2006 Scion Tc

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA SCION TC AND THE REAR HATCH BACK HANDLE JUST COMPLETELY CAME OFF. THE CAR HAS CLOSE TO 23,000 MILES ON IT. I NEVER USE FORCE TO OPEN THE HATCH BACK, NEVER HAD ANY ISSUE WITH IT AT ALL. ONE DAY I SIMPLY WENT TO OPEN THE HATCH AND OFF CAME THE ENTIRE PANEL WITH THE HANDLE. PEOPLE HONK AT ME WHEN I DRIVE TO LET ME KNOW IT'S HANGING. (THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS SEVERAL PEOPLE I KNOW OWN TC'S). RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENED I GOT HONKED AT ON THE FREEWAY AND IT'S DISTRACTING TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. I REALLY WANT THIS TO BE RECALLED FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 TOYOTA SCION TC AND THE REAR HATCH BACK HANDLE JUST COMPLETELY CAME OFF. THE CAR HAS CLOSE TO 45000 MILES ON IT. I NEVER USE FORCE TO OPEN THE HATCH BACK, NEVER HAD ANY ISSUE WITH IT AT ALL. THEN LAST WEEK I SIMPLY WENT TO OPEN THE HATCH AND OFF CAME THE ENTIRE PANEL WITH THE HANDLE. IT WAS CRAZY I HAVE PICTURES OF IT JUST HANGING BY THE WIRES FOR THE BACK LIGHTS. I TOOK TO DEALERSHIP THEY DENIED TO FIX EVEN WITH MY PLATINUM WARRANTY PACKAGE. I AM VERY UPSET I FEEL THIS IS NOT MY PROBLEM. THE MANAGER AT THE DEALER EVEN SAID HE SEES THIS ALL THE TIME. I HAVE READ ON PLENTY OF WEBSITES THAT PEOPLE ARE HAVING SAME PROBLEM. PEOPLE HONK AT ME WHEN I DRIVE TO LET ME KNOW IT'S HANGING. RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENED I GOT HONKED AT ON THE FREEWAY AND IT'S DISTRACTING TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. I REALLY WANT THIS TO BE RECALLED FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS. *TR

THE REAR DOOR LATCH BROKE OFF IN MY HAND. THE WHOLE MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. SCION CLAIMS THAT THE OWNER'S MANUAL ADVISES NOT TO LET THE MECHANISM BEAR ANY WEIGHT. THIS IS ERRONEOUS, AS THE OWNER'S MANUAL TELLS YOU TO LIFT AFTER PUSHING THE BUTTON. THIS LIFTING OVER TIME CAUSES WEAR OF THE TINY PLASTIC PIECES THAT ARE BEARING THE WEIGHT OF THE ENTIRE REAR/HATCH BACK DOOR. AFTER HAVING THIS PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD, AND NOT MANY HAVE THIS KIND OF FAULTY DESIGN. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS TWO-FOLD: NUMBER ONE, THE LIGHT ON TOP OF THIS MECHANISM IS THE BRAKE LIGHT. IT JUST FALLS OFF OVER TIME. ONCE IT IS BROKEN, THERE IS NO WAY TO HOLD IT IN PLACE AND IT BLOCKS THE LICENSE PLATE AND ALSO COULD FALL OFF ENTIRELY AND DAMAGE ANOTHER VEHICLE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS DESIGNED INTO THE VEHICLE. I AM CONVINCED THAT NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AS BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND THE SCION HELP LINE ADMITTED THAT THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. THEY ALL SEEM TO BE IN COLLUSION ABOUT IT BEING A DESIGN DEFECT EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WEIGHT BEARING ASPECT OF THE TRUNK LATCH. I WAS TO OPEN IT BY TOUCHING THE BUTTON AND THEN LIFTING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUNK. WHEN DOING THIS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AS THE LATCH NEEDS TO BE PUSHED AT THE SAME TIME IT IS LIFTED UPWARD. OTHERWISE THE LATCH JUST STAYS LOCKED. I FIND THIS WHOLE SITUATION PROBLEMATIC AS I PURCHASED A SCION BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S SOLID REPUTATION OF STANDING BY THEIR VEHICLES. AS MAY VEHICLE IS PAST ITS WARRANTY THIS DEFECT IS NOT COVERED. I WAS TOLD THAT AS ONE TIME GESTURE THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM IF I PAID FOR IT AND THEN APPLIED FOR REIMBURSEMENT. I LIVE FROM PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK AND DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THE DANGLING DOOR LATCH. AFTER SPEAKING WITH SCION OVER SEVERAL DAYS THEY AGREED TO COVER THE REPAIR IF THE DEALERSHIP WOULD BILL SCION FOR THE COST. THE ISSUE IS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

