Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Scion FR-S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's son owns a 2013 Toyota Scion FR-S. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a loud screeching sound located at the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic that the clutch release bearing failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
2013 SCION FR-S Valve spring recall notice was received in the mail. Recalled valve spring replacement caused engine to seize twice. The first time the engine seized Tustin Toyota admitted fault, noting issue was from recall fix and repaired the engine at no cost. The second time the engine seized Toyota denied responsibility and wanted to charge $5000
After completing the valve spring recall I got my car back and not 200 miles later the engine started to have rod knock. The Toyota dealership told me that there was now metal in my oil pan and I would need a new engine. This is not a unique issue, it has been happening to hundreds of other cars going through this exact recall, for years now.
Toyota advised based on a freeze frame of data on the computer they were denying my warranty for an "over rev". The rev they are citing is 7300 RPM at 35 MPH, which is under the factory set rev limiter and is also the correct rev for that speed in 1st gear on my 6 speed manual transmission. Further more I have evidence based on their freeze frame data that the data was not collected at the time of failure but at another point due to temperatures of the vehicle at the time of failure compared to the freeze frame data, as well as the run time stated on the freeze frame compared to how long I had driven the car that morning. Toyota has told me 4 times that the district parts and service manager has been the last one to deny the claim and has told me that to speak to him, I need to talk to dealer. …
On February 6, 2019 I was pulling up to a traffic light on a city street at approximately 40 MPH in heavy traffic and my clutch pedal stuck to the floor. The engine stalled and would restart, but I could not move the car either in forward or reverse. The vehicle has approximately 72,000 miles of mostly highway driving. I had the vehicle towed to my house and contacted a local Toyota dealer's service department and they confirmed an open safety recall existed (18v-772) that could cause the engine to stall. They called back after receiving the vehicle in their service department and and indicated that they could do the recall repair, but that my clutch release bearing had failed causing the engine to stall and since the vehicle's warranty has expired, I would have to pay for the replacement of the clutch and associated parts as well as towing and the rental car. …
I was notified by mail that they're was a safety recall for my 2013 aciom frs which was to replace my engine spring valve at no cost. I took in my car January 18 to have the work done it took around 2 weeks to get a respond back that my car was ready for pick up. I took it out and drove it for about 5 mile to get gas and when I turned on my car it was struggling to turn on and once it turned on it was it was shaking violently , 3 engine codes came up p0017 p0300p219a. I took it immediately to Toyota and all they did was clear my engine codes drove my car for about 30 miles and handed it back to me saying it was safe to drive. I had my car for about 2,000 miles I was driving back home at night and I heard a loud pop inside my engine so I parked the car. …
I noticed my clutch would not shift into gear smoothly anymore and I baby my clutch all the time. One day when I was driving home I smelled something burning and then my car would not go even though it was in gear. I managed to get my car to drive again and it was fine. The next day I went to leave my house and I got around the corner and my car would not come out of first gear and would not go over 5 MPH. I towed it to the dealership and theanual transmission bearing screw broke and made my transmission seize up with less than 50,000 miles.for them to do the work it costed 1500. I have taken my car in for the clutch not shifting right before and they said nothing was wrong. …
Took my vehicle in for repairs and had the valve spring recall work done at the request of the service rep at the dealership ( rick hendrick Toyota of fayetteville ). Came back the next day and drove my frs home without a problem. In the following days I noticed it was taking longer for the car to start, and was throwing the CEL on a particularly hot day as well. I disregarded it and continued driving my car lightly around post. A few days later the difficulty starting was still there and eventually the car started emitting a loud knocking noise from the motor, I feared it was a dreaded rod knock which I knew could be disastrous for the motor internally. So I limped it home and had the vehicle towed to the dealership the next day on my dime to figure out what happened. This all happened over the course of 7-9 days after driving home from the recall work. …
I have experienced major problems following the valve spring recall on the Scion FR-s. Approximately 1 month following the recall which was completed in March, my vehicle began experiencing a vibration, a loud rattling sound, and an engine knock. I took the vehicle to the dealership that completed the recall to have them inspect it. The dealership tried to give me the run around, ron hubbard Toyota in gallatin tn, eventually I fought with them and got them to inspect it. After over a month of calling and fighting with them and going to the dealership they told me it was a cracked flex plate causing the problems and tried to charge me 1500$. After much fighting and contacting Toyota headquarters and the dealership, I was persistent enough that they covered it. By now I had been without a vehicle for a month and half. …
Ignition coil CEL came on rarely at high 5-7K RPM gear shifts and first appeared around 25K, now at 37K miles it comes on consistently at high 5-7K RPM shifts. Transmission had to be replaced at 15K miles due to gears grinding with the clutch fully depressed when driving in any speeds. Coolant tank was improperly sealed permitting water to evaporate, I used electric tape to make a seal. Engine did not have a high pitch cricket-like noise upon purchase and within 100 miles and since it has a high pitched noise when idle. Passenger's window switch does not auto scroll upon pressing the 2nd notch about 10% of the time in any condition. Both driver and passenger windows have very distinct 3 inch wide streak marks from scrolling up and down. The center of the interior dashboard has been slightly warped since 15K miles.
Transmission complaints in other FR-S years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2013 Scion FR-S?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2013 Scion FR-S, 12% of the model year's 179 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Scion FR-S transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2013 Scion FR-S, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Scion FR-S transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.