The Lemon IndexScion xB reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 1.3× the average car's complaints.
Worse than average · 2004–2010
20102nd generation
What owners say on YouTube
2004–2006 xB · 198 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
Before you buy, watch
2008–2015 xB · 196 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
- Infotainment, battery & electrical206K views
- Transmission & shifter125K views
- Spark plugs & ignition coils87K views
Before you buy, watch
Scion XB 2nd gen 2008 to 2015 common problems, defects, issues, recalls and complaintsHOWSTUFFINMYCARWORKS · 65K views
Overview of the 2012 Scion XB, Reliability, & Recalls.Witchauto · 22K views
Top 5 Problems Scion xB Hatchback 2008-2015 2nd Generation1A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics Know · 14K viewsPraise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2011 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2013 best.
Years to avoid
None.
No Scion xB year drew much more than the average car's complaints.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 6 Scion xB years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/scion-xb/" title="Scion xB reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="330" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/scion-xb/">Lemon Index</a> (Scion xB reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 395 YouTube videos about the Scion xB, 2004 to 2015, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2010. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Scion xB.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Scion xB reliable?
Not really. It draws 1.3× the average car's complaints, and YouTube owners rate it about average for its age. Fewest complaints: 2010.
Is the Scion xB a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2004-2010: Lemon Index 132; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2010 drew the fewest complaints since 2010.
What are the best Scion xB years to buy?
By owner complaints per car sold since 2010: 2010. 2010 drew the fewest.
What Scion xB years should you stay away from?
No Scion xB year drew much more than an average car's complaints.
How many recalls does the Scion xB have?
71 safety recalls across the 11 model years we track. Most: 2006 (11), 2009 (11), 2008 (9). Each year's page lists them, and every Scion xB recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Scion xB problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name visibility, brakes and speed control most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | – | too few complaints to score | 7 | airbags (57%) | 6 | — | 28–29 |
| 2005 | 83 | somewhat fewer complaints than the average car | 31 | visibility (32%) | 7 | — | 28–29 |
| 2006 | 403 | about 4 times the average car's complaints | 156 | visibility (85%) | 11 | — | 28 |
| 2008 | 112 | a bit more than the average car's complaints | 101 | visibility (39%) | 9 | — | 24 |
| 2009 | 137 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 28 | service brakes, hydraulic (21%) | 11 | — | 24 |
| 2010 | 51 | about half as many complaints as the average car | 13 | service brakes, hydraulic (23%) | 8 | — | 24 |
| 2011 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 5 | engine (40%) | 6 | — | 24 |
| 2012 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 3 | airbags (33%) | 4 | — | 24 |
| 2013 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 2 | body structure (50%) | 3 | — | 24 |
| 2014 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 1 | body structure (100%) | 3 | — | 24 |
| 2015 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 4 | transmission & drivetrain (25%) | 3 | — | 24 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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