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New Yaris Problem - A Lemon?

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Comments

  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    It could be something like a leaf that got sucked into the vent system or it could just be a random scrap of paper.

    Your car is less than a year old though and should be covered under warranty. That 120 is a load of crap from the dealer. At absolute worst, it might cost you 50 dollars for the visit if they don't find anything wrong (that's how the basic extended warranty used to work anyway).

    Check your paperwork as you should be good for about three years total with the first year bumper to bumper (if you didn't get the extended).
  • omgoshomgosh Member Posts: 2
    Thank you very much! I called the Corporate office after speaking with the service Rep that day and they called the service center and told them to see me without charge. So today I went in and it was just a piece of paper that was stuck in the fan. Just like it sounded! Anyway, this car doesn't come with a cabin air filter so things seem to get stuck in it.... They put an air filter in for me. The filter cost about 30 bucks... So all is well. Thank you for your answer.
    I never heard of a car not be issued with a cabin air filter.... They said that paper from the glovebox seems to find it's way into everyone's fan unless they get a filter. Weird! But not a big expense.
  • phllbitphllbit Member Posts: 8
    get the cabin air filter changed should be done every 30k or so
  • phllbitphllbit Member Posts: 8
    So mine just got considerably worse - broke down first time I used it more than two hours - the electronic throttle sensor was blown - The reason it broke down - the cruise control they fitted was an after market part not made by Toyota and our vehicle does not have the wiring for it. This caused a surge which blew the electronic throttle sensor causing us to lose drive. The car would creep along but would not accelerate.

    To cut a long story short, the dealer we had the car towed to told us we were sold a lemon i.e. the car has had the front bumper and panels changed indicating that it had been in an accident and that the parts used were not even Toyota parts. They showed us in cloudy light and you could see that the colour was off. There was also signs of damage to the fly wheel at the bottom of the engine. Worse still, they told us that the car was another daily rental which we did not know.

    Now we are in dispute with the dealer and we are all quite upset.

    Anyway, don't buy a Yaris, be careful who you buy from and get it checked out before you buy. If you buy Toyota again, go for a Matrix but I would recommend the Mazda 5 which is a crossover vehicle or the Mazda 3 which is a hatchback. I am never going to buy Toyota again.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    So wait what? You bought a salvaged car from a sleazy dealer and that means to not buy a Yaris?

    Did you get a Carfax report? B/c if you did and it showed a clear title then Carfax will buy the car back from you if they were wrong. If you bought a used car w/out a title search then you have no one to blame but yourself.

    NEVER EVER EVER trust car dealers. I worked security at the National Auto Dealers Exchange in Jersey for years and they rob each other blind, what do you think they do to the average consumer?
  • girlcarbuildergirlcarbuilder Member Posts: 225
    Hello folks. Searching out the dirt on the Yaris. Considering it for purchase. Have worked on many a car during the years. Without looking at the specific design of the car, I suspect you may have a slightly out of adjustment throttle position sensor switch. These are very touchy to adjust and if they are out of adjustment, things such as surging can occur even while stopped at a red light.

    One reason why I do not like more computer controlled stuff on a car. Very few techs really know how to work on the stuff or have enough electronics skills to troubleshoot it themselves.
  • smcl8002smcl8002 Member Posts: 2
    Hi my boyfriend bought a Toyota Yaris 2007, Automatic Sedan 4 doors. After a year of buying it it started to burn the fuse and it already has burn a few of them three times, last Saturday we were on our vacations driving and the cars mileage just stopped working, also the radio, air conditioner and the lights, I started felling it really heavy so my boyfriend told me to pull over to see what was happening, I did and after that he turn it off and on, it turn on ok but nothing else worked and the selector level stuck and it couldn't be moved. :cry: We took him to the Toyota services and pieces and they said the battery was damage and the power steering cables were burn out. The warranty didn't cover cause the car already had 45,000 miles. And the warranty was only until 36,000 miles. They cant help and my boyfriend pays more than 350 bucks for that car monthly it only has 2 years of use and has given problems in more than 2 occasions in the same place. What can we do? We tried to get another car and nothing, I know it will be doing the same thing over and over again. We asked them why it happened what reasons they have for this and they cant give an answer, can someone tell me what to do????? :confuse: Or we will have to stay stuck with the car that is not functioning right???? By the way my boyfriends gives it all the maintenance it needs every time he has without missing one. Thanks for all the help you can give to us.
  • mylantageorgiamylantageorgia Member Posts: 6
    there are lemon laws you should seriously check into.
    even if you bought the car second hand you may be able to get a refund or replacement car.
    and if you had been taking it in before warrenty was out for problems this works even more in your favor.
    not sure what state you are in but well worth checking into lemon laws.
    the dealerships make it sound more difficult than what it is cause they don't want you to go through lemon law.
    save all paper work when took in for repair or diagosing.
    In some states the dealership are required to give you proof of your bringing the car in every time.
    We are going through the lemon law arbitrarion.
    I'll tell you this much manufactures WILL bully, intimadate and every sly trick in book to scare you off read and follow all info in lemon law manual.
    you should be able to find the resolution.
    I hope it goes well.
  • smcl8002smcl8002 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks, we took the car to repair and the diagnosis found was that the car had a cable that was caught (pinch) in the power stiring sistem and it burn, made the electric sistem collapse it shut off all the car and dammage the battery also. They couldnt explain how this hapenend and why the cable was caught (pinch) if no one had ever touched that area. He had to pay for the reparation, the new battery, the diagnosis and also the crane twice.

