2009 Scion XD Recalls & Complaints

Incident: April 18, 2025 · Filed: April 19, 2025

Drove car and heard loud noise issuing from the passenger side rear. Upon viewing the wheel was angled in at the top. After removing the wheel I found the rear crossmember subframe axle had a complete break in the weld holding the angle from the straight part of the beam to the wheel and suspension plate. After going online to see if similar issues happen on the same side of the vehicle, I found many reports of weld failures on the same side at the same joint. This is an EXTREMELY dangerous weld failure--if it had happened during highway travel the potential for catastrophic injury or death is high, in my opinion. Please investigate other reports to the NTSB about this make and model, and please search model years on or about 2007-2012 as other scion owners have had the same issue. This is a one owner car, we purchased it new in 2009. The opposite weld is also showing signs of stress, but not broken or cracked.

Incident: May 12, 2023 · Filed: May 15, 2023

A major safety structural defect has developed in the rear axle beam. About 50 percent of the welds failed where the passenger side swing arm attaches to the rest of the axle. The lack of support ended up creating about a three inch stress crack across the width of the swing arm tube. This could have led to a complete failure of the swing arm, had I not found the problem. Had this failure occurred on the highway, it might have caused a serious accident. A month prior I started hearing a pop from the rear of the car each time I would back out of the driveway and the first time I went forward. I crawled under the car within about two weeks and checked things over but found nothing. I thought it might have been a coil spring shifting in its seat or a shock absorber with an internal problem. The noise continued and was getting a bit louder each time it occurred. I ended up lifting the back of the car and pulling the rear wheels. I first found the stress crack across the swing arm tube. Upon further inspection, I realized a portion of the welds had failed. The car is 14 years old and has 159k miles. There is rust that is contributing to the deterioration of the connection, yet the design of the swing arm and its connections seem as though they are barely sufficient when it was new. The design of the swing arm connections does not appear sufficient to be exposed to normal wear and tear of winter driving. In searching for a replacement part, this same exact swing arm is also used on the Toyota Prius C and a Yaris model. So this issue could be occurring on those models as well.

Incident: September 15, 2015 · Filed: April 20, 2021

A RECA FOR MY POWER SWITCH MASTER CONTROL WAS ISSUED ON SEPT 15TH 2015 AND A FIX FOR THIS STILL HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. THIS DEFECT COULD CAUSE A FIRE IN MY VEHICLE.

Incident: November 9, 2020 · Filed: November 9, 2020

2009 TOYOTA SCION. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE RADIO INDEPENDENTLY TURNED ON AND OF AND THE DASH LIGHTS FLASHED. THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. *JS

Incident: June 1, 2015 · Filed: November 5, 2017

FIX FOR WINDOW LUBRICANT ISSUE THAT COULD CAUSE FIRE HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED, EVEN THOUGH RECALL IS NOW 2 YEARS OLD.

Incident: October 16, 2016 · Filed: March 23, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SCION XD. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,500.

Incident: November 1, 2016 · Filed: December 9, 2016

THE DEALER THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO PERFORM THE REPAIR ONLY DOES RECALL WORK DURING THE WEEK I UNFORTUNATELY WORK MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. WHICH I CAN NOT TAKE TIME OFF FOR AS THEY SAY IT MIGHT TAKE ALL DAY AND I DEPEND ON MY CAR FOR BUSINESS I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH THE MANAGER AT AUTONATION TOYOTA IN FORT MYERS FLORIDA BUT WAS TOLD THAT IS THE ONLY OPTION. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AS THERE ARE 2 SAFETY RECALLS ONE INVOLVING MY SEATS AND THE OTHER INVOLVING A WINDOW SWITCH THAT COULD CATCH FIRE. I ORIGINALLY TRIED IN NOVEMBER TO SCHEDULE THIS BUT TO NO AVAIL. *TR

Incident: September 12, 2015 · Filed: June 27, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SCION XD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND FAILED TO START INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS SERVICED UNDER AN UNKNOWN RECALL, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. IN ADDITION, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH OPERATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V689000 (VISIBILITY); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,283. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT. ...UPDATED 09/12/16 *BF CONSUMER STATED MOTOR SHUT DOWN, ITS LOCATED IN THE GAS LINE/ FUEL LINE WITH HAVING MORE THAN 1 MOTOR AND NOT BE TOLD. POWER WINDOWS ON PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW JUST STOPPED WORKING IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT IS WHERE THE 2ND AIR FILTER AND CAN'T FIND THE RIGHT AIR FILTER THAT FITS. CAR SOUND SYSTEM WOULD STOP WORKING AT TIMES. UPDATED 6/13/18*JB

Incident: December 31, 2014 · Filed: January 8, 2015

WHEN I TRIED TO ROLL THE PASSENGER WINDOW DOWN, A PLUME OF SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE MASTER CONTROL PANEL. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT I WAS IMAGINING IT, BUT THE BUTTON FROZE INTO PLACE. I TOOK MY SCION INTO A DEALERSHIP FOR 2 RECALL NOTICE REPAIRS (DRIVER'S SEAT RAILING AND INTAKE MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY) AND MENTIONED THE WINDOW CONTROL PANEL PROBLEM AND MY CONCERN AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS A RISK OF A FIRE. THE SERVICE TECH SAID THAT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL? I AM CONCERNED AS TO WHETHER OR NOT MY CAR IS GOING TO CATCH ON FIRE AND AM CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE NEWER MODEL SCION XDS? *TR

Incident: December 19, 2014 · Filed: December 23, 2014

WHILE CAR RUNNING ON THE LOCAL ROAD, APPROX. 40 MPH, REAR WINDOW FROM DRIVER SIDE ROLLED DOWN ITSELF AND A LOT OF SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT FROM POWER WINDOW MASTER SWITCH CONTROLS AND FROM DRIVER SIDE WINDOW, INSIDE. TWO OF FOUR SWITCHES FROM MASTER SWITCH CONTROL THEN MELTED AND PUSHED ALL THE WAY DOWN, SEEMS LIKE THE BOTTOM PART OF THOSE SWITCHES CAUGHT FIRES OR SOMETHING, HOWEVER, NO FIRE WAS VISIBLE FROM THE EXTERIOR. WAS THEN PULLED TO THE BUSINESS PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THE SMOKE THEN SLOWLY STOPPED. CAR TOWED TO AND PARKED AT LOCAL TOYOTA/ SCION DEALER SIDE WAY, SERVICE CONSULTANT CHECKED MY VIN AND INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR VIN. (VISIBILITY: POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS RECALL DATE: 10/10/2012 DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS PARTICULAR VIN) WAS THEN CONTACTED SCION RECALL SAME DAY AND THEY STARTED A FIRE CASE FOR INVESTIGATION, 3 DAYS LATER CASE MANAGER LETTING ME KNOW THAT TO COMPLETE THEIR INVESTIGATION OF THE CAUSES COULD TAKE UP TO A MONTH? THEY WANTED TO HOLD MY CAR AT THE DEALER UNTIL INVESTIGATION IS COMPLETED, WITHOUT AN ESTIMATE OF COMPLETION DATE AND THEY OFFERED NO LOANER CAR OR RENTAL REIMBURSEMENT? WHY NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V491000 -- AFFECTED -- TOYOTA SCION XD 2008-2009 -- THEN WHY THIS VIN WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL? *TR