There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2013 Scion FR-Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The car randomly shut off, i started it back up and it has a knock in the engine. Oil is super clean, and changed every 3k miles. I keep up with maintenance on my vehicle. I contacted Toyota and they had a Valve Spring Recall that leads to this very problem but somehow my vehicle isn't covered. I
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V772000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The dealer and manufacturer informed the contact that the recall could not be performed because the engine in the vehicle was not the OEM part. Parts distribution disconnect.
The car randomly shut off, i started it back up and it has a knock in the engine. Oil is super clean, and changed every 3k miles. I contacted Toyota and they had a Valve Spring Recall that leads to this very problem but somehow my vehicle isnt covered.
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 60 MPH, the engine warning light was flashing. The driver pulled to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that there was a fractured engine valve spring. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V772000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
sometimes the car randomly stalls out during driving. usually off cold starts if i let it warm up for even 5 minutes it still will stall out sometimes. its not super common id say it does it once every 2 days maybe. the car is also misfiring and ive noticed a large loss of power from the car. it started back in june and i just havent really gotten it fixed yet. usually when im driving itll kind of just buffer and a check engine light is thrown on but it ends up going off after a couple drives.
Vehicle suffered engine failure in line with previous recalled, and subsequently repaired parts. Both Toyota & Subaru have refused to repair. Vehicle is under 100,000 miles.
The engine suffered catastrophic failure 2,988 miles after the J02 Saftey recall was performed by Preston Toyota of New Castle, PA. I was travelling at highway speeds when the engine died and would not turn on. I lost all power brakes and could have wrecked and injured myself, others or worse, caused a fatality. The car was towed to a toyota dealership that confirmed the issue was due to the work performed during the recall on the car. The oil light flashed a few times then shut off and then a few seconds later the engine died.
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V772000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it remained awaiting the parts for the recall repair. The contact stated that once the parts for the repair were available, the mechanic informed her that the manufacturer would not be covering the repairs on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
It is my belief that the valve spring on the engine broke, even after the recall work had been done. I was getting out of my car and heard, what sounded like, metal under tension popping really loudly. After that the engine made a rattling noise. In hindsight I should have known something was wrong, but I had an oil change at the dealer in 2 days and thought they would hear it. After the oil change they didn't say anything so I felt it was ok. On my way home from work the following day, less than 40 miles after the oil change, the car suddenly completely shut off while I was driving home on the highway. What saved my life was that I was getting off the highway in the right lane and was able to roll the car slightly off the highway. Had this been in any other lane I might have been in an accident. Trying to restart the car on the side of the road it had a terrible knocking noise and sounded like something was spinning freely. I had it towed to the dealer as they had just changed the oil thinking that was it. They "looked" at it a couple days later and said it was a spun bearing and that it was normal wear and tear. The car only has 103,000 miles on it and was driven normally, with regular maintenance. Upon retrieving the car the tow truck driver stated that's not normal to happen, and I noticed the car was in the same place as where I had it towed originally. The dealer never actually inspected or looked at the car and just made the spun bearing assessment without trying to start it, as the battery was dead from trying to restart on the highway. No one has since touched the car, and some research online shows that I am not the only person this has happened to. The recall stated that the valve springs could break while driving and the car would suddenly shut off with no warning. This is exactly what happened, while driving on the highway home. According to the dealer it is a spun bearing but that is not what it sounds like at all. It definitely sounds like a rod.
Under normal driving conditions, a well maintained 79k car, the joint that holds up cylinder #2 failed, totalling the engine. Thankfully the rod did not kill me.
Engine failure. My safety is compromised by car leaving me stranded at an unpreditable time. Serviced center fixed vehicle twice unsuccecfully because different engine brand but joint partnership. No warning lamps were present before or after failure of engine.
Engine stalled won't crank over or run anymore. Mechanic said it was a valve spring issue and vehicle had a recall that entitled engine to be replaced by Toyota.
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact stated there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check oil warning light was illuminated while the vehicle was decelerating. The contact drove into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the valve spring had fractured. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number 18V772000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that 115 miles after the repair there was a knocking noise coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle began to run rough. While driving at highway speeds the vehicle began to feel as if it was decelerating with the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer who diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the failure was coming from the bottom of the engine. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
Was going down the road. To a fast food place. As soon as I turned. A pop happens and the whole car started to shake. All the maintenance was done every 6k miles. Got the car at 32k miles Went to Toyota. And they called and said it was engine failure “mechanical failure” then they called back and said there was no coolant. In my eyes I feel it’s to cover their end to not do a recall.
Toyota of El Cajon performed the J02 recall for engine valve springs on August 13, 2020 at 98, 448 mileage. Toyota of El Cajon performed service oil/filter change, coolant change, and multipoint inspection June 2021 (work order 356309). The engine of my 2013 Scion FR-S malfunctioned with a rod knock on July 13, 2021 at 105k mileage, eleven months after J02 recall performed. There were no warnings lamps, oil lights, or any messages prior to failure. The only symptom was the engine rod knock when the car starts. Toyota of El Cajon technician and shop floorman do not know the cause, yet they attempt to deny that this issue relates to the J02 recall. They said it would cost a "couple thousand" to take apart the engine to investigate the cause. They said it would be $9k out of my pocket to replace the short block and would be "terribly expensive". I towed my unfixed vehicle home through my insurance. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance or others. I am contacting Toyota Corporate to create claim #. Engine failure after J02 recall is a well-known issue. There are several other cases of this happening and a Class Action lawsuit due to workmanship error and sealant. This issue should be fixed by the dealership/manufacturer without cost to consumer. The safety, reliability and reputation of the vehicle depends on it. Do the right thing!
I was driving down the road and felt the car lose power. Shortly, after the traction control and check engine light came on. I pulled over and a I slowed the engine died on me. It took several tries and it finally started and I made it home going about 45. The next day I went to town and as I pulled into a parking lot the engine completely died again. I went to the parts store right next door and the code read can shaft sensor fault. I then slowly drove to a family members house and where we replaced those sensors. This didn't fix anything. I then took it too my mechanic who proceeded to tell me I needed a new engine. There were multiple codes showing with his code reader. I only remember low oil pressure but the oil was full. Tried to drive it back to family members (less than 2 miles)but it didn't make it and I had to have it towed home.i had the valve spring recall repaired in the summer of 2020. My car has 103,000 miles and has had every oil change and had a tune up when I took it to the dealership for the recall.
The contact owns a 2013 Scion FR-S. The contact received notification of an unknown recall. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer and the engine was replaced. The contact then stated while driving the vehicle two months later, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with the oil valve needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred two years later. The vehicle was then towed back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist due to the warranty coverage being expired. The failure mileage was approximately 82,900.
The contact owns a 2013 SCION FR-S. The contact stated while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle would stall without warning. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,003.
THE VEHICLE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY FOR A ROAD TRIP. DURING THE TRIP THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING EXCESSIVELY. UPON PULLING THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE WE INSPECTED THE ENGINE TO SEE A LARGE HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS RENDERED INOPERABLE UPON FURTHER INSPECTION.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD NEAR MY HOUSE AND THE CAR STARTED MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE SO I PULLED OVER AND CHECKED THE OIL AND IT WAS FINE SO I KEPT DRIVING AND IT STARTED GETTING WORSE SO I HAD TO TOW THE CAR HOME
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026