I've had my tC since May... Ive put almost 7K miles on it since then... But... Its been in the shop almost as much as Ive driven it... Ive also been to 3 different dealers to get them to fix the problems...

So Far this is what has been done:

4 Alignments, Car still pulls to the right... Ira Scion and Woburn Foreing Motors say that its normal for this car to pull...
(Clair has the car, said there is a TSB that needs a Rack, P/S Pump and links)

RATTLES, RATTLES, RATTLES, you name it, it rattles. Ira said that they couldn't reproduce the sounds WFM said rattle are normal. Clair is working on it...

2nd Gear makes a vibrating sound around 3K RPMS... Ira said nothing and WFM says thats normal...

CD player, wont play CD's... None of the dealers could reproduce this, as soon as I left, it stopped working, but when I turned around and get back, it was working... They are going to look into it...

Engine Idles TERRIBLY... especially with the A/C on... Dealer says that this is normal, Clair is looking into it... My previous car a 2001 Chrysler Concorde Idled like it wasn't even running at all even with the A/C... I dont get it, all the car magizines say that Toyota engines are amungst the smoothest, but this car is very rough...

The Front suspension clunks over bumps...

Gas mileage for a 4 Cyl is horrible as well, I only get 270 miles or so out of a tank, and it takes about 13.1 gallons from empty to full about 20 mpg Not very good at all, where as my Concorde with a Big V6 got 29-31 mpg and went about 400 miles on the SAME amount of gas per tank... Whats up with that?

I purchased this car because I believed that Toyota makes a Quality product, that is supposed to have top rated reliability, but this car has given me more grief then all of my cars combined... Ive only put 7K miles on this car and its acting like a car that has 100K+ miles...

Ive spoken to Scion about the problems and they really arent doing anything to help either...They just tell me that they will contact the dealers to see what they can do... Neither dealers or Scion has done anything to help... Its a PITA to not have a car for a few days at a time, then get the car back and they say that either its a normal thing or they couldn't reproduce the problem... (I went for a ride with the service tech at WFM and Clair)

Sorry for the long post, just needed to vent...

 

I got about 318 out of my tank last fillup and didn't bother checking the MPG. Sure you aren't hitting the pedal too much?

 

Every car isnt perfect. You seem to have a car with every problem. The tC wont get great mileage because of the gearing though. None of your Chryslers were even close to sporty so they probably have a nice big overdrive for good mileage but a little less performance. Sounds like you have a lemon with this car. I get about 325 a tank too.

 

I hear ya about the "can't reproduce the problem, it's normal" crap..I've been through all that. I was having problems with my moonroof shade first. It kept catching when I tried pulling it back (note: everything with the car before hand was PERFECT! no rattles, nothing!) Anyways, I took it in to get the shade fixed and naturally they didnt notice anything wrong with it. They replaced the shade, but in order to do this they had to remove the whole headliner. It took FOREVER to fix this problem and I finally got tired of waiting and picked up my car for the weekend while I waited for the remaining parts to come in. Finally took the car back and they fixed the shade and put the headliner back in. WELL, I get the car back and there are grease spots EVERYWHERE and my moonroof magically started rattling. They never could recreate the rattle that I heard everytime I drove the car and never could/did fix it! Scion headquarters started out being really nice with me and helping me as much as they could, but eventually stopped calling and caring! So again, your not the only one to have these problems I finally gave up and my boyfriend and I started trying to fix the problems ourselves.

 

sounds like you got a lemon.. why don't you investigate getting yourself a lemon lawyer? you've been through way too much stuff...

 

I considered it, called a lawyer and everything, but Monday (Halloween) some @ss pulled in front of me and totaled my TC. So, don't have to worry about it anymore even though I miss my baby!

 

Ummmm... Not too sure about that... My Intrepid had the performace handling package and could out corner my tC anyday and had a better turning radius... Same with my friends 300M..


I should look into a lemon lawyer, but the payemtns on this car with insurance, gas, and my other bills, I wont be able to afford one... Im going to look into the Mass. Lemon Law...

 

I didnt mean the tC is very sporty or those cars are not so much. The tC is a heavy car with a smallish engine engine. It uses aggressive gearing to make it faster which is bad for mileage but good for acceleration. Most American cars have larger more torquey engines so they use less aggressive gearing get good mileage and still have pretty good preformance.

 

For the rattles, do not leave it alone with the dealer. Make someone ride with you so you can point out all the rattles and locations.

For the CD player, they should replace it with no questions asked. Under warranty.

For the steering to the right. All cars will move to the right on most roads as roads are built for drainage meaning they "tilt". But it should be a gradual move to the right and not a drastic move to the right (or left if you are in the left lane).

