YearToAvoid

2012 Scion XB Airbags Problems

Airbags are the top complaint area for the 2012 Scion XB, with 27 complaints making up 60% of all 45 complaints filed for the year. Most reports center on delayed Takata recall repairs (campaign 17V006000) rather than actual airbag deployment failures, with one crash reported and a median failure mileage of 63,684.

Airbags complaints
27
60% of 45 complaints
All complaints this year
45
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
0
Median mileage
63,684 mi
Related recalls
3

Typical airbag symptoms owners report

  • Owners report waiting many months after Takata recall notification (campaign 17V006000) without dealers having the replacement inflator parts in stock.
  • Multiple owners say dealers told them not to let anyone sit in the front passenger seat until the recall repair could be completed.
  • One owner reported a side-impact crash at highway speed where the curtain airbag did not deploy, resulting in injury.
  • Some owners describe frustration over unclear timelines and repeated recall notices (referencing campaign numbers 16V340000 and 17V006000) with no resolution.
  • A few complaints simply question NHTSA and Toyota about why parts remained unavailable long after the recall was issued.

When 2012 Scion XB airbag complaints were filed

First complaint Apr 15, 2013, latest Jun 2, 2018.

2012 Scion XB airbags complaints: complaints filed per month7Apr 2013Mar 2017May 2017Aug 2017Oct 2017Feb 2018
27 complaints filed with NHTSA from Apr 2013 to Jun 2018; peak Aug 2017 (7).

Airbags recalls for the 2012 Scion XB

  1. NHTSA 19V741000Oct 17, 2019Airbags928,220 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.

  2. NHTSA 19V005000Jan 9, 2019Airbags1,299,448 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner, 2011-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, 2011-2017 Lexus GX460, and 2011-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS350, 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2013 Lexus IS250, 2010-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F, and 2010-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began February 15, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.

  3. NHTSA 17V006000Jan 9, 2017Airbags577,875 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).

Airbags complaints by XB model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 200515 (16%)
  2. 20067 (3%)
  3. 20071 (33%)
  4. 2008132 (39%)
  5. 200974 (53%)
  6. 201027 (49%)
  7. 201141 (76%)
  8. 201227 (60%)
  9. 20134 (31%)
  10. 20143 (33%)
  11. 20151 (17%)

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2012 Scion XB have an airbag recall?
Yes. NHTSA lists three airbag recall campaigns tied to the 2012 Scion XB: 17V006000, 19V005000, and 19V741000, all related to Takata front airbag inflators.
How common are airbag complaints on the 2012 Scion XB?
Airbags account for 27 of the 45 total complaints filed for the 2012 Scion XB, or 60% of all complaints for that year.
Did the Takata airbag problem cause any crashes in the 2012 Scion XB?
NHTSA records show one crash among the 27 airbag complaints for the 2012 Scion XB, with no fires and no injuries logged in that crash entry.
What mileage do airbag problems tend to show up at on the 2012 Scion XB?
The median mileage at failure for airbag complaints on the 2012 Scion XB is 63,684 miles, though many complaints involve recall notification issues rather than mileage-based failures.
Is the 2012 Scion XB airbag issue worse than other model years?
The 60% share of airbag complaints in 2012 is lower than 2011's 76% but higher than 2013's 31%, placing 2012 in the higher range among XB model years for this issue.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.