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What 5 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Scion Fr-s

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (5)Engine (4)Seat belts (1)

Newest first · 5 complaints

Jul 2, 2022Engine

Timing chain cover oil leak Oil pan cover oil leak Has been a persistent leak since I purchased the car in 2014. I’ve learned it’s an extremely common issue which the dealership won’t warranty. It’s been a documented leak since 2015 and over $2500 to fix. Several members on forums/Facebook claim the exact same leak in same location. It’s due to poor quality sealant used by manufacturer instead of a gasket. New sealant sold by dealership because original sealant is faulty.

NHTSA ODI 11472164

Apr 25, 2021Engine

MY TOYOTA SCION FR-S 2014 SUDDENLY STOPPED AND LOST ITS POWER WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG A CITY STREET IN FAIRFIELD CA . THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER SINCE PURCHASE . IT ONLY HAD 33,000 MILES AND I WAS VERY SURPRISE WHAT WENT WRONG . MY SON ROLLED THE VEHICLE TO A SIDE STREET . WE CALLED OUR INSURANCE FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN FAIRFIELD CA. THEY WENT ON TO DIAGNOSE AND FOUND THE CAR TO BE OF PEARL CONDITION , WITH PERFECT OIL LEVEL AND QUALITY . THEY SAID IT WAS MOTOR MALFUNCTION . THE VALVE SPRINGS WERE OUT OF PLACE AND CREATED A STRANGE NOISE . THEY RECOMMENDED MOTOR REPLACEMENT WHICH WOULD COST ME $11K FOR A USED ENGINE WITH 51K MILES . I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON INCIDENT WITH TOYOTA FRS 2012 TO 2014 MODELS . THERE WAS A RECALL BUT IT WAS HALTED BECAUSE AFTER THE RECALL , MOST RECALLED TOYOTA FRS STILL GET STALLED DUE TO THE SEALANTS USED . WE HAVE SEVERAL (ALL TOYOTA ) CARS AND THIS CAR IN PARTICULAR IS JUST USED 40 MILES A MONTH . OUR RESTAURANT IS JUST A MILE AWAY FROM WHERE WE LIVE . THAT IS WHY THERE IS NO WAY WE HAD NOT TAKEN CARE OF THIS CAR . I CHECKED THE RECALLS FOR THIS MODEL AND MAKE , AND THERE IS NONE ! IT HAPPENED WHEN WE WERE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 15 ON A CITY SIDE STREET , JUST HEADING STRAIGHT AHEAD .

NHTSA ODI 11413745

Nov 27, 2020Seat belts

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SCION FR-S. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER FAILED TO OPERATE CORRECTLY AS THE PASSENGER'S AND DRIVER'S DOOR AJAR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 155,085. ## VIN PASSED ## TOYOTA 2014 ##

NHTSA ODI 11376533

Jul 13, 2020Engine

I WAS GOING HOME FROM WORK (20KM) AND RAMPING DOWN THE HWY EXIT TO THE STOP SIGN, I HEARD A RAPID CLAPPING NOISE UNTIL THE CAR STOPPED TO NEVER START AGAIN. MY LOCAL CAR REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT IT NEEDS A NEW MOTOR. THE CAR ODO IS 90,000KM AND 6YEARS OLD. TOYOTA CANADA BASICALLY SAID THAT THE CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I'M IN MY FIFTIES AND THE CAR HAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I PURCHASE THE CAR JUST TO DRIVE TO WORK AND LOOKING GOOD DOING IT. NOW I CAN'T EVEN FIND A DECENT USED MOTOR.... THE CAR IS SPOTLESS IN A-1 CONDITION. I'M FURIOUS RIGHT NOW. I FILLED THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD. I'M A CANADIAN CITIZEN AND CAN'T FILL A US COMPLAINT THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI 11339194

Oct 4, 2018Engine

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND MY CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AND MY ENGINE KONKED OUT/DIED. FEELING UNSAFE TO DRIVE VEHICLE I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO NEAREST MECHANIC. UPON HIS VISUAL INSPECTION AND BY STARTING IT UP HE HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING. THEN HE INFORMED ME THAT IT "POOPED A ROD BEARING" AND THAT I NEED A NEW MOTOR. HE MENTIONED A USED MOTOR GOES FOR $5000. I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THAT I NEEDED A NEW MOTOR AT 60,181 MILES. THEREFORE I HAD IT TOWED TO TOYOTA DELEARSHIP IN TUSTIN CALIFORNIA. AFTER RUNNING A DIAGNOSTIC AND DRAINING OIL FROM VEHICLE..THE MECHANIC SAID THERE WAS METAL PIECES IN THE OIL AND THAT THE MOTOR WAS DEFINITELY OIL STARVED. HE QUOTED A NEW ENGINE INSTALLATION WOULD BE $12,000. I CURRENTLY OWE $16,000 ON MY 2014 SCION FRS. I COULDN'T AFFORD IT SO I CONTACTED TOYOTA TO SEE IF IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT BEING THAT THIS DOESN'T NORMALLY HAPPEN AT 60,000 MILES UNDER NORMAL DRVING CONDITIONS AND MAINTENANCE. TOYOTA DIDN'T HONOR MY WARRANTY BECAUSE IT WAS JUST OVER 181 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11133373

Working with the data? Download all 5 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 Scion Fr-s verdict →