NHTSA — Engine Problems

2013 Scion FR-S (Page 5 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 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #57

Feb 182019

FR-S

  • 62,000 miles

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

Replace engine valve springs recall post safety/engine failure. Engine fails after being taken into the dealership for recall. On 02/18/2019 I took my safe, engine adequatley functioning 2013 Scion frs into john elway's Toyota for a recall. It was for the replacement of valve springs. Two days later my car starts making a loud knocking noise. The check engine light turns on and my car is shacking while I am sitting in heavy traffic on the 91 feeway.. during the few times I did drive my vehicle I heard the same tapping/knocking noise so approximately on 03/14/2019 I took the car back to john elway Toyota for further evaluation of my car. They ask to keep my car overnight since I could not point out the noise when I drove the mechanic around the block.. finally on 04/10/2019 I took my car back to john elway's Toyota because the tapping/knocking noise had become a constant, consistent noise, very similar to the knocking noise that became louder when my vehicle was towed, also, the check engine light had come on. It was about two weeks before they told me they had could not find "anything wrong with the vechile but the tapping continues, so we called a guy from our torrance Toyota headquarters to come take a look". I would like to inform you that this Toyota specialists removed the engine for the third time to determine what was occurring with my vehicle. I called my Toyota adviser for updates and he basically told me to start looking for a new car unless I "absolutely loved" my car because it looks like I needed a new engine. For two weeks I could not get an answer to what had actually occurred with my vehicle and my calls were no longer being taken by my Toyota advisor jeff wade. Instead they were being directed to josh reese, service manager.

- Eastvale, CA, USA

problem #56

Feb 132019

FR-S

  • 62,057 miles
On february13, 2019, I took my car to the Toyota dealership to address a recent recall to fix a valve spring. March 5, my car lost power and made a knocking noise. My check engine and traction control light went on. I took my car back to the dealership on March 5, they reset the code and told me nothing was wrong. On the way home, it broke again. On March 6, they changed the exhaust vvt oil control. One week later, it broke again. Today, May 31st, the engine stalled, I've lost power and the check engine and traction control light came on again. I am the original owner, service the car regularly and have never had problems until Toyota performed this recall. Doing research online has shown me I am not alone in this complaint. Attached is a link with 72 other owners all reporting the same problems. Https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/D/1sel4X84cy_ynrkcws9gnoiyntwljdotgqzu1J4rlzow/edit#gid=0

- Martinez, CA, USA

problem #55

Feb 132019

FR-S

  • 80,000 miles
A Toyota dealership performed the valve spring recall on my 2013 Fr-S. they did not do the work properly and now the engine is knocking loud enough to be heard inside and outside of the car. As of the date I am filing this complaint, the dealer has had my car for a total of 100 days for this issue. I have not been provided an estimated return date by the dealer. They have tried to give me the car back on 4 separate occasions, stating that the work is finally performed properly, only for me to find out that the engine is still knocking, and unsafe for the road. So far, the dealer claims that the mechanic has replaced all the valve springs, installed many valve shims, replaced one exhaust valve, and replaced the short block, along with other components. Each time they have done each of these operations, they have removed and reinstalled the engine. Each time the engine is removed and reinstalled, is another opportunity for the mechanic to make a mistake and damage something else. On all 4 return attempts, they tried to convince me the knocking sounds were normal. I know this is not true, as I am an engineer, a mechanic, and I have become familiar with the sounds the car makes during the 75,000 miles I had driven the car. They also refuse to acknowledge that this is a known issue that many other dealerships are causing. I feel I have been very patient with the dealer, who has proven to be dishonest and incompetent, when it comes to this type of work. I have tried to get support from Toyota corporate customer service, who tells me this is an issue between the dealer and me, not Toyota corporate. They refuse to assist to resolve this issue with the dealer, nor will they acknowledge that this is a known issue that many other dealerships are causing. Anyone less assertive with the dealer than me, would surely be driving this unsafe vehicle on the road.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #54

May 202019

FR-S 4-cyl

  • 92,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Scion Fr-S. the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 18V772000(engine). Moments after retrieving the vehicle, the check engine indicator illuminated, a knocking noise was heard, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer (sterling mccall fort bend Toyota, 20465 sw freeway, richmond, tx) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to the replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 92,000. The consumer stated after having the vehicle repaired the vehicle continued to experience the failure immediately after leaving the dealer. The failure resulted in the engine coming totally apart under the hood. The dealer sent a technician to inspect the vehicle and advised that the failure was a consequence of the having the recall completed. The dealer refused to assume responsibility for the failure and would not assist with the cost of repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance.

