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Vehicle safety record

2012 Scion TC Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 2012 Scion TC with NHTSA, most often about the visibility & wipers (5) and the brakes (1). Those complaints describe 1 crash and 1 injury. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in September 2018 for the service brakes, hydraulic. For comparison, the 2011 has 29 and the 2013 has 9.

NHTSA data checked

AFar fewer problems than a typical TC year, for its age

#212 most complained-about 2012 vehicle

Complaints
8
Recalls
2
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
1
Deaths
0

Most common 2012 Scion TC problems

Share of all 8 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

2012 Scion TC recalls 2

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.

Equipment: labels

13V1230007,525 vehicles affected

The problem
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
The fix
Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

What owners say

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8 complaints about the 2012 Scion TC

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Visibility & wipers

I was driving on 60 freeway when my sunroof window exploded/shattered. I'm doing some research and its happening on this make and model frequently. I went to toyota and talked to them regarding if there is recall about it because looks like its a manufacturer defect. I ended up paying for it via my insurance. How can I as a consumer be protected if this a manufacturer defect? It seems they don't have a program about it. *Tr

Filed Incident Visibility · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11329502
Brakes

I HAVE A SAFETY RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. *TR

Filed Incident Unknown or other · Service brakesNHTSA 11321158
Visibility & wipers

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 scion tc. While the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, the sun roof exploded without warning or impact. Priority toyota chesapeake (1800 greenbrier pkwy, chesapeake, va 23320, (757) 213-5000) was contacted and advised the contact to call the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The insurance company was called and informed the contact to submit a claim. The failure mileage was 63,200.

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 11245457
Visibility & wipers

I was driving to work at 55 mph. My sunroof was close, air conditioner was on and windows up because it was raining. While driving heard a loud noise thought it was someone that had an impact by other car. When I looked up my sunroof was all of the something gone. I looked in the driveway by my mirror and it was flying like a "freeze biz" for no reason. I try to make a claim with the dealer and they didn't want to cover me. I also made a claim with my insurance company mapfre and told me it wasn't an accident so they didn't cover me. They mvp toyota dealer is charging me $4,359.25 For fixing it.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10955130
Body, doors & structureVisibility & wipers

On my way home on i-10 there was no traffic near me, windows up sunroof closed ac on, my roommate with me we hear what sounded like a gun shot than a shower of glass. We pulled over to find the glass panel in the roof had shattered there was no impact mark(s) I drove straight to the place I got the car(new) (philpot motors in nederland tx) where I was told that they had two cars on the lot that did the same thing, but completely refused to do anything about this issue. I called my insur, co. About it and that told...

Read the full complaint

me that should be warranty deal. No one had any information to help me, and I had searched and found many other people that have had this issue, and toyota refused to offer any help. Toyota needs to make this right to all the people with this car...

Filed Incident Structure · Unknown or other · Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10736222
Visibility & wipers

Driving to work in california, partly cloudy, around 60 degrees. All windows up, ac off, sunroof closed and visor shut. I am driving in the right lane at 65mph when I hear what sounds like a gunshot in my car followed by glass shattering and spraying over my car. I pullover to see that my sunroof had exploded from the inside outward. The whole in my sunroof is about 1ft 6in long and about 8in wide. The glass was shattered all the way around the perimeter of the sunroof and the middle appeared to look like pressure...

Read the full complaint

blew out the center. Lucky for me my visor was closed so the glass remains in there. Toyota refuses to have heard of this problem before but it took me 30 seconds to find plenty of evidence. This issue could cause serious injury to drivers and other motorists. No vehicle that has windows exploding spontaneously is safe to drive. I ask that toyota take responsibility now before it happens again and causes serious injury. *Tr

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 10606851
Electrical system

To date, I have had my vehicle repaired three times for the same malfunction. I worked with manufacturing and sales organizations and I have failed to receive substantiation beyond your organization's due diligence that my vehicle is safe for my family. These organizations have failed to diagnose the specific malfunction with my vehicle (electrical) and subsequently have been gutting my vehicle piece by piece devaluing it.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10544956
AirbagsCrash1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 scion tc. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 to 15 mph, he lost control of the vehicle swerved and crash head on into a telephone pole. Upon impact the air bags failed to deploy. The driver received injuries to his head, neck and back. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was pending an investigation. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was approximately 841.

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10481523

Scion TC: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
20166310Body, doors & structureB
201522340Transmission & drivetrainC
201420161BrakesC
20139120BrakesB
20128210Visibility & wipersA
201129111LightsC
20100200-A
2009603151Engine & coolingF
2008863152Engine & coolingF
All TC years

2012 Scion TC vs rivals

VehicleComplaintsRecallsCrashesGrade
2012 Scion TC821A
2012 Scion XB4645FCompare
2012 Scion IQ1714FCompare
2012 Scion XD502FCompare
2012 Scion Scion300-Compare

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 2012 Scion TC

Does the 2012 Scion TC have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2012 Scion TC: service brakes, hydraulic (September 2018); labels (April 2013). 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 2012 Scion TC?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the visibility & wipers (5), brakes (1), electrical system (1).

How many complaints has the 2012 Scion TC had?

8 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on October 23, 2012 and the latest on June 18, 2020. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 1 injury and 0 deaths.

Is the 2012 Scion TC a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 78 out of 100 (grade A: far fewer problems than 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 2012 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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