Toyota Yaris Instrument Panel & Dashboard Problems

Sylvia · July 2006

Toyota Yaris instrument panel, gauges

sonatabean · May 2006

I still hate the center IP on the car, as do the all the car reviewers. Your eye-movement analysis is actually incorrect. Dropping the cornea just 20 degrees is a lot less work from a neuro-motor perspective than dropping, say, 10 degrees and then moving center another 15 to 20.

From a purely anatomicaly-functional perspective, one eye movement (down) uses only one cranial nerve pathway. The two movements for the center IP use three pathways [down (same as before), rotate in (left eye), rotate out(right eye); if need be, I can specify the pathways AND actuating muscles, too].

Or, the short version: there is a damn good reason human factors engineers put critical gauges and heads-up-display data DIRECTLY in front of pilots. Namely, quicker read-and-response time.

BUT - my [non-permissible content removed] about that one annoying point aside (half of which probably derives out of spending 20 years driving cars with gauges in front of me), I really do like the aesthetics of the car quite well (as I noted earlier - I think the S sedan is quite an attractive little car; outside the IP [non-permissible content removed] with the reviewers, (1) the reviewers agree and (2) rate the overall driving experience from decent to outright great).

Perhaps the problem is I just ain't of the grand-scale-video-game generation (read "over 35") and therefore like my visual input controlled.

Which is probably a rather nice way of saying, relatively speaking, I'm old.

smithassociate · July 2006

Is it true that the Yaris doesn't have an engine temp gauge?
I drove a Honda Fit the other day and the lack of an engine temp gauge immediately removed that car from my list! An engine temp gauge is mandatory equipment and in 2006, one shouldn't have to add an aftermarket of such a basic necessity.

backy · July 2006

I won't tell you that you don't need a temperature gauge, but consider what they do. When the car starts, they move to a certain spot after a few minutes and sit there, unless there's a problem. When there's a problem, the gauge goes up. Most gauges don't have numbers on them, so you don't know what the temperature actually is--only that the engine is cold, warm (normal operating temp), or above normal (problem). On cars like the Fit, there are indicator lights to tell you when there's a problem with temperature. Don't know about the Yaris however.

smithassociate · July 2006

I had a Subaru GL-10 Wagon many moons ago. That car had everything on it, auto this, auto that, trip computer, inside/outside, temp - all that crap you don't use and don't need.

So one day, my car just about explodes. Cooling system failure and I cooked it. Problem? Warning light didn't come on. The tow driver just said, "never drive a car without an engine temp gauge."

Engine temp isn't about knowing what the actual temp is. It's about seeing it every day and seeing it in the same place every day. When you see the car start to run a little hotter, you know something's up. When it gets too hot, you know to pull over. It's a necessity and reason #1 I won't be buying the Fit.
So, Toyota, are you smarter than Honda? Hope so. Or maybe I can talk the dealer into crediting me for installation of a engine temp gauge.

backy · July 2006

You might check out other cars in this class that have a temperature gauge, since that is so important to you.

lhanson · July 2006

The Yaris does not have a temperature gauge. It has a warning light that comes on when it overheats. This means; stop immediately and allow the engine to cool before proceeding. It is also noted that the owner's manual claims that the Low Windshield Washer Fluid Level Warning Light "operates to warn that the engine is almost overheating".

As for you talking your local Toyota Dealer into installing an engine temp gauge at no cost, good luck.
First of all, you are lucky to even find one on a dealers lot. Second of all, there are probably ten people waiting to buy everyone that comes in a full MSRP. If you are looking for a buyer's market, this is not it. Go get you a Ford Excursion or Chevy Suburban. It will probably have the Temperature Gauge that you want.

nippononly · July 2006

it won't cost the dealership that much to put one in, and Yaris sedans are sitting around on dealer lots a bit more now, and selling under sticker too. It is the hatchbacks that are so impossible to find and disappear off the lot within a day off ariving on the truck.

