Sell your Scion tC as it sits

A tC with a dead engine, crash damage or a long list of faults can still go in one piece. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

The 2.4 years and the 2.5 years

Toyota built the tC at its Tsutsumi plant in Aichi, Japan, in two generations. This page groups model years 2005-2010 with the first and 2011-2016 with the second, which went into production in 2010.

First generation (AT10): 599 complaints

The first tC used a 2.4 L 2AZ-FE four with VVT-i. The compression ratio was 9.6:1 on 2005-2006 cars and 9.8:1 on 2007-2010. A 5-speed manual was standard and a 4-speed automatic was optional.

On the 2005 and 2006, visibility is the component owners named most: 40 and 37 complaints. One recall sits in that category. Campaign 05V483 covered the glass wind deflector on the moon roof, which could break if road debris hit it while it was tilted up at highway speed. Dealers added a protective laminate. That campaign counted 71,392 vehicles and may include other models.

Air bags rank fourth overall, with 78 complaints, after visibility, engine and structure. Recall 06V408 covered side seat-bolster and curtain air bags that could go off when a door was slammed hard; dealers replaced the two side sensors. Recall 06V096 covered improperly assembled inflators in the side, curtain and knee air bags. Those counts, 29,542 and 133, are whole-campaign figures.

From 2007 the engine moves to the top: 31 of 117 complaints on the 2007, 21 of 86 on the 2008 and 13 of 60 on the 2009. The 2007 complaints also report 9 deaths, more than any other tC year.

According to Wikipedia's Scion article, the tC also offered an optional supercharger that raised output from 161 to 200 hp, dropped in 2007 because bearings inside the blower wore out early.

Second generation (AT20): 94 complaints in six years

Wikipedia's lines for this generation list a 2.5 L 2AR-FE four and a 6-speed EB60 manual. The complaint count falls hard. The 2011's top item is exterior lighting (6). The 2014 has 20 complaints, led by "unknown or other" (7) and service brakes (5). The 2015 has 22, with air bags and power train at 5 each.

Recall 15V228 is the one mechanical campaign here. It covers 2015 tCs built from December 3, 2014 to January 30, 2015 with accessory coil springs; dealers replace the rear suspension arms, bolts, nuts and rear suspension member. The campaign counted 114 vehicles. The other second-generation recalls (13V123, 16V236 and 16V420) hand owners a corrected label.

Production ended in August 2016, and TRD stopped making all tC parts that year.

tC complaints by model year

We pulled the tC numbers below from NHTSA complaint data on October 10, 2026. The "recalls" column counts each campaign naming that model year, so a single campaign may sit in more than one row. A 2016 has had a decade less than a 2006 for owners to report anything.

All told, tC complaints report 126 crashes, 17 fires, 129 injuries and 18 deaths, and 28 say the car was towed.

Should you fix the tC?

• Check tC recalls. Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup and phone a Toyota dealer on any open one.
• 2007-2010 tC with a dead engine? Get a written repair quote, then hold it up against the asking price of a running tC like yours. Blown engine covers the decision.
• Crash damage? A tC that needs a bumper, a hood and air bags can cost more than it's worth. See wrecked or totaled.
• Modified? Aftermarket parts can change who wants the car. Modified or deleted explains what to disclose.

How selling the tC whole works

1. Keep the tC's VIN, its mileage and a quick list of faults nearby.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where the tC sits and if it rolls and steers, so our truck can load it. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Leave everything on it: wheels, catalytic converter, seats. Parts pulled off the tC shift our offer, so tell us what's already gone.
5. Our driver will want the tC title and your photo ID. Title gone missing? Read selling with no title. For plates and insurance afterward, see after you sell.

Other Scions: FR-S, xB, xD, or the full Scion list.