KnownCarProblems2009 Scion XB Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Scion XB, most often about the air bags (53% of complaints, typically around 88,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about XB model year since 2000 and has 10 recalls.
Most common 2009 Scion XB problems
Air bags
74 complaints · 53%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Takata recall -my daughter hit a parked car and over corrected making the vehicle flip. No airbags deployed. My daughter had a cut on her head, huge bump on forehead, black eye, huge bump on top of her head. Her passanger fractured three finger and had her nails ripped off. She will be having surgery. We had the…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 Scion XB. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified.…
Engine
25 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 99,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
A representative from toyota told me if I upgrade to a synthetic blend I would not need a oil change until I pass the 5000mi mark or after 5 months. That was a lie! This past year I have to get oil changes everytime my car hits around 1200 miles. This starting occurring after 105000mi. I went in many times to try to…
The contact owns a 2009 Scion XB. While operating the vehicle, the engine and oil warning indicators intermittently illuminated. Also, the vehicle would drive very sluggish and would not properly accelerate. The cause of the failures was not determined. World toyota (5800 peach tree industrial blvd, atlanta, ga) and…
Brakes
13 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components.
I have a huge complaint about the 2009 XB regarding the brake system, I ve take the vehicle to toyota back in 4/2011 complaining of the brake system, after having the vehicle inspected I was told nothing was wrong, as I am driving normal speed limit, as I start to brake slowing coming to a stop sign, the brakes seem…
Tl contact owns a 2009 Scion XB. While traveling at speeds of 25 MPH, the left caliber began exhibiting an unusual noise and would violently grip the rotor. The vehicle was also abnormally pulling to the left. The dealer advised that the issue was with the tire. The dealer deemed the vehicle as unsafe to drive. The…
Electrical
9 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 55,500 miles.
Our security system has started going off at random while we are driving down the hi way at 65 MPH or when we are making a turn, the 4ways start flashing and the horn starts blowing, this is scary and can cause other cars to slow or stop behind US.
Master window switch caught on fire, and unit and plastic was melted. Had to replace, only to find out this part was recalled for the same model number and year as mine, but my VIN did not match up. You may need to investigate further. Same issues the recall described, and may be more like me out there. Nhtsa campaign…
Speed control
9 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2009 Scion XB. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH with the brakes depressed, the vehicle lunged forward abnormally. The contact continually depressed the brake pedal in order to stop the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired.…
The issue I am having with my vehicle is the traction control. There is no way to disable it permanently. I have contacted the manufacturer several times to resolve this issue but they were unable to help. The intersection exiting my neighborhood is often busy and occasionally there is loose sand and gravel at the…
Other or unspecified
6 complaints · 4%The Scion XB 2009 was driving on the highway, at speed limit, 10 miles after the "needs maintenance" oil light came on. After 15 minutes, the car made a loud bang noise which we think came from the engine.after the bang, car pulled over. Another car pulled over too, since a piece of flaming debris from my car came out…
March 15 my Scion XB spontaneously erupted in flames, we on our way home at the intersection of union tpke and parsons blvd in queens ny, we were stopped for construction traffic when the vehicle began to emit smoke, we pulled into a kfc/pizza hut parking lot, , within minutes flames were coming out from the engine…
Body and structure
5 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: body.