Given it is pretty cheap to put in a temp gauge aftermarket, how cheap would it have been for Toyota to include one at the factory? But of course with the center gauge cluster, it would have been one more thing to cram in a fairly small space. Honda is more at fault here, IMO, since they have a regular gauge cluster in the Fit, and the temp gauge would have easily fit next to the fuel gauge where it normally sits on most cars.

wave54 · July 2006

I'm going to side with a temp gauge as essential on even low-end cars. You get to know what the normal temperature is and if it deviates even slightly, you have the opportunity to check fluid levels or for leaks before being stranded in no-man's-land.

By the time a warning light comes on, it means stops -- NOW!!

Sorry, but they're called "idiot lights" for a reason.

bws2 · July 2006

We just purchased a 2007 Yaris Liftback and we love this car! It was great to finally buy a 2 door Toyota with some personality to it. When I went to the dealership, I fully expected to leave with a Corolla or maybe a used Camry but saw the liftback and was sold on it immediately. I thought I'd hate the way the panel is in the middle of the dash, (was even expecting to not buy the Yaris because of it), but when I drove the Yaris I literally never even questioned the instrument panel placement. Frankly, the placement seems quite natural there and I later wondered why I ever even liked the panel being behind the steering wheel on all of our previous cars. This is a great little car and I feel so blessed to have even found a liftback on the lot.

nippononly · July 2006

this is only one of many models that don't have one. Chevy Cobalt, VW New Beetle, yes Fit and Yaris, and now the new Volvo S80, weighing in at about $25K or more base price. Cobalt is not the only GM car without a temp gauge either.

In the age of computer-controlled-EVERYTHING under the hood, temp gauges are going away ladies and gentlemen.....

spaminajam · November 2006

I just ran our new 3 door lift back out of gas on the freeway. The Police got me a gallon to at least get me to a gas station withing 15 minutes. But I am worried. My husband ran his Taurus out of gas and it caused the fuel pump to burn out and it cost us almost $600.00! The Yaris started right up but does anyone know how bad I hurt it by running it dry? I'm scared to tell him but know I have to. I have never done anything like this before and i swear I never would have if that speedometer cluster was IN FRONT OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for any help,
Lucy

typer73 · November 2006

I don't know whether you did any damage, but I do know that when the last bar on the fuel gauge starts flashing, you have 1 gallon of gas left. Maybe I'm just weird, but the flashing sure gets my attention! And even though I know I can go at least 30 miles with 1 gallon, I'm searching for the nearest station just to stop the blinking! (BTW--I love the center cluster & the driver's side glove box!)

robertkn · November 2006

Running out of gas should not cause your fuel pump to burn out. I'm not saying that it didn't, but that would be a symptom of either a defective part or defective design. I doubt that it damaged your Yaris at all. Stop worrying and stop trying to reenact old Seinfeld episodes!

"(BTW--I love the center cluster & the driver's side glove box!)"

Us too!!

spaminajam · November 2006

No idea what the Seinfeld comment means! But the Yaris is in the shop at my Toyota dealership and probably does need a new pump. Running bad and acting like it's running out of gas. Service manager says the pump will "cavitate" when it sucks for gas that isn't there, often burning itself out. So really hope you enjoy that glove box! Going to cost me hundreds of dollars. When it's fixed, will be trading it for something that places the gauges in FRONT OF THE DRIVER!

boris13 · November 2006

I don't think it takes much to adapt to the location of the gauges. Certainly, that center location could serve as a convenient excuse for driver inattention, though.

You made your point. You hate -- really, really, hate -- the location of the speedo and gauges.

spaminajam · November 2006

It is just an excuse possibly yet in 50 years of driving "regular" cars, I have never run out of gas. NEVER! The biggest surprise was my husband. I assumed it would be the worst fight in over 40 years of marriage yet when I told him, all he cared about was I didn't get killed when I was stuck in the fast lane of the freeway. I was completely off guard by his concern for me instead of the car.

The 2nd biggest reason I am selling this car no matter how much I lose is the cheapness. I get off work and it is dark out. I get into the car, start it, turn on the lights. While the floor shifter (auto trans) is lit up, there is NO GEAR "INDICATOR" to tell me what gear I am IN! Just plain stupid and cheap the more I drive it. I test drove a Hyundai Accent that was so much nicer and better equipped but I wanted the Toyota reliability. Not any more.

boris13 · November 2006

I agree with you that there should be a lighted gear indicator in the automatic versions of the Yaris. Of course, I'm getting a 5-speed manual, so I don't need to worry about that glitch.

