NHTSA — Engine Problems

2013 Scion FR-S (Page 2 of 7)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,022 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Scion FR-S engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Scion FR-S Owner Comments (Page 2 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #117

Jun 052020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 95,740 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2013 SCION FR-S HAD A VALVE SPRING RECALL. WHILE DRIVING, AS SOON AS I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN THE ENGINE STALLED. SOON AS I RE-IGNITED THE ENGINE I HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND. MY VEHICLE WAS ONLY GOING 10-15 MPH WITH THE SOUND OF THE ENGINE GETTING LOUDER. THIS EVENT OCCURRED A YEAR/8000MILES AFTER THE RECALL SERVICE. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT WAS CONTRIBUTED BY THE THE RECALL SERVICE. Consumer stated J02 recall was serviced May 22, 2019 at 87705 miles. Incident happened again on June 5th,2020 at 95745 miles.

- Imperial, CA, USA

problem #116

Nov 112019

FR-S

  • 145,000 miles
J02 recall done in December of last year for registration, did an oil change and found metal shaving and then the engine gave out in April. Corporate wasn't any help, even after finding fipg in oil pick up. Paid for rebuilt, and the car has a rough idle on cold start. I have taken it back 3 times. Took it to another dealer and they diagnosed it and said fipg was found in oil pick. And tested everything. Rebuilt wasn't done right from first dealer. First dealer also damaged the hood during the rebuilt. The hood hasn't been properly fixed. Please help in any way possible or point me in the right direction.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #115

Oct 212020

FR-S

  • 88,600 miles
One year after required J02 recall, I spun a rod bearing on cylinder 4. car is well maintained and the oil level was full at time of failure. I was traveling at 70 miles per hour on the highway and the engine began to knock and died shortly after. Car stalled and would not restart, I had to coast to the shoulder and get towed. Toyota dealership that performed the recall is denying it had anything to do with the warranty and is requiring that I use an aftermarket warranty to get a used engine form another car.

- Warminster, PA, USA

problem #114

Aug 102020

FR-S

  • 130,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

About 6 months after the J02 recall work was done the engine died commuting in traffic while on the hwy traveling at 65 mph. Towed to dealership where they report a spun bearing due to oil starvation, yet the crankcase is full with oil (per their own inspection) with about 25% life before having to change oil. I suspect excess rtv from the recall work has clogged the pickup screen or an oil galley. Dealership denies that either of those 2 things are the case and won't fix vehicle, yet they cannot explain the "oil starvation" if the crankcase is full of oil and you quote oil starvation, then something somewhere is clogged. Yet they wont accept responsibvility despite this being a known issue at Toyota. Please help!

- San Ramon, CA, USA

problem #113

Oct 092020

FR-S

  • 60 miles
My 2013 frs Toyota Scion engine failed during a trip in the highway after a Toyota dealer performed a J02 recall. Engine start to failed with an engine noise; then engine stop at the highway.after 2,000 miles after recall performed. Engine broke two ties the engine steering wheel. The car never feel like before, sometime happened during the repair that the car start failing. The history of car was clean never failed with 40,000 mmiles without any failures. After that something happen with the recall. The vehiclu was running at 65 mh when the fail ocurred.it is a local car use enow with 44,000 miles. Without any failures before.

- Juana Diaz, PR, USA

problem #112

Aug 062020

FR-S

  • 84,000 miles
I drove my auto to a normal errand trip, there were no issues, warning lights, noises, nothing, next morning I get in start up and it's making a clicking noise within the motor, still no warning lights, all gages are reading normal, I set up an appointment with Toyota service and they tell me my car needs a new engine, possibly bearings in crank shaft housing, this is something that doesn't happen, if it were it's with wear out of excess of 300,000 plus miles. My car has 84,000 miles I am the 1 and only owner, I have done all maintenance ( oil changes, tire rotation, etc) and recall thru Toyota, I use only best gasoline, oil. The only recall was engine valve springs replacement. When taken in to Toyota for estimate of this problem, they stated that to the engine- computer threw no codes, there were no warning emblems, or warning signs. Which in itself is faulty. I plan to repair my auto but strongly feel this was caused by a defect which should be considered a recall and should be at manufactures cost. As I am in replacement process I have no documents except for estimate. Thank you. Please help me.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #111

