2008 Scion TC problems & reliability
86 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Scion TC, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
9 complaints report injuries (10 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 23 | 27% |
| Structure | 22 | 26% |
| Air Bags | 10 | 12% |
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 6% |
| Visibility | 5 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 5% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 4 | 5% |
| Suspension | 4 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 70,388 miles (middle 50% between 40,000 and 110,753 miles), based on 70 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Sunroof / moonroof explosion. Driving 50 mph on freeway and what sounded like a gun shot was my moonroof exploding. Nothing hit the vehicle, it just exploded on its own.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 8, 2019
“Engine consumes too much oil . Have to refill the oil in my engine about two times in between oil changes.”
Engine · filed Jun 4, 2019
“2008 - scion - toyota - burning oil, burning a quart of oil in less than every 800 miles. Car is up to date with all maintenance. Mechanic referred us to dealership. Toyota issued a tsb - 'some 2006 ' 2011 model year vehicles equipped with the 2az-fe engine may exhibit engine oil consumption. The piston assembly has…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Mar 26, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
125 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Scion TC. The 10 most recent:
TT: HVAC drain tube is found to be blocked/clogged.
S-TT-0117-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 11, 2020
Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit excessive engine oil consumption. Toyota is now announcing the part replacement phase of Warranty Enhancement Program ZE7 for…
ZE7 Phase 2 POL1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2017
Warranty Policy Bulletin (POL14-12): Added the Short Block Release Authorization Flow Chart. Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit excessive engine oil consumption. Toyota is now announcing the…
ZE7_Warranty Pol · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2016
Warranty policy bulletin (pol14-12): added the short block release authorization flow chart. Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit excessive engine oil consumption. Toyota is now announcing the…
ZE7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2016
Warranty policy bulletin (pol14-12): toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit excessive engine oil consumption. Toyota is now announcing the part replacement phase of warranty enhancement program ze7…
POL14-12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2016
WPB: The engine is covered under the Toyota New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 5 years from the date of first use or 60,000 miles (whichever occurs first). However, Toyota is announcing a Warranty Enhancement Program to…
ZE7_Phase 2_Warr · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 18, 2015
"wpb: the engine is covered under the toyota new vehicle limited warranty for 5 years from the date of first use or 60,000 miles (whichever occurs first). However, toyota is announcing a warranty enhancement program to…
ZE7_PHASE2 11/18 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 18, 2015
WPB: The engine is covered under the Toyota New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 5 years from the date of first use or 60,000 miles (whichever occurs first). However, Toyota is announcing a Warranty Enhancement Program to…
ZE7_Phase 2_Warr · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 17, 2015
"wpb: the engine is covered under the toyota new vehicle limited warranty for 5 years from the date of first use or 60,000 miles (whichever occurs first). However, toyota is announcing a warranty enhancement program to…
ZE7_PHASE2 11/17 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 17, 2015
DD: In limited cases vehicles being serviced for ZE7 will require a replacement short block. Dealers will need to install the dowel pins between the short block and lower crankcase when performing this repair. A Tech…
ZE7_Important Do · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 12, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2008 Scion TC has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2008 Scion TC?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 70,388 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.