My mother in law hit a tree going 50 MPH hitting the passenger side of her car into tree, airbags did not go off. Because the airbags did not deploy she suffered major head trauma that lead to her death. The impact was so severe her passenger side of car was bent in to drivers side and she suffered broken limbs on right side of her body.
The worst 2004 Scion Xa problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine4
- Tires3
- Airbags2
- Electrical2
- Acceleration1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine4
- Tires3
- Airbags2
- Electrical2
- Acceleration1
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Lights1
Recalls 1
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2004-2006 Toyota Scion xA vehicles. The air bag control module for the supplemental restraint system (SRS ECU) may experience an internal short, possibly causing the air bags to unintentionally deploy, or become deactivated.
- Risk
- If the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners unintentionally deploy, it can increase the risk of a crash. If the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners are deactivated, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the SRS ECU, and if necessary, replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑888‑270‑9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0W.
Recall number 18V776000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Scion Xa 40
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- SB: Flash reprogramming allows the ECU software to be updated without replacing the ECU. Flash calibration...
- SSB: The procedure in this bulletin is a general guideline on how to properly diagnose the air...
- SSB: When servicing interior electrical switches and components, please note the precautions in this...
- The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of the correct...
- The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic...
- OBSOLETE NOTICE-October 16, 2014: This bulletin is now obsolete
- Automatic/Continuously Variable Transmission Replacement Precautions
- The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master...
- The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master...
- Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset
2004 Scion Xa fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5L 4‑cyl | FWD | 27 | 34 | 30 |
What 2004 Scion Xa owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
License plate is stolen over the night, while parked at 1200 lick av. San jose.
I just got home from work I was home 30 minutes. My son told me my car was cutting off an on. Grabbed my keys went outside an my was turning off an on ,started my car with the keys it started up, turned it off it came back on an it was idling hard then smoke started coming from engine popped my hood smoke flooding everything ran for fire extinguisher couldn't find it ran for the hose wet it. It's the wires from the battery down to under the front of the car. Left the hood up. Came out 3 hours later the fan is on in the car! Had to disconnect the battery to get the car to turn off completely! !!!
Driving home and hit another vehicle that was stopped. I was going approx. 40-45 MPH. At the time of the accident. I rear ended a older cadillac, in my scion xa, the air bags never went off!!
During a routine drive home, I drove over rail road tracks and the car began to accelerate without my foot on the gas pedal. The car continued to accelerate with both feet on the break. I verified that the floor mat was not stuck on the pedal. I placed the car in neutral and the engine was still pegging. I also tried to depress and release the gas pedal several times and that did not stop the acceleration. In order to keep from crashing, I had to keep my feet firmly on the break. This unintended acceleration was occurring for about a quarter mile. I attempted one final cycle of the gas pedal (depress and release) and that finally stopped the acceleration.
2004 scion xa. Drivers side floor mat interferes with gas pedal. No damage or injuries to date. Ongoing problem for more than 2 years.
Toyota motor corp manufacturing of the 2004 solara is absurd. Toyota will not repair or warranty anything on these vehicles. I have gone through 3 complete braking systems, replaced multiple sets of tires, the interior is already falling apart as the rear taillight is out and the front headlight as well. Toyota refuses to warranty any parts says its stated in the new warranty terms which I was never showed when I purchased the vhl brand new? The right side of the car is all rusted out from the braking system failings as well on a 2004 car? Worst car ever and worst manufacturer ever dealt with. Going to go back to gm corp they stand behind consumer complaints.
Dt: 2004 toyota sienna. The consumer stated two of the original tires have split. The front passenger and rear driver side tires were the ones affected. He woke up one morning and the front tire was flat. After taking it off the vehicle he noticed a two inch split by the sidewall. This was about an inch in the tread down two or three inches on the sidewall. The rear tire had the same split. When he noticed it had not gone flat. Toyota maintained that the consumer ran over something. He had to order and replace two new tires by himself, he replaced both front tires. The second tire occurred two weeks later. These are dunlop tires.
Dt: 2004 toyota sienna. The consumer states the run flat tires needed to be replaced with only 20,000 miles on the vehicle. This complaint has been found on other web sites. The dealership stated it was a problem with the alignment of the vehicle. On one of the tires, the core could be seen. These are the original tires for the vehicle. There was nothing to indicate there was a problem with the tires on the vehicle. None of the warning lights came on. These are dunlop tires, sp400tdsscott. The vehicle was taken in today, for a loud noise she believed to be the roof rack.
On may 28, 2005, while driving my 2004 toyota prius, several warning lights appeared on the dashboard, and my wife and I decided to take it to a dealer (toyota of dallas) immediately. Before we went much distance, the engine stalled and would not re-start. We called the dealer, who we asked to send a wrecker. This was done, and the car was taken to the dealer. The following appears on the dealer's work order: 10835 check engine light and other warning lights 801013 .2 eg4017 .8 1.0 as per tsb ego47-04 reflashed ecu and cleared codes t1-8a - t2-99" the car seems to be in good working order. There was no injury to me, my wife, or anyone else.
Compare the 2004 Scion Xa
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Questions about the 2004 Scion Xa
Is the 2004 Scion Xa reliable?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2004 Scion Xa, fewer than a typical Xa model year.
What is the 2004 Scion Xa year score?
The 2004 Scion Xa scores 89 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Scion Xa: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Scion Xa?
Engine and cooling, with 4 complaints. Next is tires (3).
How many recalls does the 2004 Scion Xa have?
1 recall, covering air bags.
What gas mileage does the 2004 Scion Xa get?
Official estimates for the 2004 Scion Xa range from 30 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.5L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 27 city and 34 highway.
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