Good luck with your tC.

Kevin

 

shoot ... i got 7k miles on my scion too. runs like a true champ should

 

The other issues are messed up.. clearly a case of one bad seed. Sorry you got one like that... but the gas mileage ??? It states everywhere (including on the dealer stickers) 19-22 in town and 29-30 on the highway.. they never said this car had great mileage.

 

I did ride with the Service tech... I didn't say a word to him he heard the rattles himself. Theses rattles are so bad the radio has to be at about 40 to not hear them anymore... Especially the metal sound from the dash... The tech said to me " is that what your hearing...?" I said yes "but wait there's more" He then heard the Roof creak and the hatch make that god aweful taping and banging... He also heard the suspension and they are going to work on the rough idle... The pulling is drastic... if you take your hand off the wheel on any road whether it be on new pavement or rough the car jerks right like someone is steering it... On the highway, I have to have a death grip on the wheel so it doesnt go into the next lane or the lane next to that...

And for the mileage, I dont drive the car hard, I rarely redline and about 3000 rpms is when I shift, most of the time I actually shift early... I should be getting better mileage then what I am... I read over the lemon law for MA and today after classes (where I am right now) Im going to call the MA consumers affairs office that a website told me to call for proper information regaurding my tC... I love the looks and performance the tC gives me, but I think that something needs to be done about the several trips to the dealers and nothing is being done... We will see once Clair gets through with it...

 

I am too, having many problems, and Scion and my dealership are ALSO giving me the run around. Maybe we can start a club?

 

I think there is already a club.

 

Ok...I got my car back from Clair today...

the pulling is 400X worse... I have to actually hold the wheel about 3 inches to the left so that the car stays straight... They put in a new rack, and did an alignement but still, it pulls to the right ALOT worse then it did...

I Have to call them first thing in the morning to get this straitened out... Now that this is the 4th repair attempt on the same thing, it over qualifies for the MA, lemon law... I have written out the letter and have contacted the Ma. Office of Consumer affairs... Next is the Final repair attempt...

Im SO fed up with this POS car...

If I end up do getting Toyota to claim it as a lemon, I definetly will not be buying another Scion or Toyota product... I bought this car because I falsely belived that Toyota was one of the best for Quality and Reliability... I was dead wrong... Not bashing the Brand or anything, but WTF...

 

Did you get the TRD 18" wheels? I did, and I had the same problem with my car pulling. Had it back to the dealer 3x before a master technician from toyota drove up to Syracuse to fix it himself. Now it's fixed.

Btw, think you've had problems? I've had a ton, but I haven't posted them here, I'm more of a YSTC guy, but whatever. I feel your pain man. Just have to deal with each issue one at a time. In the end, it's worth it to keep this fantastic car, and not let the small bumps in the road get you all stressed out.

 

i have to say that the TC is a good looking car with good performance. but it have too many bugs and the dealers are not helping at all. it take them the whole day to check out a problem. i still have mad rattles and sweaking like its going to snap. but then i say to myself "i get what i paid for"

 

me too. I want to trade mines in, but im sure im not gonna get much back. I got it june of 2004

 

I know what you mean. I had a relationship with a girl that ended really badly, so I'm gonna go ___ this time. I'm kidding, but I don't understand how people think their personal experience with one car is a truer representation of its quality then the millions of experiences others have had.

Don't get me wrong, you have a right to vent frustrations. However if anything, your experience demonstrates you are going to a bad dealership or that Toyota needs to step up their game in the service department. I've had no issues with my one tC, so does that cancel out your statistic?

I say you got the tC because you liked it, just try to get rid of the lemon you have and get another one. If the next one has the exact same issues, look at what else is in the forumula. Because far more people are not having this issue, that means you need to look wider at the environment, etc. Standard troubleshooting analysis. Good luck.

 

Well said OldPueblo, I understand the rattles are annoying, and that's one of the bugs common with new models. I have had my tC for 16,000 miles. I've been in the service department 3 times for 3 free oil changes and a new wheather strip on my passenger window, which my tint guy messed up but my dealer still fixed under warentee. I've had nothing but good things to say about my tC and my service department. As for the milage, either your calculations are off or your driving like an animal and don't want to admit it. But there is no way your getting 20 mpg on your tC. You would have to be on E for a long time to get 13.1 gallons at the pump. I test how many miles I can get out of my tank all the time and I usually chicken out at 13.2 gallons from which I got 340 mile from local driving, about 25mpg. As for the pull, I'm sure you already know this, as you seem to be pretty car smart, but with low profile tires it has more of a tendency to not hold a straight line. That's a fact. It contours to the groove of the pavement, or if you go over a bump it can alter your direction easier than regular tires. Just some info.