- Rosenberg, NJ, USA

problem #53

May 102019

FR-S

  • 16,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Scion Fr-S. while driving, a knocking noise was heard from the engine compartment. The vehicle stalled without warning. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to reinhardt Toyota (located at 911 eastern blvd, montgomery, al 36117, (334) 272-7147) where it was diagnosed that metal shavings were inside the oil pan. The contact stated that the vehicle remained at the dealer for sixteen days and was not repaired. The contact also stated that the vehicle was previously repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 18V772000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.

- Tallassee, AL, USA

problem #52

Mar 202019

FR-S

  • 67,500 miles
I have experienced major problems following the valve spring recall on the Scion Fr-S. approximately 1 month following the recall which was completed in March, my vehicle began experiencing a vibration, a loud rattling sound, and an engine knock. I took the vehicle to the dealership that completed the recall to have them inspect it. The dealership tried to give me the run around, ron hubbard Toyota in gallatin tn, eventually I fought with them and got them to inspect it. After over a month of calling and fighting with them and going to the dealership they told me it was a cracked flex plate causing the problems and tried to charge me 1500$. after much fighting and contacting Toyota headquarters and the dealership, I was persistent enough that they covered it. By now I had been without a vehicle for a month and half. I finally got the car back about two weeks ago and drove it one time almost 200 miles to run some errands. Well the vehicle experience the same engine rattle and knock but much worse. I limped the vehicle back home. When I started it up Friday to take it back to the dealership, it was much worse to the point that it sounded like the engine was going to fall apart and a very strong burning odor began to emit from the car. I was worried following reading about other problems so I immediately turned the vehicle off and contacts my insurance company who towed the vehicle to the dealership. This has been the worst experience I've ever dealt with.

- Hartsville, TN, USA

problem #51

May 192019

FR-S

  • 58,363 miles

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

+1000 miles post engine-spring recall. Returning home on a 134 mile trip. Primarily highway/expressway. Vehicle in motion: After refueling, a quiet, rhythmic knocking sound appeared during acceleration. Within 5 miles, the sound became increasingly louder. Definitely a 'metal-on-metal' type of noise. Minutes later, oil light began to flicker, followed by check-engine light and loss of traction indicator. No change in temperature or fuel quantity. No change in performance, handling or driving condition. Decreased speed (downshifting), to pull of to side of road and the engine stalled. Parked and checked under hood; no smoke, smell or anything out of the ordinary. Was able to restart after multiple attempts to exit the highway and pull to a safer location to call Toyota roadside assistance. Was picked up on a flatbed and delivered to Toyota of naperville where the recall work had been performed months earlier. I was informed that there is metal in the oil/oil-pan, extremely muddy oil and that a senior tech will be visiting to further assess. There is a possibility of engine-replacement. Awaiting further information. Note: All recommended, scheduled maintenance have been performed during ownership.

- Aurora, IL, USA

problem #50

Mar 092019

FR-S

  • 63,300 miles
Took my vehicle in for repairs and had the valve spring recall work done at the request of the service rep at the dealership ( rick hendrick Toyota of fayetteville ). came back the next day and drove my frs home without a problem. In the following days I noticed it was taking longer for the car to start, and was throwing the cel on a particularly hot day as well. I disregarded it and continued driving my car lightly around post. A few days later the difficulty starting was still there and eventually the car started emitting a loud knocking noise from the motor, I feared it was a dreaded rod knock which I knew could be disastrous for the motor internally. So I limped it home and had the vehicle towed to the dealership the next day on my dime to figure out what happened. This all happened over the course of 7-9 days after driving home from the recall work. That was over 5 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten a decisive answer as to what happened to my car and what might be the solution to said problem. The warranty company I used when I bought my car back in February ( vehicle was still under the 3000 mi, 3 month warranty mind you ) has been jerking both me and the dealer back and forth, and has stated they will only pay 2K for a new motor, which will surely be more than that, which makes me stuck with the rest of however much that repair may cost. Its unfortunate that its come to this, but over 70 other people have ran into similar problems after having recall work done, we deserve answers as to what happened to our cars.

- Fort Bragg, NC, USA

problem #49

May 102019

FR-S

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Scion Fr-S. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine and traction control warning indicators illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over and had it towed to kendall Toyota of eugene (373 goodpasture island rd, eugene, or 97401, (541) 228-9004) where it was diagnosed that metal fragments were inside the oil pan. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 57,000.

