now i can't access my trunk. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 02/12/2009 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Driving down the highway at 65mph, the sunroof shattered without anything hitting it. sunroof cover was closed preventing glass from coming into the cabin and preventing possible injury. after speaking with scion they are unwilling to cover repair costs sighting that it could have been debris from the road. clearly, i have no proof except for the numerous other claims through nhtsa. regardless, they have been less than helpful in rectifying the situations and solving the issue. *tr | |||
| 02/04/2009 | 28500 | 1 | |
| In early february 2009 my driver's side door did not open all the way. i thought that it just was sticking and gave it a harder push. it then started working fine. a couple of weeks later i went to the drive through at the bank and lowered the window. when i went to put it up it only went up half way. it was two months out of warranty. i took it to the dealer they told me that the way the hinge and window mechanism are designed i needed a completely new door, that the old one could not be fixed. i found out this is a design defect with the car which dealers were notified of in 2007, but were not required to notify vehicle owners. the repair was going to cost me around $2400. just found a friend who was able to fix it in an hour and a half. there is a modification available if you know about the problem and ask. modification really needs to be done before the problem occurs, or at least before you use the window after the door sticks, but if you are unaware of the design problem, the initial sticking of the door seems like a minor next time the car is service have it lubed type issue. *tr updated 09/01/09. *lj | |||