Most common 2012 Scion iQ problems
Share of the 17 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Scion iQ complaints by model year
2012 Scion iQ recalls (1)
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Scion IQ vehicles manufactured July 31, 2011, through October 12, 2012. The cable for the Occupant Classification System (OCS) may become damaged when sliding the passenger seat forward or backward.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover on the OCS weight sensor cable. The recall began on December 20, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
What 2012 Scion iQ owners say
Body & structure
The paint is peeling off the entire car. The body shop said it is a factory defect. A quick internet search shows that this is a wide spread issue for this year, make, model & color. Why won't Toyota do anything about it?
Paint is coming off of car in different places & to much oil consumption even after changing EGR value have to add oil to often.
Air bags
The contact owns a 2012 Scion iQ. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, another vehicle made a left turn, causing the contact to crash into the other vehicle; however, no air bags deployed. The contact was injured on her back and received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,189.
have a 2013 Scion IQ (auto/cvt). I had the 'check engine' and 'trac control' lights come on a few years ago.. I was driving on city streets. All I noticed was that the car didn't respond as it should when I gave it gas. ( nothing drastic ) I ran the codes. It said the gas pedal was the problem. I removed the pedal assembly. (it's easier to unplug it that way. I unplugged it and looked at the inside of the plug. All looked fine. Plugged the pedal back in and all was good then. (I'm sure I avoided a $500 bill ) Same problem just occurred a few years later. I didn't bother running the codes. I just unplugged/re-plugged the pedal. Saved another $500. Here's a scary one. I was driving the car the first light snow of the year. On a city street, going slow on level road. Just maintaining speed..... not slowing ..... not speeding up...... not turning. All of a sudden
Engine & cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Scion iQ. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change. The contact was informed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil, causing the engine to fail. The mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact also mentioned that black smoke was coming out of the vehicle. The vehicle was later taken to rudy luther Toyota (8805 wayzata blvd, golden valley, mn 55426) and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired due to the repair cost. The contact also stated that the headlights were dim. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. The VIN was not available.
When cold the cv transmission in the iQ will not allow the vehicle to pull away up a steep hill. This has happened several times and represents a serious safety concern. The issue only happens when the car is cold, it will pull the same hill with no problem when warm. The iQ has a cv transmission and it fails to adjust to a high enough RPM to pull away up a steep (10%) grade. The problem manifests as either no or very slow forward progress (less than walking speed) even with the accelerator hard down. The dealership service rep seemed unconcerned about the issue.
2012 Scion iQ engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3L 4-cyl | CVT | FWD | 36 / 37 / 37 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Scion iQ a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the iQ to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Scion iQ?
The body & structure — 6 complaints, 35% of all complaints for this model year, most often about body. Next are the air bags (4) and engine & cooling (4).
How many recalls does the 2012 Scion iQ have?
There is 1 recall for the 2012 Scion iQ, the most recent from November 8, 2012 (sensor/control module-inactive). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do 2012 Scion iQ problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 43,000 miles; 58% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.