- Cottage Grove, OR, USA

problem #48

Feb 212019

FR-S

  • 125,000 miles
Saturday, 2nd February, I drop off the car at Toyota of santa cruz for the valve spring recall. The car is finished about a week later, I pick it up and drive it for another week with no issues. I mainly use the car to commute to milpitas. Today, 21st February, on my way to work on hwy17, just past the last scotts valley exit, the car starts knocking and losing a bit of power. There was no "check engine" or warning lights at all. I downshift from 6th to 5th and the car dies. I coast off the highway, onto vine hill rd. And call aaa, my boss, and then call Toyota of santa cruz to give them a heads-up that I'm bringing the car in. When I arrive with the car on a flatbed, about five or six techs pop their heads out from the service garage and start looking at each other. I look at them, they look at me point to my car and shake my head. They disappear. The shop foreman and the service manager say that they will fix the car for free if they can prove it was their fault, even though the car has approx. 1K miles on it since the service. I told them I have hours of mind-numbing dashcam video of my commute to prove I didn't abuse the car. 2/22/2019 update:Toyota called today and stated they believe the problem is internal, and the engine is coming out and will be taken apart to find the issue. 2/25/2019 update: Service called and said they pulled the oil pan and found the #4 cylinder rod bearing spun. Update: 03/04/2019 they looked into it and found that it should meet certain criteria with what they have at Toyota and in their database and say that there must have been something going on before the car broke. For example: Running a custom tune then re-flashing the stock tune back before my handing the car over to them. Update: I took the car to an independent shop which found gasket material in the oil pickup tube ~25% blocked.

- Santa Cruz, CA, USA

problem #47

Jul 172013

FR-S

  • miles

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

*regarding my 2013 Scion Fr-S valve spring recall. What do I do with a car that, if I drive it, the engine may suffer a catastrophic failure; if I take it to the dealership for "repair", the engine may suffer a catastrophic failure? normally when you purchase a product with a major defect, you exchange it for a new one. (throws up hands) this is idiocracy.

- Westminster, MD, USA

problem #46

Apr 242019

FR-S

  • 38,851 miles
Had the recall J02 done on my 2013 Scion frs at 37,739 miles on the car and 1,000 miles later the car has a motor that has a bad rod due to oil not getting through. I have never had problems with this car until after the motor was worked on by the Toyota dealership. Now they wont fix it. Driving the vehicle and the car just shut off. It was making a knocking sound right before that happened.

- Loganville, GA, USA

problem #45

May 012019

FR-S

  • 98,000 miles
Vehicle was in dealership (Toyota of redlands, redlands ca) for the F02 valve spring recall. Upon recieving the vehicle back from the dealership the engine was ticking more than usual. 700 miles later it spun a bearing resulting in total engine failure. Car was towed back to dealership for inspection, they deemed it not their fault and wanted to stick a 8K-12K bill on me to move on with repairs. Small amounts of sealant were found on pickup screen. Car ran flawlessly for 97K prior to recall work.

- Yucaipa, CA, USA

problem #44

Mar 142019

FR-S

  • 50,000 miles
I received a recall notice from Toyota for valve springs. I had the recall work done at my local Toyota dealership (Toyota of marin, California). Several weeks later, on my way to my regular mechanic to have the repair inspected (driving on a paved road on private property at sonoma raceway in sonoma, ca), I experienced a bang and knock in the engine. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw smoke. I looked forward and saw smoke and flames coming out of the hood. I pulled over and a fire crew helped put out the fire but not before the entire engine compartment was destroyed.I have been working with Toyota. They inspected the car in April and I am awaiting their response. This was a life threatening experience. I was lucky to have it happen near a fire crew who could provide immediate help. I followed the recall directions and lost my vehicle. I would like help in dealing with Toyota to resolve this issue. I have attached my letter to Toyota and a picture. Thank you. -[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- San Anselmo, CA, USA

problem #43

Apr 262019

FR-S

  • 69,000 miles
The vehicle (2013 Scion Fr-S, 69000 miles) was in a factory authorized service center [xxx] to have recall J02 (NHTSA recall campaign 18V772000) performed. We were notified that the car suffered a major engine problem following the recall service, but before the car was returned to us. The description of the circumstances involved indicated that the car was on a test drive following the completion of the recall service and required towing back to the service center. We were informed of this two days after its occurrence. A visual observation of the partially disassembled engine indicates likely oil starvation as the cause of the problem. At this point in time, the service center has retained the vehicle and parts pending a determination by Toyota. At this point in time, the service center is of the opinion that a non-factory oil filter caused oil starvation. The oil filter had been installed on the car and functioning appropriately for approximately 3500 miles prior to the service. The oil filter was not replaced during the engine out service which required replacement of internal engine components. We were not notified during the 9 days that the service centered had possession of the car prior to the problem that there were any concerns related to the oil filter - the make and model of the oil filter has only become a point of discussion after oil starvation occurred. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Silverton, OR, USA