Aug 172020

FR-S

  • 62,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brought my car in for the J02 recall as mandated by California dmv. I expressed concerns over the recall repairs before work was done, due to the alarming number of dealership issues and this recall. The service agent assured me they understood the complexity of the repair and that the technicians were adequately trained. Pick up my car a week later, and have engine problems within 30 miles. Brought it back in and told them what they would find in the oil sump before they opened it (metal shavings and silicone). I knew this because of all the other frs owner issues. Sure enough they find exactly that in the oil sump/pickup screen. Dealer claimed that was their previously and not from their work, but assured me the engine was running find with good oil pressure. I even asked what would happen if I had those problems again, I was told we will cross that bridge when we get there. So I drove it to work, and had engine failure before I even got into the parking lot. Had to pay for a tow truck to get it back to the dealership. They charged me a 1200 dollar deposit to even diagnose the problem only to later tell me that corporate Toyota nor the dealership will be taking any responsibility. I was told I either can trade it in (minus the 3600 dollars for engine disassembly which I was forced into, did not sign anything). I wanted to take the car back and get it repaired else ware but was told I cannot have the vehicle back either. I am out thousands of dollars and my transportation to and from work with nothing I can do about it.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #110

Jul 292020

FR-S

  • 99,860 miles
So I'll just to get straight to the point. I have a 2013 Scion Fr-S that literally this past Monday I took in for the recall because it was required for me to get my registration. The day I took it in was July 26 2020 with 99630 miles. I received it yesterday at 5pm from the dealership as they told me that the vehicle was done and ready and that it was healthy. I drove it straight to my parents which wasn't too far and then later on around 8:30 I went home. Soon after I was planning on meeting a friend and after picking them up I heard a weird noise and my vehicle turned off and I tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't turn on. My vehicle only lasted exactly 50 miles on the odometer from when I picked it up. My odometer now reads 99680 on the dot. There is no way that I'm at fault because my vehicle was running perfect with no issues and then I leave it with Toyota for 3 days and get it and immediately afterwards it turns off within only 5 1/2 hours of receiving my vehicle. I will update later when I receive word from Toyota on the issue. Also to mention I have a code reader and had 17 codes that read everything involving from the knock sensor to the cam position sensors and the angle position sensors. All brand new codes due after my vehicle shut off. Also turns out there's history on the computer that I never had when I first had my scan tool.

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #109

Jul 192020

FR-S

  • 4 miles
Took my car to the john elway crown Toyota for the J02 recall. The dealership had examine the engined and stated that it was in good shape and able to go ahead with the recall. After the recall was done it went great; however less then two months my car stalled in the middle of the street at night time. I was almost hit because of this. I immediately took it to the dealership and they found metal shavings. This was informed to me yesterday. Now, the director josh does not take any responsibility into this and says it could have been "wear and tear." Prior to doing my recall my advisor alexis gave me a call to let me know my engine was in great condition (just want to make that clear.) metal shavings should have been detected when draining the oil for the repair, if the problem was there before the recall like they try to explain to me. This is not the first case and many more Scion frs owners face this exact same problem I am facing because of the recall and dealerships do not want to own up to it.

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #108

Jul 062020

FR-S

  • 138,500 miles
I'm a owner of a 2013 Scion frs and had an issue with the engine after the recall was made on April of 2019. On July 6 I was going the speed limit from las cruses to el paso tx I was going 70 and started hearing a knocking sound coming from the engine I pulled up immediately and car didn't want to start. I immediately towed it to my house and took it to the dealership on July 11 I had to rent a U-haul to get it towed. I'm experiencing the same issue that everybody is facing after the recall was made. Engine has only 138K miles and its a shame that this happened so quickly. I hope they come to their senses and help all of us that have the same issue after the recall was made. I took my car to the dealership but haven't had a call or message from them. Still waiting for a response.

- Anthony, NM, USA

problem #107

Jul 122020

FR-S

  • 112,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After the J02 recall was done on my car, it felt slow and would feel like it would stall out within a span of 6 months from the recall was done on my car. I mainly use my car just for work, and one day I decided to take a small trip on my local mountain highway for a day of sight seeing. Well on the way back my car felt very unresponsive so I had decided to pull over and see what was wrong with my car when out of no where my car had died on me right as I made turn, leaving me stranded after a blind corner, leaving me exposed for a car to almost hitting me from behind. Luckily some good folks helped me out by stopping traffic before the corner and pushing my car out of the way. I thought my car had over heated so I let my car rest for a hour, and I turned on my car and just heard a loud knocking so I immediately turned off my car. When I got my car home through a tow truck, I drained my oil and found metal pieces in my oil.

- La Puente, CA, USA

problem #106

Jul 162020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
My vehicle had the J02 recall performed on 1-22-2019. Six months later (only 2,000 miles later on the car) the vehicle's engine began to have problems. Various check engine light codes coming on, knocking sounds from engine, rough idle, car is stalling. The Toyota service techs have no real answer for the problem. Fast forward another few months and their is metal fragments in the oil!!! the dealership then states that the car needs a new engine!!! this is all happening within only 5,000 miles of having the recall done. The car was perfectly fine before the recall. My car has less than 40,000 miles at the moment. Clearly the recall has led to numerous issues with the growing number of complaints. Us owners should not have to purchase new engines for our vehicles because of this. Please help us!!!! my vehicle no longer feels safe to own or drive!!!!!!!

