Owners have filed 105 complaints on the Scion xA, covering 2004–2006. The system named most often is Air Bags (29 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2005, 2004; cleanest: 2004, 2005, 2006. 26 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 6.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Scion xA
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 105 xA complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 29 Read
Our scion xa was involved in a accident resulting to injuries to the driver. The vehicle was running, but in park when it was hit in the driver's front side. The impact of the collision pushed the vehicle into a parked van which then did serious damage to the front and passenger side of the car. The driver's head…
Was driving 2006 toyota scion xa to work in morning going around curb I have driven for 8 years. After braking to take curb no longer had control of vehicle. Drove long way on curvy road and could not gain control of car. Ended up going off road at approx 40mph hit a tree stump and then flipped vehicle. No airbags…
The contact owns a 2006 scion xa. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph in snowy conditions on december 20, 2009, the vehicle suddenly slid off the road and crashed into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. The current mileage was approximately 47,000
Vehicle Speed Control 11 Read
The contact owns a 2006 toyota scion xa. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated to 15 mph. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle would not stop and crashed into a tree. The vehicle was restarted and the throttle was fully engaged. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the failure…
The contact owns a 2006 scion xa. While driving 15 mph the throttle became stuck and the speed increased which caused the contact to crash into the curb, the tire blew out and the front fender was damaged. No one was injured and no police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to her residence. A report was filed…
Our 19 year old daughter was driving the vehicle on the morning of the accident. She was exiting a shopping center complex and although the vehicle's acceleration pedal was slightly pressed the vehicle would not accelerate and acted as the brakes were depressed in place of the accelerator. The vehicle suddenly lunged…
Engine And Engine Cooling 10 Read
The contact owns a 2006 toyota scion xa. While driving at approximately 35 mph she heard a noise and the vehicle stalled. She notice smoke under hood. There was no warning lights before the failure occurred. The fire department was on the scene. The vehicle was towed the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact insurance…
The contact owns a 2006 toyota scion xa. The contact was driving 45 mph when a burning smell emitted from inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired.the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 25,576
My check engine went on and I checked for all possible problems.gas cap etc. I drove for several trips and when the light didn't go off I called my scion dealer. I told him what was happening and he said to bring the car in at my convenience to have it checked. I asked him if I was still under warranty and he said yes…
Electrical System 10 Read
On august 20, 2005 I was parking my scion tc 2005 in my driveway, when all of a sudden the car automatically accelerated. The car took off as if it were possessed. I tried to control the vehicle with my steering wheel, and avoided hitting my house and my basketball poll. Slamming the brakes didn't work, and eventually…
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…
1. Started the car and the air bag light on the dashboard would not stop flashing. I bought the car new. The car never been in an accident, never had any damage and was properly maintained. Still under 60,000 miles and is under warranty. *tr 2. It would flash non stop when the car was operating 3. Took the car to the…
Fuel System 8 Read
In june 2009 I was coasting into my parking space at work, when all of a sudden my 2005 toyota scion xa accelerated, drove over a parking bumper, plowed into a small tree and drove into a brick wall. The brakes failed and were totally useless. I had my car towed, to the toyota dealership, where I purchased my car. I…
I own a 2006 scion xa. I bought the car new off of the show room. After 5 months of owning the car the check engine light came on. I took the car back to the dealership that it was purchased from. They checked it with the code reader. The codes were p2401- evap leak detection pump stuck on, p043e- evap leak detection…
I own a 2006 scion xa and very recently the check engine light came on. I had it diagnosed..."p2401 evaporate leak detection pump control circuit". The charcoal canister and some other small parts are ruined due to water leakage. I am one of many scion owners who now has to pay major parts and labor charges to have…
Service Brakes 6 Read
- the contact called regarding a 2006 toyota scion xa. The contact stated that when stopping the vehicle the brakes will lock and the car would skid. There were no warning indicators. This failure occurred intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer ,and the problem was diagnosed as hard braking . The…
Well, I too have a 2006 scion xa with less than 5,000 miles on it! The left tweeter and mirror combination must be a bad design because mine is leaking and it also caused the tweeter to fail. The ventilation system for heating/cooling and defogging is woefully inadequate. I'm very concerned about the person who stated…
The interior front disc pads constantly rub, grind and wear out on my scion xa 2006. I was told by a toyota technician (there is a defect in the design of the front brakes) that if the brakes are inspected and I am told they have lots of wear left - they are not reporting the wear on the inner wheel pads because of a…
Power Train 5 Read
I had driven into a left turn lane to perform a left turn and had waited for the light to turn green. When the light turned green I stepped on the gas as usual and the car moved backwards instead of forwards. I immediately braked but still hit the car behind me that was also waiting to turn left. The car behind me had…
I had parked the car but my friend said that I was too far from the entrance of the restaurant so he offered to move it closer. After he backed out of the parking spot he changed gears to d[rive] but the car continued to move backwards. He called me over and showed me what the car was doing. He then put the car into…
The contact owns a 2006 scion xa. While driving various speeds, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the gear shifter made a loud noise while driving in reverse. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed…
Tires 4 Read
On a road doing 50 mph when the car started to vibrate. Started to slow down, when the left rear tire blow out and cause the lost of control, crashing into the guide rail. The car is now in the body shop for repairs
Premature tire wear - failed road inspection all four runflat tires at 24,000 miles couldn't bring up vehicle for a toyota sienna 2005 all wheel drive with dunlop runflat tires. All 4 tires not usable at 24,000 miles dunlop p225/60r17 dsst runflat 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…
xA years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Air Bags | 12 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 12 | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 64 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.6 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.2 years |
A model average of 1.6 hides a worst series at 5. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the xA?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2005, 2004 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which xA years are the cleanest?
2004, 2005, 2006 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Scion xA have?
105 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2006. Of those, 26 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.