general problems of the 2005 Toyota Scion Tc

I was driving and the car just died.

My 2005 Toyota Scion Tc turned off while I was driving. I put vehicle in park and re started it. Moments later the brakes failed and I turned into a plaza. At that point the steering failed. I did not know the vehicle was on fire until this point. I had no control of the car so I reached back and grabbed my two year old who was strapped in her car seat. Right before we jumped out the car stopped completely ( tires melted) , the flames were visible in front of me and the car filled with smoke. We jumped out and ran. Moments later the entire car was in flames. Witnesses told me that I was on fire for a while and they turned around to get my attention. No injuries or fatalities were suffered with this fire but it was way too close for comfort.

Both catalytic converters failed and need replaced. Dealership ( fort bend Toyota ) stated the failure was unusual and premature. Defective equipment for that model/ year / and mileage.

The throttle body stuck open causing it to rev to excessive rpms and then would finally die. This happened while driving at highway speed in 7/08. The throttle body was replaced and then once again it failed, this time sticking closed causing the car to die in an intersection. This was in 3/11 (this year) with only 73k on it total miles ( only 30k on this throttle body). When we received the new part this time, it had been obviously redesigned with a vent allowing corrosion not to occur. This is a real hazard when you have no control over engine speed while driving. With the redesigned part ( a Toyota/scion part) it is obvious this was a "known" problem, yet no recall was ever issued or received.