AI Damage2005 Scion TC: common problems
Owners of the 2005 Scion TC filed 155 complaints with NHTSA, most often about visibility and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 155
- involving a crash
- 25
What fails most often
- 1 Visibility 32% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 20% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 6% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 6% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- Visibility: 50 complaints (32% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 31 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 20 complaints (13% of all), 14 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 10 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 9 complaints (6% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 2 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 155 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 50 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 31 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 20 | 14 | 0 |
| Tires | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Equipment | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The side curtain air bags and driver's side air bag did not deploy. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a body shop. The manufacturer was contacted and reminded by the contact that there was an unknown recall for the side air bags for which the vehicle was repaired for in 2006.
I was recently in a potentially fatal accident and my airbags didn't deploy and I hit my head on the steering wheel pretty hard. I was on the highway and a deer bolted out in front of my car and my initial reaction was to avoid it and ran into a traffic sign and smacked the guard rail going around 50 mph.
The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
They made a grinding noise (like the pads were gone, but they are new ceramic pads). I ended up hitting the vehicle in front of me. I got a citation for following to close, which is $260.00, my insurance was increased by over $100.00 a month, I had to pay for her car plus $3750.00 of damage on mine.
Tl contact owns a 2005 scion tc. While driving approximately 35 miles per hour the accelerator pedal stuck. The contact put the vehicle in neutral and it failed to stop. The contact stated there was a crash and 3 individuals were injured. A police report was filed.
My son lost his life on dec 11, 2008 he was riding passenger in his own car, when his friend whom driving lost control of vehicle, the vehicle slid side ways, passenger side into a utility pole slid around and rear ended a tree, at which time my son was ejected out through the back window as a result to his death.
-emergency brake failing 2 weeks after purchase, which caused an accident. -the dealership misdiagnosing the wheel bearing (2-3 times, finally fixing it). -we've been to mcgee toyota probably 5+ times now, and woburn toyota twice, all for problems with a 2005 scion tc.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph on the interstate, the brakes failed. The brake pedal went to the floor. The vehicle skidded and hit a bump which caused injuries to the contact. A police report was taken. The vehicle was currently at an auto body shop.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 2,564 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 7% most complained about).
On average one model year of the TC has 58 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 155, above average.
What to check before buying
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Scion TC?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: visibility, structure, air bags. Total complaints: 155. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (34%), knocking, grinding or other noise (8%), airbags did not deploy (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 Scion TC?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2005 Scion TC from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2005 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.