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Vehicle safety record

2011 Scion TC Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 29 complaints about the 2011 Scion TC with NHTSA, most often about the lights (6) and the visibility & wipers (6). Those complaints describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 2 injuries. It is covered by 1 recall, the latest in September 2018 for the service brakes, hydraulic. For comparison, the 2010 has 0 and the 2012 has 8.

NHTSA data checked

CAbout as many problems as a typical TC year, for its age

#151 most complained-about 2011 vehicle

Complaints
29
Recalls
1
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
2
Deaths
0

Most common 2011 Scion TC problems

Share of all 29 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

2011 Scion TC recalls 1

Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do

Service brakes

18E091000544 vehicles affected

The problem
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain Toyota Racing Development (TRD) brake kits, part numbers PTR09-21111 and PTR09-52080, sold by Toyota as an optional accessory for model year 2008-2015 Scion xB, and 2011-2016 Scion tC vehicles. Over time, the brake hoses in these kits may fatigue and fail.
The risk
Failure of a brake hose will reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
The fix
Toyota will notify all known owners of the Scion xB and Scion tC vehicles upon which an involved optional TRD Brake Kit could have been installed. If the vehicle is equipped with one of the TRD brake kits, it will be replaced with a standard equipment brake kit, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0U.

What owners say

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29 complaints about the 2011 Scion TC

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 2.

Electrical system

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Scion TC. The contact stated that the vehicle was advertised on Facebook Market place with 183,000 miles. The contact stated that while purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that the odometer displayed 118,000. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the seller informed the contact that he had discovered there was a mileage discrepancy upon retrieving the Carfax report after purchasing the vehicle from the previous owner. The contact stated that based on the Carfax report, the mileage was 173,822 on February 6, 2024, but the mileage on the odometer was 118,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11702254
Brakes

Why did the dealer tell me this recall is not associated with my vin when I keep getting recall UNADDREESSED notices for my vehicle? This is a safety reason and a complete disconnect between dealerships and Toyota manufacture. I need this addressed immediately!

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11502920
Visibility & wipers

Bought this car for my 16 yo. He was driving home last evening with his 9yo brother in the car and they heard a loud pop. He pulled over to investigate the noise and discovered that his sunroof glass had shattered. Thankfully the inner shade was closed. No sign of impact from any type of object and no known prior damage to the sunroof. Just spontaneously shattered while driving down a straight road. Thank goodness my kids were not injured or covered in glass shards from this and it did not cause an accident as the car was in motion at the time.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11364895
Lights

It's 2020 and I just bought a 2011 scion tc. I took it to an inspection station in the state of maryland so I can have I registered in maryland. My vehicle failed the inspection because it does not have 2 rear reverse lights, it only has one on the driver's side. The passenger side does not have a port or wires for a reverse lights.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 11327451
SuspensionBrakes

I just recently bought 2011 scion tc about 3 months ago. Everything was going great and running smooth, then I had to start pushing the brake to the floor, as if it wasnt working. Then one day I was driving and I was turning into a parking lot and as doing so I hit the brakes and I burnt some rubber but basically the front locked up on me and I drifted my back end in, that's when I realized that I wasnt getting my brakes at they're full potential. So I looked under my car after it had been sitting for around 2...

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hours, I came back to find that I had leaking oil or something under both front tires, which had me begin to think if there was a leak. A friend then came up to me and told me he had found a recall for something on my car. I came upon your website and put in my vin and came to find out I have an unrepaired recall on my brake lines. I would like to get this settled so I don't have further issues.

Filed Incident Suspension · Service brakesNHTSA 11322269
Brakes

Takata recall when braking in low speed you hear a loud sound of the break pads and the rotors hitting each other

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11170235
Transmission & drivetrain

When the car is turned on and the clutch is released a very loud noise is heard from the undercarriage. When clutch is engaged the noise goes away. Car has 90k the clutch has been replaced along with throw off clutch bearing, but mechanic stated that the problem is inside the transmission. While driving the car a very loud whining noise is heard and today the car almost stalled twice and it felt like the gears were getting stuck and the clutch was not releasing.

