2005 Scion xB Engine Problems

I OWN 2005 SCION XB FIRST INCIDENT -THURSDAY EVENING 6:30 PM, JULY 11, 2013 IN MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA I WAS DRIVING ON THE CITY STREET AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BY ITSELF TO 40-45 MPH. I BRAKED (FOOT BRAKE, HAND BRAKE & USING GEAR) BEFORE ALMOST HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. LUCKILY IT STOPPED WITH A LOUD BRAKING NOISE; I ENDED UP CLOSE TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET BUT STILL NOT CLEAR FROM THE TRAFFIC LANE. I TRIED TO RESTART AND MOVE OUT OF THE WAY BUT THE ACCELERATION SOUND WAS HORRIBLE AND THE GEAR WAS LOCKED UP. I OPENED THE HOOD AND CHECKED THE ACCELERATOR CABLE, FLIPPING THE SPRING LOADED CABLE BACK AND FORTH, AND IT SEEMED TO BE LOOSE ON THE CABLE SPOOL. I THEN RE-STARTED THE CAR, BUT IT WAS STILL REVVING VERY FAST, SO I TURNED IT OFF AND CONTINUED FLIPPING THE ACCELERATOR CABLE UNTIL IT APPEARED TO BE TIGHTER. WHEN I RE-STARTED IT THIS TIME IT WAS RUNNING NORMALLY AT REDUCED RPMS ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER THE INCIDENT. I DROVE BACK HOME SLOWLY (ONE MILE AWAY) ON THE CITY STREETS. I DROVE IT SLOWLY TO AUTO SHOP THE NEXT DAY. CHECKED BY MTZ AUTOMOTIVE IN MARTINEZ, CALIFORNIA ON FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2013. THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM. BUT I AM SCARED TO DRIVE. DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. CHECKING ONLINE AND FOUND YOUR WEBSITE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA SCION XB. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE, TSC AND ABS WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE REPAIR THE EXACT SAME WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT IN THE DEALERS POSSESSION FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE FACTORY WARRANTY AND REPAIRS WOULD BE AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,900.

VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL; TRACTION CONTROL; CHECK ENGINE HAVE ALL LIT UP. THIS FIRST OCCURRED IN SEPTEMBER 2007 THE DEALERSHIP HAD MY CAR FOR ALMOST 2 WEEKS BEFORE THEY "FIXED IT" BY REPLACING SOMETHING WITH MY CAM SHAFT? THEY STATED IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE OF A RECALL. JANUARY 1, 2008 THE LIGHTS ALL REAPPEARED, I BROUGHT IT BACK AND WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING COULD BE FOUND WRONG AND THAT THE LIGHTS RESET THEMSELVES. NOW FEBRUARY 13, 2008 THE LIGHTS HAVE COME BACK ON AGAIN ACCOMPANIED BY A VERY LOUD SQUEALING COMING FROM MY STEERING. *TR

I WAS DRIVING SOUTHBOUND ON DELAWARE STATE HIGHWAY 1 TOWARDS OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND, MAINTAINED A CONSTANT SPEED OF 50 MPH WHEN THE TAIL PIPE ON THE SCION XB 2005 RELEASED SERIES 2.0 FELL OFF WITHOUT WARNING. IT BOUNCED AGAINST THE ROAD, FLEW UP, AND HIT THE SUV DRIVING BEHIND ME IN THE WINDSHIELD. FORTUNATELY, THE WINDSHIELD DID NOT CRACK, AND THE DRIVER , AFTER WE BOTH PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, DROVE OFF WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE TAIL PIPE. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES ON IT, AND HAS BEEN KEPT IN EXCELLENT WORKING CONDITION WITH FREQUENT ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. HOWEVER, I NOTE THAT POOR WELDING ON THE TAIL PIPES OF THE RELEASE SERIES 2.0 HAS BEEN RECORDED FREQUENTLY ONLINE. SEE, HTTP://WWW.SCIONLIFE.COM/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=105750. ONLY 2500 OF THE CARS WITH THIS MUFFLER WERE PRODUCED, AND OVER A DOZEN COMPLAINTS WERE EASILY OBSERVABLE ONLINE. I WAS HAPPY THAT THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS AN SUV INSTEAD OF A MOTORCYCLE, AS THE FLYING TAILPIPE COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED A MOTORCYCLE DRIVER. I AM PRESENTLY ATTEMPTING TO REPLACE THE PART, BUT MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT IT WA SNO LONGER AVAILABLE. SCION HAS REPLIED THAT THE DEALER NEEDED TO SEARCH FOR THE PART NUMBER VIA THE VIN NUMBER, AND I AM AWAITING THE RESULT ON THIS COUNT.*AK

JUNE 19, 2007 I NOTICED THAT MY MUFFLER WAS LOUDER THAN USUAL AND NOTICED THAT THE TIP OF MY MUFFLER WAS MISSING. I OWN A SCION 2005 XB RELEASE SERIES 2.0 VEHICLE. THERE WERE 2500 OF THESE CARS MANUFACTURED AND THEY HAVE A SPECIAL DC SPORT EXHAUST SYSTEM. THE DEALER INITIALLY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. UPON LOOKING AT THE WEB SITE ENTITLED SCIONLIFE.COM, I FOUND A FORUM THAT CONTAINED MANY SCION XB RELEASE SERIES 2.0 OWNERS WHOSE MUFFLER TIPS HAD COME APART. I PROVIDED THIS INFORMATION TO THE DEALER. THE NOISE INSIDE MY VEHICLE CAN BE OPPRESSIVE WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL. JULY 6, 2007 THE DEALER STATES THAT HE IS ORDERING A MUFFLER AND THAT IT WILL BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. AS OF JULY 19, THE PART IS STILL ON ORDER. AFTER SEEING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE MUFFLER ON THESE VEHICLES, I BELIEVE THAT IT IS A DEFECTIVE MUFFLER AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED BY A FLYING MUFFLER TIP. THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD REPLACE THESE MUFFLERS WITH A SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE EXHAUST SYSTEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA SCION XB. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TIP OF THE MUFFLER WOULD SPORADICALLY CRACK AND THEN FALL OFF. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WAS POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE AND THEY REPLACED THE EXHAUST. ONE YEAR LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. A REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED, THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS AT THE COST OF $439. THE MANUFACTURERS OF THE VEHICLE AND THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,320 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,040.

THE SCION TC WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION HAS A MAJOR FLAW WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD AND DRIVEN SLOWLY. THE ENGINE BUCKS AND JERKS VIOLENTLY UNTIL THE ENGINE WARMS UP. IT WILL ONLY HAPPEN WHEN DRIVEN SLOWLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. THE VEHICLE WILL BUCK AND JERK, VIOLENTLY SOME TIMES, UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE NEEDLE MOVES. IT HAPPENS IN SUMMER AND WINTER AND IS OK WHEN THE ENGINE IS EVENTUALLY WARMED UP. THE DEALER CAN DO NOTHING FOR IT AS THE COMPUTER PROGRAMMING IS FIXED BY TOYOTA. *NM

THERE IS A DRIVING PROBLEM WITH A NEW CAR WHEN STARTING IT WITH A COLD ENGINE. THE VEHICLE BUCKS AND JERKS WHEN DRIVING AT SLOW SPEED UNTIL THE ENGINE IS WARMED UP. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT PRODUCE TROUBLE CODES. THEREFORE, THE DEALER CLAIMS IT IS OPERATING NORMALLY ALTHOUGH THE JERKING AND BUCKING IS QUITE DISRUPTIVE AND NOT AT ALL NORMAL. *AK