March 15 my Scion XB spontaneously erupted in flames, we on our way home at the intersection of union tpke and parsons blvd in queens ny, we were stopped for construction traffic when the vehicle began to emit smoke, we pulled into a kfc/pizza hut parking lot, , within minutes flames were coming out from the engine…
The contact owns a 2009 Scion XB. The contact stated the hood failed to close after several attempts. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 08v451000 (structure) as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
Transmission
4 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: clutch assembly, automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2009 toyota Scion XB. While driving at approximately 70mph on the highway when she attempted to change lanes she heard a loud noise and when she attempted to change gears the clutch stuck and she was not able to release the clutch. She was able to drive the vehicle over unto the side of the road.…
I drive a 2009 scionxb. At least six times since I bought it in late 2008, I have had trouble with sudden unintended acceleration. At all times the carwas moving less than 30 miles an hour. It occurred once while slowing down for a light about to go green. I still made a soft hit on the car in front. A second time it…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 Scion XB recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began november 20, 2019. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are j0a, j0b, and j0c. Lexus' numbers for this recall are jli, jlj, and jlk.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4runner, 2003-2006 tundra, 2003-2013 corolla, 2009-2010 corolla matrix, 2004-2005 rav4, 2002-2007 sequoia, 2011-2013 sienna, 2008-2012 scion xb, 2008-2009 lexus is-f, 2007-2012 yaris and lexus es350, 2010-2017 lexus gx460, 2002-2010 lexus sc430, 2006-2012 lexus is250 and is350 and 2010-2015 lexus is250c and is350c vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota, scion and lexus owners. General motors will contact the pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began on january 29, 2018. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "zone a" toyota: g0p, lexus: glg; "zone b" toyota: g0r, lexus glh; "zone c" toyota: h0a, and lexus: hla.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2013 scion xb, toyota corolla, corolla matrix, sienna, 4runner, lexus is250, is350, is250c, is350c, is-f, and gx460 vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of al, ca, fl, ga, hi, la, ms, sc, tx, pr, as, gu, the mp (saipan), and the u.s. Vi or "zone a." toyota is also recalling certain 2010 scion xb, toyota corolla, corolla matrix, yaris, 4runner, lexus is250, is350, is250c, is350c, es350, is-f, gx460, and pontiac vibe vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of az, ar, de, dc, il, in, ks, ky, md, mo, ne, nv, nj, nm, nc, oh, ok, pa, tn, va, and wv or "zone b." toyota is also recalling certain 2009 scion xb, toyota corolla, corolla matrix, yaris, lexus is250, is350, es350, is-f, and pontiac vibe vehicles ever registered in the states of ak, co, ct, id, ia, me, ma, mi, mn, mt, nh, ny, nd, or, ri, sd, ut, vt, w
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota, scion and lexus owners. General motors will contact the pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on february 1, 2017. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are g0p (toyota zone a), g0r (toyota zone b), h0a (toyota zone c), glg (lexus zone a), glh (lexus zone b) and hla (lexus zone c).
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2012 toyota 4runner, corolla, corolla matrix, sienna, yaris, scion xb, lexus es350, gx460, is-f, is250, is350, is250c, is350c, and lexus lfa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, toyota is recalling certain 2009 toyota corolla, corolla matrix, yaris, yaris hb, scion xb, pontiac vibe, lexus, es350, is250, is350, and is-f vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsy
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota and lexus owners. General motors will contact the pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on december 6, 2016. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are g1p (toyota zone a), g1r (toyota zone b), g2g (lexus zone a), and g2h (lexus zone b). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are g0p (toyota zone a), g0r (toyota zone b), glg (lexus zone a), and glh (le
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 scion xb and lexus is f, 2009-2011 toyota corolla and corolla matrix, 2006-2011 toyota yaris, lexus is250 and lexus is350, 2010-2011 toyota 4runner, lexus is250c, lexus is350c and lexus gx460, 2011 sienna, 2007-2011 lexus es350, and 2009-2010 pontiac vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 scion xb and lexus is f, 2007-2008 toyota yaris, 2006-2008 lexus is250 and lexus is350 and 2007-2008 lexus es350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, distric
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the pwms circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin december 20, 2015. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is c0m.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor company (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 tundra, sequoia, corolla, corolla matrix and scion xb, 2008-2011 highlander and highlander hybrid, 2007 camry and camry hybrid, 2009 camry and camry hybrid, 2006-2011 rav4, 2006-2010 yaris, and 2009-2010 scion xd and pontiac vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the power window master switch (pwms), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners that experience a problem with a switch should not attempt to make repairs, but should contact their toyota dealer or the toyota customer experience center at 1-800-331-4331. General motors will contact the pontiac vibe owners affected by this recall and gm dealers will inspect and repair switches as necessary. Those owners may contact pontiac customer care at 1-800-762-2737.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 camry, camry hybrid, rav4, corolla, corolla matrix, tundra, sequoia, highlander, highlander hybrid, yaris, scion xb, scion xd and pontiac vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.
Equipment: labels
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
Full defect summary
Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: Incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
Body and structure: hinge and attachments
Risk: During vehicle operation, this could obstruct the view of the driver possibly cause the hood to strike the roof or the windshield increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the sports grill installation and install additional clips to ensure the radiator grill garnish is properly secured. The recall began on october 6, 2008. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling 67 my 2008-2009 scion xb vehicles equipped with the sports grill option and also several radiator grills sold as parts. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 113, "hood latch system." it has been determined that should the primary hood latch be released or fail, the plastic upper radiator grill garnish could release the secondary latch and cause the hood to open.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2009 Scion XB
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 Scion XB?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (74 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); engine (25 complaints, typically around 99,500 miles); brakes (13 complaints, typically around 40,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2009 Scion XB have?
- 10 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 17, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the Scion XB?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about XB model year since 2000, with 140 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.