It is an economy car. Inexpensive for Toyota to build, and inexpensive for the owner to operate. It may have less features than what most Americans have come to expect.

In my view, the Yaris liftback offers American drivers in 2007 essentially the same thing (albeit with more sophisticated technology) that the VW Beetle offered American drivers in 1960: economy, reliability, simplicity, durability. On that level, it seems to me that the Yaris succeeds.

(Remember, the VW had only a speedo and a fuel gauge, and it came with a lousy heater, but we all loved it anyway. It was a hit.)

You could have picked the Accent... but then you would have gotten much worse real-world MPG and a build quality that's (still) inferior to the Toyota (not to mention less in projected resale value). But yeah, the Accent certainly comes with more bells and whistles. I gave the Accent SE hatch a serious look before deciding on the Yaris.

spaminajam · November 2006

Toyota reliability and that darned "cute" look of the hatch back were my down fall. The Yaris looked like it was smiling at me. NOW I know it was really just LAUGHING at me.

robertkn · November 2006

Bummer.... Well, the burned out fuel pump thing is news to me. I've never heard of such a thing until now. (I'm going to have to look up "cavitate.") I've had cars kind of sputter and jerk when running out of gas before, but never had any damage result from it. Must be this great, new "high technology."

The reference to Seinfeld was the episode where Kramer had taken a car out to rent, or test drive or something (can't recall the exact scenario), and he and the representative at the dealership decided to see how far they could drive the car on "E". It was a very funny episode.

Sorry to hear about your disappointment, but understand. Thank you for posting with us.

spaminajam · November 2006

The cavitation was explained as the pump (inside the gas tank) doing like a straw in a soda bottle when you hit bottom. The gas is in fact, the "lubricant" for the pump. When it runs dry, it literally can burn itself up when it starts sucking "air".

nippononly · November 2006

It's not the "lubricant", but it IS the coolant. The large tank of cool gas the pump is sitting in dissipates the heat the pump is generating. Running dry, the pump will quickly overheat and probably damage itself, just as it appears yours has done. Sorry to hear the news. :-(

ednadc · November 2006

Just received my Liftback and like it so far. The auto transmission seems quite sophisticated, like it knows what's going on and acts accordingly.
I noticed the rear seat back has several little patches of a picture of the rear seat with an anchor. Is it telling me that I can remove the rear seat and stow it in or out of the car?
Also, my owner's manual I received is for the Sedan. Do they have a manual for just the Liftback?
Thanks,
Dave

ryancp76 · November 2006

I have a Automatic Sedan and the Gear Indicator is just left of the speedometer. I always know what gear I am in. Maybe there are ones without on different Yaris's?

I keep track of my Gas Milage on my phone (PPC), so I am always looking at how much gas I have.

Every pump is differnt. The fuel could be the lubricant and the coolent. Just like a submersibale water pump, the water is the lubricant.

nippononly · November 2006

Those patches identify the LATCH points where you connect a child car seat.

spaminajam · November 2006

Liftback has NO indicator to tell driver what gear is engaged.....

boris13 · November 2006

No indicator? Or no LIGHTED indicator?

It's a moot point if you get a manual trans model.

spaminajam · November 2006

How dumb ARE you? It's an auto trans, lighted, lift back. It has NO GEAR SELECTED "indicator".....

boris13 · November 2006

Personal attacks aside, I think you're making a federal case out of a minor point.

There certainly are markings near the shift lever to indicate what gear you're in. I think what you're saying is that those indicators are not backlighted.

So what? You can tell the gear selected by feel (once you know the gear order) or you can pop the overhead light on for a second to check visually.

This is obviously a make-or-break point with you; it evidently has ruined your Yaris driving experience. Oh well.

Again, I'm glad I ordered a manual transmission model; it sure beats going insane over gear indicators...

ednadc · November 2006

Thanks. I had a feeling that was a stupid question.

robertkn · December 2006

On the liftback there is no lighted indicator in the instrument cluster that reports what position the automatic trans shift lever is in. While that can be a nice convenience, we got by for many years without that, in fact I've never owned a car that had it. You have to understand in advance that the Yaris is an entry level car and you're not going to have every bell and whistle. The indicator at the shift lever shows the various gear positions. During the daylight it generally does not need to be lit. That indicator is backlit, however, when you turn on the headlights.

