2004 Scion Xa problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires (2) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine (2) · Vehicle Speed Control (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Scion Xa model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2018-11-01 · campaign 18V776000 · 16,992 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (40)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Equipment 2015-05-26 · S-SB-0015-14 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
sb: flash reprogramming allows the ecu software to be updated without replacing the ecu. flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ecus are released as field-fix procedures described in individual service bulletins. this bulletin details the techstream ecu flash reprogramming process and
Engine 2015-05-26 · S-SB-0015-14 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
sb: flash reprogramming allows the ecu software to be updated without replacing the ecu. flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ecus are released as field-fix procedures described in individual service bulletins. this bulletin details the techstream ecu flash reprogramming process and
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2015-05-13 · S-SB-0005-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ssb: the procedure in this bulletin is a general guideline on how to properly diagnose the air conditioning system after a component failure. refer to the applicable repair manual for vehicle specific repair procedures and parts.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2015-05-13 · S-SB-0005-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ssb: the procedure in this bulletin is a general guideline on how to properly diagnose the air conditioning system after a component failure. refer to the applicable repair manual for vehicle specific repair procedures and parts.
Equipment 2015-04-10 · S-SB-0023-11 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ssb: when servicing interior electrical switches and components, please note the precautions in this bulletin to avoid damaging electrical components and switches. many lubricants, cleaners, and automotive chemicals contain silicone or other compounds that may contaminate electrical contacts, and th
Equipment:electrical 2015-04-10 · S-SB-0023-11 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ssb: when servicing interior electrical switches and components, please note the precautions in this bulletin to avoid damaging electrical components and switches. many lubricants, cleaners, and automotive chemicals contain silicone or other compounds that may contaminate electrical contacts, and th
Showing the 6 most recent of 40 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2016-12-12 · Structure:body · 150,000 mi · 💥 crash“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.…”
2016-08-29 · Unknown Or Other“license plate is stolen over the night, while parked at 1200 lick av. san jose.…”
2015-09-03 · Unknown Or Other · 93,000 mi · 🔥 fire“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 extinguish…”
2015-07-24 · Air Bags · 110,000 mi · 💥 crash“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!! …”
2013-09-25 · Vehicle Speed Control · 113,000 mi“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 …”
2010-03-18 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility“2004 scion xa. drivers side floor mat interferes with gas pedal. no damage or injuries to date. ongoing problem for more than 2 years. *tr…”
2006-02-22 · Tires · 30,000 mi“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 it…”
2005-09-16 · Tires:sidewall · 32,178 mi“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 …”
2005-09-02 · 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. the…”
2005-06-02 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine · 10,835 mi“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…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.