problem #42

Apr 182019

FR-S

  • 58,000 miles
Catastrophic engine failure, on the road, after performing the repair for the J02 recall on the valve springs. Dealer who performed repair was reluctant to help me tow my vehicle to their shop. After reaching out to corporate hq, they sent a tow truck for my car. The dealer very clearly did not appreciate me going over them and straight to Toyota, because they treated me very poorly once I arrived at their shop. I have not received any information on the status of my vehicle since dropping it off. My engine has less than 60K miles on it, and ran beautifully before taking it in for the recall.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #41

Mar 022019

FR-S

  • 95,000 miles
Before I took my car in for recall I made sure it was in tip top shape no leaks or noises of any kind, no issues whatsoever! post J02 valve spring recall car was returned with a 1/2' hole in exhaust manifold dealer says it was my fault although it happened while in their possession it was at that time the shop foreman decided not to address the engine squalling around 5K RPM and instructed me to fix the exhaust and drive it. 3K miles later I'm driving down the road 55mph normally the cars starts bogging down and less than a mile later starts knocking violently as I turn at an intersection the vehicle just dies leaving me quickly exiting the vehicle trying to push it out of the road with the help of passing motorist I finally succeeded after my car half in the intersection sat for 15 min blocking traffic and potentially causing accidents. Dealer wanted me to pay for investigation if they determined I was at fault. I decided not to let them continue and choose to have a private repair facility investigate what caused the failure. They determined that sealant had been sucked into the oil pickup tube clogging the screen essentially starving my engine of oil leading to catastrophic failure. This recall is the first and only time my vehicles engine has been worked on leading the private repair facility to determine the dealer at fault with a probable cause being carelessness removing old sealant from engine and timing cover. Currently being treated as a liar by dealer while providing the findings from private repair facility trying to get them to fix my car.

- Alto, GA, USA

problem #40

Apr 222019

FR-S

  • 106,412 miles
Following the J02 recall work my 2013 frs was picked up and brought to me 4.1 miles away when I got off work and started my vehicle I noticed a ticking sound coming from the back passenger side of the engine. Upon acceleration there is a distinct knocking coming from the engine, since then I have driven 12.7 miles including the distance back to the dealer where the vehicle is once again. There also appears to be way too much sealant applied to the engine when they put it back together.

- Russellville, AR, USA

problem #39

Apr 182019

FR-S

  • 100,100 miles
Received vavle spring recall notice in November and read up on the recall, realized in January there were tons of failures after recall. Held off until March 1 when I saw new training had been done. Took car in for recall service to northridge Toyota at 100,1xx miles. March 12th got the car back. Drove it until April 18th noticed light knocking noise, April 19th car started shaking violently at a stop light. Upon accelerating car started horrendously knocking and screeching. Had car towed back to dealer with 101,0xx miles (less than the mandatory 1200 mile warranty on services Toyota has). Toyota states not related to recall, and requests $2700 to just take the engine out and look at it. Rep stated might be oil related and sent photo of oil pan with golden oil in it (from recall) and about a pound of metal flakes. Contacted corporate filed a claim and am awaiting response. Absolutely absurd they still have the nerve to say this isnt related when so many people are having the same issue.

- North Hollywood, CA, USA

problem #38

Apr 082019

FR-S

  • 108,361 miles
I took my car in for a recall repair regarding replacement of the engine valve springs on 1/8/19. The car was ready for pickup two and a half weeks later on 1/25/19. After exactly two months, on March 8th my car began shaking and wobbling while I was driving on the freeway. When the check engine light turned on and I noticed my car began slowing down, I immediately pulled over to the side right side of the highway as the car shut off. After I tried turning it back on, the car would turn off after a couple seconds. I got the car towed back home and contacted Toyota. They did not provide a tow truck so I had to tow it in for them to inspect it. In the first update, they told me it had something to do with the lubrication on the sides of the engine. During the second and final update they had a second tech come in for inspection and concluded it was an internal engine failure. I am now in worse situation than before and I feel like I am being charged to fix something that was not broken in the first place. Not to mention the estimate to fix and install a brand new engine will cost up to $11,000. I am currently awaiting for a responses from corporate.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

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