TOYOTA SCION TC · model year

2008 TOYOTA SCION TC

10 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008TOYOTASCION TC carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 SCION TC is engine with 5 filings, followed by steering (1) and suspension (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2008 SCION TC, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

10
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE5
STEERING1
SUSPENSION1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY1

Recent Complaints

20230519ENGINE

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Scion TC. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The engine consumed a quart of oil every 4.5 miles. Additionally, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that oil was leaking into the piston rings. The contact stated that an unknown code illuminated for the catalytic converter. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

Mileage: 180,000

20230106ENGINE

2008 Scion TC engine suffers from an engineering flaw with its Piston Rings, it suffers from excessive Oil Consumption. It started at 65k miles on the engine. Total disaster.

20220719ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK

The contact owns a 2008 Scion TC. The contact stated that the trunk rubber seal had melted onto the bumper, causing the battery to drain and the electrical system to fail with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Mileage: 92,000

20220719ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

The contact owns a 2008 Scion TC. The contact stated that the trunk rubber seal had melted onto the bumper, causing the battery to drain and the electrical system to fail with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Mileage: 92,000

20211230ENGINE

Uses too much oil between oil change. 1quart low at 2000 miles. Should not burn this much oil. I have researched other vehicles having this same issue and this needs to be fixed. I checked Toyota website but it doesn’t show a recall for this car and it is have an issue that needs to be corrected. I scheduled an appointment for Jan 8th and hope they can get it fixed. But after reading what others have experienced for the same reason it will be more money out of my pocket due to Toyota not following through with their manufacturing mistakes. We shall see I guess.

20201208ENGINE

HIGH OIL CONSUMTION

Mileage: 131,000

20200917STEERING

I HAVE NEWISH WHEELS AND TIRES. LAST YEAR I TOOK MY CAR INTO LES SCHAWB TO GET AN ALIGNMENT DONE ON MY CAR THINKING THAT IS WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE GUY AFTERWARDS TOLD ME HE FIXED IT AS WELL AS HE COULD BUT WONDERED IF I HAD HIT SOMETHING IN THE BACK AND THAT'S ALL HE TOLD ME. MY STEERING WHEEL SHAKES BACK AND FOURTH RAPIDLY WHEN I AM COMING TO A STOP. MY CAR CAN NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT AT ALL EITHER WHILE I'M ON THE RODE. IT WILL PULL TO THE LEFT SO I TURN IT THE OPPOSITE WAY JUST A TINY BIT AND IT PULLS MY CAR THE OTHER WAY VERY HARD AND IT IS VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

Mileage: 40,000

20200917SUSPENSION

I HAVE NEWISH WHEELS AND TIRES. LAST YEAR I TOOK MY CAR INTO LES SCHAWB TO GET AN ALIGNMENT DONE ON MY CAR THINKING THAT IS WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE GUY AFTERWARDS TOLD ME HE FIXED IT AS WELL AS HE COULD BUT WONDERED IF I HAD HIT SOMETHING IN THE BACK AND THAT'S ALL HE TOLD ME. MY STEERING WHEEL SHAKES BACK AND FOURTH RAPIDLY WHEN I AM COMING TO A STOP. MY CAR CAN NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT AT ALL EITHER WHILE I'M ON THE RODE. IT WILL PULL TO THE LEFT SO I TURN IT THE OPPOSITE WAY JUST A TINY BIT AND IT PULLS MY CAR THE OTHER WAY VERY HARD AND IT IS VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

Mileage: 40,000

20200917UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I HAVE NEWISH WHEELS AND TIRES. LAST YEAR I TOOK MY CAR INTO LES SCHAWB TO GET AN ALIGNMENT DONE ON MY CAR THINKING THAT IS WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE GUY AFTERWARDS TOLD ME HE FIXED IT AS WELL AS HE COULD BUT WONDERED IF I HAD HIT SOMETHING IN THE BACK AND THAT'S ALL HE TOLD ME. MY STEERING WHEEL SHAKES BACK AND FOURTH RAPIDLY WHEN I AM COMING TO A STOP. MY CAR CAN NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT AT ALL EITHER WHILE I'M ON THE RODE. IT WILL PULL TO THE LEFT SO I TURN IT THE OPPOSITE WAY JUST A TINY BIT AND IT PULLS MY CAR THE OTHER WAY VERY HARD AND IT IS VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

Mileage: 40,000

20191206ENGINE

MY TC HAS VERY HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION. STARTING DAY ONE FROM OIL CHANGE, I HAVE TO ADD AT LEAST 2 QUARTS OF OIL TO ENGINE DURING THE 5000 MILES OIL CHANGE. THIS CAR IS VERY HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION, I BROUGHT TO DEALER AND HAVE IT TESTED TWICE, BUT DEALER SAID NOT QUALIFIED. FIRST TEST WAS 11-09-15, SECOND TEST WAS 07-28-17. MY CAR HAS NO LEAKING OIL, AND ITS ODOMETER 65K CURRENTLY.

Compare 2008TOYOTASCION TC to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 TOYOTA SCION TC have?
The 2008 TOYOTA SCION TC has 10 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 TOYOTA SCION TC?
The most-complained component for the 2008 TOYOTA SCION TC is ENGINE with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and SUSPENSION.
Is the 2008 TOYOTA SCION TC safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.