ON 9/23/07 I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 SCION TC. THE FRONT END OF MY CAR HIT THE PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER CAR. I HAD BEEN AT A STOP AND HAD JUST PROCEEDED INTO THE INTERSECTION ABOUT 20 FEET WHEN WE HIT, SO I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOING MORE THAN 15-20 MPH. THE OTHER DRIVER'S SPEED IS UNKNOWN, ALTHOUGH THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT IS 35 MPH. THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF MY CAR WAS RIPPED OFF AND THE FRAME WAS PUSHED BACK. THE BODY SHOP ESTIMATED THE DAMAGE TO BE WELL OVER $11,750 SO THE INSURANCE COMPANY DECLARED IT A TOTAL LOSS. DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS MINOR. NOT ONE OF MY 6 AIRBAGS EVER DEPLOYED EVEN THOUGH THE FORCE OF THE CRASH WAS ENOUGH TO DEMOLISH THE CAR AND THROW ME AGAINST THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT HAD A 2006 SCION TC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE HAD BEEN DEEMED A "LEMON" BY SCION CORPORATE. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED A LEMON BECAUSE OF RATTLING SOUNDS COMING FROM THE HATCHBACK FOR WHICH 3 UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO REPAIR. OTHER FAILURES INCLUDED: THE TRANSMISSION WOULDN'T ENGAGE WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE GEAR, THE REAR BUMPER WAS CRACKED, AND THE TIRES SCREECHED. THE CONTACT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT ON 11/25/2006 AT 3:30 AM, ON 110 EXPRESSWAY IN LOS ANGELES. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 60 MPH. NEITHER THE WEATHER NOR THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE A FACTOR IN THE CRASH. DURING A TURN, THE TIRES WEREN'T GRIPPING THE ROAD WELL. THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND HE APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOW CAR DOWN. THE CONSUMER OVERCORRECTION TO THE LEFT AND PROCEEDED INTO A DITCH. THE VEHICLE SPUN AROUND AND ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT HIM ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CAR BEING A LEMON WAS THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH. THE CONTACT HAS A POLICE REPORT. *JB

(1) RATTLE IN HATCH AND SUNROOF CAUSED DRIVER DISTRACTION (2) WHEN GOING OVER SPEED-BUMPS AND SLIGHTLY UNEVEN ROADS, THE RATTLE-DISTRACTION MIGHT BE HARMFUL TO THE OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AND TO PEDESTRIANS (3 )MORE THAN FIVE VISITS OVER A PERIOD OF SEVEN MONTHS TO THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT RESULTED IN RECTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM. *NM

MY BOYFRIEND AND I WERE DRIVING MY CAR ON A CLEAR, SUNNY DAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER RUNNING AND ALL WINDOWS CLOSED ON I-495 IN MARYLAND, WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD POP. THINKING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR OR THE TIRES I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE I THEN DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS THE MOON ROOF WIND DEFLECTOR SHATTERED. GLASS WAS FALLING IN THOUGH THE COVER FOR THE MOONROOF ON OUR HEAD. WE ENDED UP SWITCHING PLACES AND TAKING THE BACK ROADS TO THE DEALERSHIP. I CALLED THEM AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND FOUND THAT THEY WERE VERY ACCUSATORY. WE EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD NOT PASSED UNDER ANY OVERPASSES AND NO DEBRIS WERE OBSERVED EITHER VISUALLY OR HEARD WHILE IN THE CAR COMING FROM THE ROAD OR ANOTHER CAR. ONCE DROPPING IT OFF THEY TRIED TO MAKE ME FEEL AS IF IT WAS ME AND THAT MY INSURANCE MAY HAVE TO HANDLE IT. AFTER A MONTH OF DEALING WITH THEM THEY RETURNED THE CAR WITH A NEW MOON ROOF AND FRESHLY PAINTED REAR SPOILER. RECENTLY I FOUND AN ARTICLE IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL STATING THAT TOYOTA MOTOR CORP IN RECALLING 71,000 05-06 SCION TC'S. THAT WAS A HUGE RELIEF TO ME, SEEING AS THE DEALERSHIP MADE IT SEEM THAT IT WAS A VERY LIMITED PROBLEM AND ONLY A FEW CASES HAVE COME ABOUT. *JB

1) I WAS SITTING IN A RESTAURANT PARKING LOT WITH ONLY MY AC RUNNING WHEN AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SUNROOF JUST SHATTERS. NO REASON FOR THE GLASS TO SHATTER, HAD NOT OPENED THE SUNROOF IN 3 TO 4 DAYS, NOTHING HIT THE SUNROOF AT ANYTIME, AND I WAS MOTIONLESS WHEN THE GLASS SHATTERED. 2) WHEN THE GLASS SHATTERED PIECES OF GLASS RAINED DOWN ONTO ME INSIDE MY VEHICLE. I HAD A FEW CUTS BUT NOTHING MAJOR. IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING WHEN THIS HAPPENED I FEEL THERE COULD HAVE BEEN MAJOR PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLY GLASS IN MY EYES. 3) THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE GLASS, BUT ONLY AFTER I HAD TO ARGUE THAT THEY PAY FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE I HAD ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR JUST UNDER 2 WEEKS. NOW THERE IS ADDITIONAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE GLASS THAT I HAVE TO TRY TO GET FIXED. *NM EMAIL REPLY ON MAY 17, 2006 CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS THE SUN/MOON ROOF (NOT THE WIND DEFLECTOR) THAT SHATTERED.