CSR

Scion · NHTSA safety record

2015 Scion FR-S

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

14

Complaints

1

Crashes

1

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2015 Scion FR-S have filed 14 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2015 and June 2025. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 5 of them (36%). The typical failure was reported at 32,000 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

16V420000 · June 9, 2016

The defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
The risk
An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 4,253 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH

16V075000 · February 10, 2016

The defect
Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Toyota Scion FR-S vehicles manufactured March 13, 2012, to January 14, 2016 and equipped an automatic transmission and ignition key. Vehicles with a push-to-start button are not affected. In the affected vehicles, it may be possible to remove the ignition key without the transmission being in the "Park" position. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
The risk
If the key can be removed from the ignition when the transmission is not in the "Park" position, the vehicle could roll away increasing the risk of a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition key/transmission interlock wiring connections, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 7, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0E.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 25,706 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT

14V828000 · December 30, 2014

The defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, RAV4, Scion FRS, and XB vehicles. The affected vehicles may have accessories installed by SET, such as running boards or other items, that were incorrectly installed. The accessory attaching fasteners were not tightened with the proper torque, possibly causing the accessory to detach from the vehicle.
The risk
Accessories that detach from a vehicle may result in a vehicle crash and/or personal injury.
The remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the affected bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET-14B.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 3,958 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 14.

ENGINE 5 36%
POWER TRAIN 2 14%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 14%
STEERING 2 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 14%
AIR BAGS 1 7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 7%
SEAT BELTS 1 7%
STRUCTURE 1 7%
SUSPENSION 1 7%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 3.

2015 2016 2025
2015 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire · 7 miles

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR BROKE DOWN. I ROLLED TO THE SHOULDER AND OPENED THE HOOD TO SEE FLAMES ARE THE ENGINE.

NHTSA complaint 10849620. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

BRAKE FAILURE ABS NOT FUNCTION

NHTSA complaint 10861065. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The valve spring for my 2015 FRS completely broke and this was a known issue and recalls for my car and it is available for inspection

NHTSA complaint 11667016. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering wheel began clunking and locking up when turning. Had this issue on a previous FRS, Electronic Power Steering Motor Coupler had failed and needed replacement.

NHTSA complaint 11502375. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Defective engine/motor failure spark plug popped out of engine along with coil. The service technician and service manager were shocked at the spark plug broken internally. I paid for spark plug replacement totaling approximately $1,200. Upon inspecting other parts of the motor it was determined the engine bay has coolant inside mixed with oil. The tech mention of engine over heating however the temperature gauge never reached overheating readings. If the engine overheated the temperature gauge failed to alert me while I was driving at any point and expressed this to the service advisor. My vehicle motor failed while I was engaged in driving on the freeway and turn off and on in the middle

NHTSA complaint 11490358, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I was driving 80 mph in the inner lane of a multi lane highway. Out of no where with no warning lights or sounds the car just lost all power, the steering felt like it locked and the car fell on it's face. I was almost hit by two different cars trying to get over to the shoulder and there was white smoke pouring out of the exhaust making cars behind me swerve because they couldn't see. Had it towed to the Toyota dealership and they told me that basically the engine blew and that they have seen this on other Scion model years and those are recalled but mine isn't recalled

NHTSA complaint 11428249. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

120,000 miles

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE, IT STARTED MISFIRING, THROWING UP A FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND IT WAS ROUGH TO KEEP IT RUNNING. UPON TOWING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVING IT INVESTIGATED FOR THE ROOT CAUSE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE SPRINGS ON A CYLINDER ARE FAILING. THIS ISSUE IS IDENTICAL TO THE ISSUES THAT ARE OCCURRING IN SAFETY RECALL J02, WHICH AFFECTS 2013 MODELS.

NHTSA complaint 11205250. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

34,000 miles

THE PASSAGER REAR CALIPER MALFUNCTION CAUSE THE BRAKE PAD FLY AWAY FROM THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE

NHTSA complaint 11203064. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Scion FR-S

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2013 179 4

Other 2015 Scion models

Every Scion on this site — 13 vehicles, 28 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst