NHTSA Complaint #10318586 — 2006 SCION XA

AFTER MY CAR, A 2006 SCION XA, HAD SAT IN THE PARKING LOT ALL DAY AT WORK, I DROVE ABOUT A BLOCK TO A STOP SIGN WAITING TO CROSS TWO LANES. IT WAS COLD AND RAINY THAT DAY. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP, ALL OF SUDDEN THERE WAS A CLUNK FROM UNDERNEATH THAT I HEARD AND FELT AND WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE CAR BUCKING, AS IF IT WAS TRYING TO LEAP AHEAD. I HAD MY FOOT HARD ON THE BRAKE. IT KEPT DOING THIS EVERY 5 SECONDS OR SO UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE TURN. CLUNK, LEAP ' CLUNK, LEAP. IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO CONTROL THE CAR. IT WAS DIESELING REALLY HARD DURING ALL THIS. ONCE I MADE THE TURN AND STARTED DRIVING, IT SETTLED DOWN AND IT WARMED UP WITHIN FOUR MINUTES AND WAS FINE AGAIN. I THINK I NOTICED THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON BUT I CAN'T BE SURE ABOUT THAT. I DIDN'T NOTICE IF THE CHECK ENGINE CAME ON. I WAS TOO BUSY TRYING TO CONTROL THE CAR TO NOTICE WHAT ELSE WAS HAPPENING. THE NEXT EVENING, AFTER I HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR BUT IT WOULDN'T SHIFT. FINALLY AFTER TRYING A FEW TIMES, LETTING OUT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND STARTING IT AGAIN, IT SHIFTED. THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING NOT RIGHT WITH THIS VEHICLE, WHETHER OR NOT THE CODES SAY SO. PERHAPS THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CODE SYSTEM. I TOOK THE CAR INTO MY DEALER FOR REPAIR AND THOUGH THE CODES DIDN'T REGISTER ANYTHING AMISS, ONE OF THEIR MECHANICS WAS SMART ENOUGH TO RECALIBRATE THE ECM PROGRAM WHICH FIXED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS SIMILAR TO WHAT I AM READING ABOUT THE TOYOTA RECALL PROBLEMS, THOUGH NOT AS SEVERE. SCION IS MADE BY TOYOTA. IT DEFINITELY WAS AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM. THE DEALER REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA LAST YEAR WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN FOR REPAIR. THIS WAS A USED CAR I PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER 2008. *TR