- Shelby Twp., MI, USA

problem #105

Jun 282020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 77,615 miles
On June 28th I was driving to work on a rainy day. While taking a curve the car lost traction cause the traction light to come on as well as the ABS light. A few minutes down the road the car started braking without me even pressing down on the break.

- Mauldin, SC, USA

problem #104

Jun 152020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 58,150 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Scion Fr-S. the contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the engine began to make an abnormal tapping noise as the vehicle began to stall. The contact pulled over before the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to john elway's crown Toyota (1201 kettering dr, Ontario, ca 91761). The contact was informed that engine debris from the crankshaft was found in the oil pan. The contact stated that months prior to failure, he took his vehicle into the same dealer to have the vehicle repaired under a manufacturer's recall for the engine spring valves. The contact was informed by the dealer that if it was discovered that the failure was linked to the recall, the cost of a new engine would be covered however, if the failure was not related to the recall, the vehicle would be repaired out of pocket. The diagnostic test showed that the failure was not related to the recall. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The was not repaired. The failure mileage was 58,150.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #103

May 222020

FR-S

  • 36,266 miles
Took our 2013 frs in for the J02 recall Jan 2019. It took them several weeks to complete. Then soon after that, there was a strong burnt rubber smell from the front. Took it back in to have them locate the source. They couldn't identify where it's coming from and told me that it's likely some residual that will eventually burned out and they re-assured us not to worry. My son was in college so didn't drive the car much. The smell was diminishing so thought it's as they told me. Then son got a job but wasn't driving more than 20 miles one-way daily. Smell still lingered. Then this past memorial day weekend, he drove ~200 miles non-stop when the engine stalled in the middle of the interstate hwy. Thank goodness he was able to pull over to the shoulder had it towed to closest Toyota dealership.. was told engine seized up and it will cost $14K to replace it!. car only had about 36K miles. Called dealership that did the recall repairs, they told me I needed to have a full diagnostics done - $2K - they think it's due to lack of maintenance on our part even though we really took care of the car - changing oil regularly (~6K miles) called Toyota hq - they requested the dealership crm to call me. No one called me for 2 weeks. Went into the dealership - instead of the crm, they had me talked to the service mgr - who told me I had to have engine diagnosed again. Told them it's obvious that either the recall didn't fixed the problem or their repair caused the problem. Don't have $2K just for diagnostics I am quite disappointed that the dealership crm didn't want to talk to me about a problem that could have caused my son his life

- Coppell, TX, USA

problem #102

Jun 032020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 88,353 miles
12/2019 I received a recall for the valve spring replacement on my 2013 frs. I took it to the dealership for the recall repairs (12/20/2019 - 1/10/2020) upon picking it up from dealership after recall repairs it was making squealing noise I then immediately returned to the dealership who aggressively denied all responsibility. Engine stalled while driving on the hwy. And now it will not start. Note: All of the electrical is still working, battery and alternator are good.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #101

Nov 272019

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
I took it in for the valve spring recall. I drove it for 8000 miles/9 months later. Car started knocking and stalled. Engine had a oil galley that got clogged, which cause oil starvation. Car ended up needing a new engine, dealership refused to cover the cost of the replacement. The car was being driven home on a residential street.

- Sonora, CA, USA

problem #100

Apr 252020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 76,000 miles
In 3/20/20 I took my 2013 Scion Fr-S to get the recall that Toyota was offering. I had to do the safety recall because without it I could not get my registration renewed. After about three weeks or so I took a trip that required about four hours of driving too and back. After driving almost four hours my car stopped and never turned back on. After towing my car to a repair shop they told me that my engine had knocked and basically my engine broke and that I needed a new one. Nothing was wrong with my car before the recall but the high pressure fuel system which an employee actually told me not to worry about it because it could be a problem in a couple years but that could not have caused my engine to stall out and break. I just wanted to know if the safety recall for the valve springs in a Scion Fr-S was the cause and if so I could get a recall for my engine.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #99

Mar 202020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 78,000 miles
Took the car in to Toyota dealer for a safety recall on the engine. Now it runs rough and the engine knocks all the time. The dealer says it is normal after the recall. It sounds like a diesel now and I am afraid to drive it. I own two of these and they both have the same problem.

- Lake Alfred, FL, USA

problem #98

Mar 132020

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 75,752 miles
Took the car in to Toyota dealer for a safety recall on the engine. Now it runs rough and the engine knocks all the time. The check engine light is on. The dealer says it is normal after the recall. It sounds like a diesel now and I am afraid to drive it.

- Lake Alfred, FL, USA

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