"How reliable is the 2008 Scion Tc?"

"Based on 109 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Scion Tc has a median complaint mileage of 67500 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Scion Tc?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Scion Tc is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 109 total complaints filed."

2008 Scion Tc: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 109 complaints

109

Total Complaints

67,500mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

30,750 25th Percentile

67,500 Median Mileage

101,305 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

STRUCTURE:BODY

AIR BAGS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STRUCTURE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHEELS

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"1) THIS IS NOT A FAILURE DUE TO AN EVENT BUT A DESIGN FLAW ON THE SCION TC WITH ELECTRONIC THROTTLE "DRIVE-BY-WIRE". THE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS DELAYED BY 1/2 TO 1 FULL SECOND UPON LAYING FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. 2) AS A RESULT OF THIS DESIGN FLAW, THE CAR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL WHEN DRIV..."

"AS I WAS CHANGING LANES, I VEERED A LITTLE FAR ONTO THE LEFT SHOULDER AND HIT THE RUMBLE STRIPS ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I TURNED A SLIGHT RIGHT TO GET THE VEHICLE BACK INTO THE LEFT LANE AND MY TIRES "BROKE LOOSE". THE TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE RIM, AND I SLID INTO A HORIZONTAL POSITION, ACROSS B..."

"MY DAUGHTER HAD A NEW 2008 TOYOTA SCION, LESS THEN 3,000 MILES WHEN SHE WAS HIT BY A SEMI - FRONT DRIVERS SIDE. HER AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON EITHER SIDE -- EVEN THOUGH HER LIGHTS INDICATED THAT THEY DID DEPLOY. *TR HER SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK AND HOLD HER IN PLACE. SHE CAME UP AND OUT OF THE S..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28