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 11143012
Airbags

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 scion tc. After the driver and a front passenger exited the vehicle and closed both doors, the front passenger side air bag deployed with force. A white substance emitted into the interior and the front of the vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was unoccupied. The vehicle was taken to a dealer (autonation toyota las vegas, 6300 w sahara ave, las vegas, nv 89146, (702) 605-5801). The manufacturer sent a technician who concluded that there was no safety related defect. The manufacturer provided no solution. The vehicle was kept at the dealer's for over a month and was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 11034397
Lights

I reported to my dealer about there is only one backup light working. They said"that's the way it is". Apparently there is only one instead of 2 backup lights. At night it is a problem. I can't see where I'm backing into. It's a safety issue. They don't even know how to add another one. That means, I'm stock with it.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 10863277
Body, doors & structure

Every now and then I hear this rattling loud noise on my sunroof at slow speed. I noticed that it has something to do with the weather when it's hot above 80 degrees fahrenheit. I live in florida and it is hot and humid here. The rattling noise disappears after a minute. It's very strange. After reading all the complaints about sunroof shattered,exploded from other owners, I would like to have this particular model recall before anybody will have a serious injury.

Filed Incident StructureNHTSA 10863272
Visibility & wipers

Sunroof spontaneously shattered. I was driving down the road around 40mph and suddenly heard a very loud noise. Shortly after this, I heard my sunroof cracking above me. When I pulled over to look, I saw that my sunroof had shattered along the left, right and back of the sunroof. Took it to the dealership and they estimate it to be around $1200-$1300 to fix. $800 For the glass by itself. There were no other cars around me when it happened and nothing above me that could have fallen and done this. If you have had this same issue, please contact scion to let them know so we can get a recall started. 1-866-707-2466.

Filed Incident Unknown or other · Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10823165
Visibility & wipers

**Sunroof shattered** around 7:00 am on a monday (12/28) I go outside to warm up my car an notice that the sunroof is shattered! It is shattered in a way that appears it was from the inside going outward. The outside edges of the glass near the weather stripping is pulled away in an akward manner. None of my belongings were taken and no noticeable cause as to why it shattered. Again, simply parked in my driveway in roanoke,tx. Through my own investigating, I have found that this is a common occurrence in all year models of scion tcs. I just hope that toyota takes this into consideration moving forward. Lets see what the insurance and dealership have to say. *Js

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 10816999
Other & unknown

My daughter was travelling at about 50 mph when the sunroof exploded. Thankfully she did not lose control of the automobile. I called scion and they said there were no other reports of this happening. I had to go through my insurance carrier and at this time I am waiting for the part to have this roof put back on the car.

Filed Incident Unknown or otherNHTSA 10730873
Visibility & wipersBody, doors & structure

I was driving about 50 mph and I heard a very loud popping sound like a gunshot. I pulled over and saw that my sunroof glass had shattered (spontaneously). *Tr

Filed Incident Visibility · StructureNHTSA 10679220
Lights

I constantly have people stopping me to tell me that I have a back up light out. When I decided to replace the back up light, I found that there is only one. Even though there are two lenses, there is only one back up light. Therefore, if one burns out, I have no back up lights. It is also very difficult to see backing up at night. I was told by the dealership that in japan, they only use one back up light and on the 2011 models they only came with one. In my opinion, this is a safety issue on many levels and we,...

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as car owners should not have to flip the bill to get an additional back up lamp installed. There are after market kits available to do this. But, it involves cutting in to the wiring harness. State inspection laws say that back up lights need to work. How did they get away with this? *Tr

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 10614816
Visibility & wipers

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 scion tc. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the sunroof exploded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 88,888.

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 10607669
Engine & cooling

I bought a pre-certified 2011 scion tc on 5/8/2014, approx 10 days later, when my daughter was driving about 45 mph the car started to rattle near the front passenger windshield. It looks like a manufacturer defect but toyota dealer/warranty does not seem to cover. Seems like other folks are having the similar issue (from youtube). Just wanted to record this complaint. Not really an accident (sorry - not sure if this is the right forum). 2011 Scion tc https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=turrax_x7b8 <--- best one that sounds like our tc https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=jinqvkks4zm 2012 scion tc with https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=5b-g_s_ax8y. *Tr

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10596220
Transmission & drivetrainDriver assistanceBrakesEngine & cooling

While driving down the road my stability control light was on constant along with my abs light. My engine and transmission hasn't been doing right like it should be doing. Its like the transmission is slipping or my engine is missing. This is not acceptable to me. *Tr

Filed Incident Power train · Electronic stability control (ESC) · Service brakes · EngineNHTSA 10496806
Engine & cooling

Since I've bought my car, at every car start up there is a noise or a rattle that is briefly audible for about 1 second then stops. When the vehicle is started again, the noise is no longer there. This only happens at vehicle start up. It sounds something similar to a winding noise. The engine in my vehicle is the exact same engine in the 2011 toyota camry, 2ar-fe. A tsb has been filed for the camry however a tsb has not been issued for the scion tc. My current mileage is 29800. I recommend a tsb be filed for the...