I can understand being upset if you're car was damaged due to running out of gas. But, I don't think you can blame the car because you ran it out of gas. I do think, however, that it would make more sense to build the instrument cluster in such a way that the gas guage is on the same side of the cluster as the steering wheel. I mean it's not like the Yaris gets such great of gas mileage that the clock is more important than the gas gauge.

dtownfb · December 2006

robertkn: Thanks for clarifying this. i was reading this forum thinking the driver blindly selected the gears. Quite honestly, I tend to look at the gear shifter when putting the car in drive or reverse, so no indicator in the instrument cluster isn't a big deal. you have to adapt to any car you drive. Also I never heard of damaging the pump when running out of gas. Why wouldn't the pump simply shut off?

While I feel bad for the OP and her experiences, I chalk this up to "operator error". It is very hard to miss a flashing signal in your car indicating you need fuel. Also the items she complained about the car are things you observe on a typical test drive. At some point, you have to take responsibility for your actions and not look for someone to blame.

robmir · December 2006

Running out of gas in the Yaris 07 is quite common in our country, and it happen more often in the 4 door version !!!!

We got this car before it was available in the states, since December 2005, our 2 doors is just like yours, but our 4 door version has the same body as the 2 door (unlike the one available in the states which have a trunk, ours are a 4 door liftback model).

Anyhow the 4 door version has a full digital dashboard were the speed meter changes the digits constantly acording with the speed increase o decrease. Because of this annoying change on the value of the digits, people avoid to look at the dashboard as to keep focus on the road and that is what make the driver miss the fuel gauge and notice when the last 2 bars start to blink.

This is a big flaw on the Yaris gas meter design. As you recall older Toyota models have a red reserve light which is way better as to gain the driver attention.

My simple recomendation after owning one for the last 11 months is to fill up the tank right away once you notice you are down to two bars.

lucynethel · December 2006

Well I SOLD this loser Yaris today and bought a new Accent. Only been a single day but in EVERY sense, i FINALLY feel like I am in a REAL car again in the Hyundai! Good riddance.....

lhanson · December 2006

How much did you lose on the Yaris? Tell us more about the deal. Did you trade in the Yaris at the Hyundai dealer? Keep us posted on how you like the Accent, MPG, etc.

lucynethel · December 2006

After owning the Yaris 6 months, only lost about $1600.00 and that includes all my tax & license so not bad. I paid $850.00 LESS for the Accent with MORE equipment and it is far more comfortable (to me). My sister gets only 1 MPG less than I did with my Yaris so not worried about that. Just glad to have a "normal" car again! The Yaris just felt tinny and cheap like my old 1982 Toyota Starlet (known as "TOILET" at the Toyota dealers back then..

keysyaris · December 2006

Congrats on your new car, and condolences on your loss. Sadly the running out of gas thing was 100% user error. It's a shame no one these days takes responsibility for their own actions. It's always someone else's fault. For me, I always check the fuel gauge when I start the car and determine whether I have enough gas for the trip I need to make.

lucynethel · January 2007

Thanks and you are SO right on the error! The 1st error I made of course was buying the Yaris.....

lhanson · January 2007

I would say that you came out very well on that deal, loosing only $750 on the trade and getting a brand new car to boot. The sales tax on the Yaris probably was more than that. If you gone from the Accent to the Yaris, I don't think that you would have done as well. Is your health getting any better?

spaminajam · January 2007

lucynethel · January 2007

Had my whole left side removed. i'm ALL RIGHT NOW!

joeldoug · January 2009

Where I live, one must drive with the headlights on when on the major highways. I don't have a problem with that, but when I turn the headlights on, the light intensity on the instrument panel is reduced to almost nil, since the car thinks it's nighttime, and why would you want that much light on the panel. The problem for me is that I can't really read the panel info, and am often reduced to temporarily turning off the headlights so I can read the panel. Does this make any sense? Anyone know a way to keep the panel lights on (at a daytime intensity level) with the headlights on?

