When I bought this car, there was a couple recalls within 5 years of owning. One was fixed. The second was an oil consumption issue that my car passed by 100 miles and I was told it would not be covered. For the last few years the oil consumption has gotten worse. I have to put oil in the car when the light comes on, which is anywhere between 1k and 2k miles. As I'm driving, it can smell of burning, or start shaking, etc.
Scion TC fire or smoke problems
14 of the 693 owner complaints about the Scion TC describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 14
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 114,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20111
- 20091
- 20081
- 20075
- 20064
- 20052
Often reported together
What owners say
Just entered the interstate and was 2 miles from home when the car started shaking cause the car to make a sudden hard right across multiple lanes of traffic going down an embankment and hitting trees. Witness who saw the accident while traveling behind the car saw smoke coming from driver rear tire, then car began to shake and car abruptly went to the right and off the road. Highway patrol stated based on witness and driver accounts, the driver rear tire failed. The collision center states the interior portion of the driver read tire separated and failed. The entire tire separated clean.
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 scion tc. When the contact entered the vehicle, she noticed a flickering light and smoke coming from the console. The contact stated that the console and roof of the vehicle were melted. The fire department was called and determined that there was an electrical fire. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not towed or taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 172,000.
Vehicle burning oil at increasingly fast rate, large oil consumption. No oil light or dashboard warning. As I was driving down the highway my car shut down... I pulled over to the shoulder got out...my car was smoking... Within minutes my car was in flames.
Center console burst into flames causing an internal fire, while stationary.
Tl* the contact owned a 2007 scion tc. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the driver observed flames coming from the front passenger side floorboard. The driver pulled over and exited the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries reported. A fire and a police report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a junk yard. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 09/22/16*lj
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 scion tc. While driving 65 MPH, the contact noticed flames underneath the vehicle as it spread to the engine compartment of the vehicle. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,594.
2006 scion tc -battery light on -engine temperature indicator no working -whining noise coming from engine try to jumpstart makes this burning smell and wont start started seeing smokes from jumper cables so turn everything off now it's totally dead.
Shortly after parking the vehicle, it caught on fire. The fire capt. Stated it was an electrical fire near the alternator front side of the engine cabin.
My 2005 toyota scion tc turned off while I was driving. I put vehicle in park and re started it. Moments later the brakes failed and I turned into a plaza. At that point the steering failed. I did not know the vehicle was on fire until this point. I had no control of the car so I reached back and grabbed my two year old who was strapped in her car seat. Right before we jumped out the car stopped completely ( tires melted) , the flames were visible in front of me and the car filled with smoke. We jumped out and ran. Moments later the entire car was in flames. Witnesses told me that I was on fire for a while and they turned around to get my attention. No injuries or fatalities were suffered with this fire but it was way too close for comfort.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Scion TC fire or smoke
Which Scion TC years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (5 complaints), 2006 (4 complaints) and 2005 (2 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Scion TC?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history