2015 Scion Tc problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (5) · Air Bags (4) · Visibility/Wiper (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Scion Tc model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2018-09-20 · campaign 18E091000 · 544 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain Toyota Racing Development (TRD) brake kits, part numbers PTR09-21111 and PTR09-52080, sold by Toyota as an optional accessory for model year 2008-2015 Scion xB, and 2011-2016 Scion tC vehicles. Over time, the brake hoses in these kits may fatigue and fail.
Risk: Failure of a brake hose will reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify all known owners of the Scion xB and Scion tC vehicles upon which an involved optional TRD Brake Kit could have been installed. If the vehicle is equipped with one of the TRD brake kits, it will be replaced with a standard equipment brake kit, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0U.
Equipment:other:labels 2016-06-09 · campaign 16V420000 · 4,253 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Suspension:rear 2015-04-17 · campaign 15V228000 · 114 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2015 Toyota Scion tC vehicles manufactured December 3, 2014, to January 30, 2015 and equipped with accessory coil springs as part of an optional Release Series 9 trim package. During installation of these coil springs, the rear suspension components may not have been properly tightened.
Risk: If the rear suspension components were not properly tightened, the rear suspension arms may detach, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the bolts, nuts, rear suspension arms, and rear suspension member sub assembly, free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Scion customer service at 1-866-707-2466.
Service bulletins (48)
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.
Visibility:defroster/Defogger/Hvac System:engine Coolant Hoses And Fittings 2020-12-11 · S-TT-0117-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tt: hvac drain tube is found to be blocked/clogged.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2020-07-15 · 20R001 Toyota Cu · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
dl: toyota plans to send safety recall follow-up notices for the above referenced campaigns to remind owners whose vehicles have not yet had campaign repairs completed.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2019-12-20 · S-S-0003-14_Obso · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb: obsolete notice december 20, 2019: this bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete.
Equipment 2018-01-03 · S-TT-0116-19 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tt: in certain cases of leaking air conditioning systems, the root cause of the leak is inadvertently overlooked, causing a repeat repair. to improve customer satisfaction and repair a/c system leaks in one dealer visit, toyota has developed a set of guidelines for evaluating a/c system components.
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2017-08-29 · S-SB-0012-14-Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb: revision notice august 23, 2017 rev1: ? applicability has been updated to include 2015 model year xb vehicles, 2015 ? 2016 model year tc vehicles, and 2016 model year im vehicles. ? the parts information section has been updated. any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be discarde
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2016-11-10 · S-SB-0035-13 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb: revision notice november 10, 2016 rev1: ? applicability has been updated to include 2015 model year xb vehicles, 2016 model year im vehicles, and 2015 ? 2016 tc vehicles. ? the parts information section has been updated. any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be discarded. s
Showing the 6 most recent of 48 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-24 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Clockspring/Spiral Cassette · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 scion tc. the contact stated that the air bag warning light remained continuously illuminated while operating the vehicle. the contact stated that when the air bag warning light was illuminated, the horn was inoperable. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. however, an independent mechanic informed the contact that the …”
2023-05-31 · Power Train“whining noise is heard when the clutch petal is released. noise is coming from the input shaft bearing. common failure on this model. mechanic confirmed that is the issue. if the bearing completely fails could leave the car stranded and cause more damage to other transmission components. no warning lights but noise is very loud. …”
2022-04-13 · Visibility/Wiper“over the past 4-5 years, 2015 scion tc has had numerous electrical issues. both driver and passenger electric door locks do not work. head and tail lamp lights burn out frequently. seems like a grounding issue? car failed to start august 2021 due to electrical problems. 3rd party mechanic fixed the issue. toyota dealer-installed automatic sta…”
2021-07-12 · Suspension“rear suspension components were loose on vehicle. my car was purchased with rear trd coilovers installed at factory. suspension components were improperly tightened according to toyota dealership who serviced my vehicle. purchased car stock and never had suspension work done in the past. this is similar to nhtsa campaign 15v228000 recall on sam…”
2021-04-16 · Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly · 85,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2015 scion tc. the contact stated that while parked and seated in the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal sound like a shattered glass. the contact exited the vehicle and became aware that the center sun roof glass had shattered. the contact stated that the sun roof had shattered without impact or incidence. the vehicle wa…”
2021-03-05 · Power Train · 19,345 mi“transmission jerks when slowing down to a stop, 50/50, it seems to be doing a hard downshift 2-1 before the stop. it's scary and feels like you got rear ended. there is also a click noise when the downshift happens. took it to toyota and had a transmission drain and fill, which they said the fluid was as clean and the computer has no store codes. t…”
2021-03-05 · Vehicle Speed Control · 33,999 mi“transmission does a harsh/jerk downshift when coming to a stop. it does it randomly, usually when coming to a stop slowly. it's not safe, feels like the car lurches into 1st. toyota reset the computer and it was ok for a bit but came back. i'm thinking it's the software of the car. toyota said it's a learning transmission, but somethings wrong. it'…”
2021-01-04 · Air Bags · 56,000 mi · 💥 crash“i was driving on the freeway on monday dec 28 heading to work it was raining hard and was driving at the same speed as everyone else in the freeway out of nowhere my steering took over control and i spinned around hitting the carpool lane divider and was tossed to the 4th lane afterwards. at that moment i was in front of a semi truck and couldn't b…”
2020-06-24 · Power Train · 18,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2015 scion tc. the contact stated that while approaching an intersection, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, there was a delay in vehicle response. the contact also stated that the vehicle downshifted intermittently without warning. the vehicle was taken to toyota of santa maria (700 e betteravia rd, santa maria, ca…”
2020-06-01 · Power Train · 17,000 mi“my 2015 scion tc automatic has rough shift points, rough idle at stop signs. the scion frs has the same issues and toyota issues a tsb for shift enhancement that fixed their transmission rough shifts and rough idle. i'm hoping that scion or toyota are listening and we need this fix too! resetting the computers by disconnecting the battery fixes the…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.