Thanks

dake · January 2009

Well, what's most important is that YOU are satisfied with how you spent your money. That being said, don't you have to wonder why the Hyundai dealer gave you so much in trade? They're not in business to lose money, so I think they believe they'll have no problem selling a Yaris.

Ah well, the good news is, there are cars enough for everyone. You're happy with your Hyundai - and hey, they're great cars! We're happy with our Yaris.

mousetrap · February 2009

My 2008 (6 months old) 5 Door Yaris YR Hatch ran out of fuel 2 days ago.
The display said I had 1/2 tank of fuel but the tank actually ran bone dry.

Roadside Assist had to tow it to a Toyota dealer and it took a day to find out why the car wouldn't start.

Next week I should get a new fuel gauge..... But will that one work ?

The Yaris is cute but cheap plastic, only comes with 1 rear reversing light here (Australia) (European design I am told !!!)

Cute is all it is.

I wish I had not bought it.

dake · March 2009

Well, bad fuel gauge is definitely a bummer, but that's a good reason to reset your trip odometer at each fill-up. Outside of keeping an eye on fuel economy (a great early indicator of potential mechanical problems in general), it's also an accurate representation of how much gas you have left. If you are getting up over 350 miles (or 600 km) on one tank and it's still reading half full, that's a good sign of a bad gauge unless your drive to work is down a mountainside with the motor off.

Sadly, it doesn't matter what car you buy, or how much you spend - there's still always that remote chance you'll get a weird glitch. I'd wager your dealer hasn't seen too many instances like yours before. In my 3/4 of a million combined miles in Toyotas, I've never had a fuel gauge do that - the worst I got was in my old Celica after 175,000 or so miles the needle got slightly out of wack so it never showed completely full and would go below the "empty" mark. I just always filled up around 360 miles.

mousetrap · March 2009

Hi, As the Yaris is relatively new I was keeping an eye on the fuel and noting the kilometres, litres, odo, price per litre etc every time I put fuel in..

I had a full tank and had only done 262 kilometres.

But was the gauge telling me the truth when I would put $20 or $30 top up in ?
Full may have been 1/2 full.....?

Still waiting on the part to arrive from a slow boat from ?

The dealers actually told me he had a new Yaris in the week before with a collapsed fuel pump.

Thanks for replying.

Regards to you.

mouse

dake · March 2009

So you are saying you filled the tank to the top (the gas pump shut off) and only went 262 km before you ran out of gas? If that's the case there's something else wrong.

If you put in a set amount of gas though, then that supports the gauge being mis-calibrated. In other words, if you thought you had half a tank (on the bad gauge) and put in five gallons or 19 L, then it would make sense you only got about 162 miles or 262 km as you really went from almost empty up to a half tank.

I would just make sure to fill the tank to the very top which should be around 10 gallons or 38 L on an average fill up (I believe it's an 11.5 gal tank). I've occasionally had some gas pumps shut off early and you just have to move the nozzle a bit to get it to keep going.

Once it's full, you'll be good for at least 480 km.

highmiler650 · March 2009

The capacity of the tank is 42 liters or 11.9 gallons. With normal driving you should be good for at least 600 kms or 373 miles.

Be really careful or stay on the highway and you could achieve more than 700 kms.

dake · March 2009

Yeah, I've just never put in much more than about 10 gallons on any one fill-up, and that's with driving a number of miles with the little indicator flashing... I think it must come on when you're down to the last gallon and a half or so give or take.

tfade25 · July 2009

HI guys.

I just imported my Yaris 2006 into the UK, the speedometer and ODO are in KM per hour.
So i managed to get another console in MPH, i took out the old one and put in the new one. Its come up in MPH and the ODO is in MPH, but the readings for the ODO are so wrong.

Another guy told me to disconnect the battery for a while and then reconnect it. I tried it and no luck. Its only showing the millage since i put the console in. And the trip reader seems to be wrong. I drove 9 miles and at the end of the journey its showing 1.2 miles.

The overall millage of the car, is it stored in that console or in the cars computer?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

lhanson · July 2009

You should have just got a Scanguage II. You can easily toggle back and forth between Miles and Kilometers. They only cost about $160 or so.

Toyota Yaris Instrument Panel & Dashboard Problems

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