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scion tc 2.5L 2ar-fe so I and others with this problem could repair our vehicles. Tsb for camry: tsb number: tsb-0146-10 nhtsa number: 10034924 tsb date: june 9, 2010 date added to file: february 1, 2011. *Tr

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 10466576
Transmission & drivetrain

Multiple issues with transmission. Including sudden acceleration in reverse, rolling backwards at stop lights/signs, bucking/surging at low speed, gear slippage, excessive & unpredictable engine braking, hesitation to shift, hesitation & rough shifting upon re-acceleration, & shifter sticking in park. *Tr

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 10465163
Engine & coolingCrashFire1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota scion tc. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle was involved in a multiple vehicle crash. The contact's vehicle was rear ended, causing it to spin around and burst into flames. A police report was filed. The contact sustained bruises and injuries to the neck, and back. The contact was unaware if there were any fatalities or any other injuries reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did offer any assistance. The failure and current mileage was 900.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10457667
Acceleration & cruise control

The second time this happened to my vehicle I was driving on the freeway at 7:00am on 2/6/12 on the 215 s. Going around 75mph. The accelerator pedal floored all the way down as if someone had their foot on it. I panicked and had no idea what to do but press the brakes. As I pressed the brakes the car jerked me around. I noticed cars in front of me starting to slow down as I was entering traffic. By that time my car was going 100mph on its own because I had removed my feet from the petals. I last minute reacted and...

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put my foot under the petal and propped it up myself and it immediately slowed down. When I took it to the toyota dealership in san bernardino they told me there was nothing wrong with it and I had to pick it up. I was very upset that they were not taking me seriously only because I was not in an accident. I did not feel safe and returned the car to them after having to pay them some money. I asked what they would do with the car and they said they would resell it. When I showed concern for the next owners safety they told me "it is not your problem anymore" I was very dissapointed because I have been a loyal toyota customer since the day I turned 18 and have only bought toyotas. I still can not beleive that they will resell it the way it is after they know what has happened to it not once but 2 times before, it is only a matter of time before it happens to that car again. I am pregnant and am very thankful that I reacted on time and was able to prop the petal back into place if I hadnt I have no doubt in my mind that me and my baby could have got really hurt not to mention the other drivers around me. Please contact toyota and have them do further tests on the vehicle before it results fatal once again it is not the first time this has happened to toyota. ( Also, I had no floor mats in my car at the time of the incident). *Tr

Filed Incident Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10451234
Lights

I have a 2011 scion tc and shortly after my purchase noticed only one reverse light works. I found out that this was how scion manufactured all their 2011 scion tc's. The thing that really throws me off is that it has the aesthetic appearance of two reverse lights but only one works. I can't tell you how many close calls I've had backing out of a parking spot and almost got hit by a passing car because they aren't able to see my reverse light. Not to mention, pedestrians. This is a huge safety hazard. It's only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt because of this. *Tt

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 10445905
Visibility & wipers

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota scion tc. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, he heard an explosion and noticed that the sunroof shattered. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,000.

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 10440036
Wheels & tires

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota scion tc equipped with toyo proxes st ii tires, size p225/45/18. The contact stated that while changing lanes at approximately 55 mph, he drove over a reflector in the road and the front passenger tire blewout. The vehicle was maneuvered to the shoulder and a spare tire was installed as a replacement. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 1,700.

Filed Incident TiresNHTSA 10433024

Scion TC: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
201522340Transmission & drivetrainC
201420161BrakesC
20139120BrakesB
20128210Visibility & wipersA
201129111LightsC
20100200-A
2009603151Engine & coolingF
2008863152Engine & coolingF
20071172216Engine & coolingF
All TC years

2011 Scion TC vs rivals

VehicleComplaintsRecallsCrashesGrade
2011 Scion TC2911C
2011 Scion XB5464FCompare
2011 Scion XD311CCompare

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2011 Scion TC

Does the 2011 Scion TC have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2011 Scion TC: service brakes, hydraulic (September 2018). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Scion TC?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the lights (6), visibility & wipers (6), brakes (4).

How many complaints has the 2011 Scion TC had?

29 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on May 16, 2011 and the latest on December 1, 2025. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 1 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2011 Scion TC a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 51 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Scion TC year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Scion TC years have the most complaints?

2005 (155), 2007 (117), 2008 (86). See every Scion TC year compared.

What should I do if my 2011 Scion TC has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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