    We live in Puerto Rico, so I think the laws apply almost the same as in the United States.
  • mylantageorgiamylantageorgia Member Posts: 6
    Save all receipts, log any times you have problems and make sure to get the explanation invoice from mechanic and dealers.
    always take a witness not related with you into repair shops or dealers. and if talking on phone with them use speaker with a witness present.
    Hope all goes well.
    our lemon hearing is in aug. finely going to get rid of this bad nightmare headache
  • mylantageorgiamylantageorgia Member Posts: 6
    excuse me but you sound like those idiot toyota mechanics and dealers that try to make it sound like the car is supose to act bad to show the driver they aren't treating the car correctly.
    what kind of nonsense is this and what makes you think any one in their right mind would believe this line of crap!?
    who wants to own a car that the transmission acts up with no power. who waits 20 minutes to warm up a brand new car or an old one at that!? no one has time for it any more that's why we buy new.
    we are in the 21 centry for crying out loud don't give me this crap!!!!!
  • mylantageorgiamylantageorgia Member Posts: 6
    your full of crap also. just like ford just because they use to have a good reputation for cars and trucks and that's how they still sell them just by their old reputation. but look in the paper more people are getting rid of their fords then any other.
    just because toyota has a good reputation does not mean one can't ever be a lemon.
    they do slip by.
    Pride is no longer an issue for car companies. It's all about money, money, greed and more money.
    and don't care who they mess over. just MONEY!!!!!!!!!!
  • thecatmanthecatman Member Posts: 6
    Bambesi,

    What ever became of your problem? I recently purchase a 09 Yaris hatchback and have a simular complaint. About half the time I let off the gas to cruise up to a stop sign the car seems to downshift or have the brakes applied. This may save on the brakes but it seems like this would lower your gas MPG if you have to keep on the gas until you're close enough to let of and cruise. What really conserns me is that this only happens about half the time -- usually on a hot day after the car is warmed up. You can feel it kick down around 40 mph and then kick up when you reach about 20mph.

    BTW -- that seems to be the speed where the resistance stops and you can feel it kick back into high gear -- yet I'm sure it's not really doing that. I have an automatic and I made sure it is in D when I test this out. I can duplicate the problem at 25mph but again, it only does it half the time and more so when the car is warmed up. Is this really normal for a Yaris? Won't this decrease my MPG?

    Thaanks.
  • lhansonlhanson Member Posts: 268
    What kind of gas mileage are you getting and what kind of driving do you do? If you are not meeting the window sticker mileage you may have a problem.
  • thecatmanthecatman Member Posts: 6
    My last tankful I got 35.321 MPG. My MPG has been going down about 1 mile per fill up since I got the car. It started at 36.5, went up to 37.8, and since then has dropped. I usually fill-up when it reaches the last bar so I can compare apples to apples but haven''t been able to fill-up at the same station each time. I've been traveling lately and have had to use different stations.

    My Yaris is rated at 29-35MPG with some people getting 29-41 MPG. I drive like an old lady because I want to get the best gas mileage I can. About 90% of my driving in on the highway at 55-60 mph. I use the cruise (not factory -- purchased from another company) all the time to save gas. Even then it doesn't feel like it's in top gear even though I have it in "D".

    While my gas mileage has dropped since I got the car the drag sensation has gotten more pronounced. If I pull out of my driveway and get my car up to 25mph it will drop to 20 in 5 seconds and that's going downhill. Then around 20mph it feels like the car kicks up into a higher gear.

    As I said, this only happens half the time, more so when the car is warm or it's a warm day. It was cool this morning and I didn't have any problems coasting. I talked to another Yaris and they don't have this problem. I would feel better if this happened all the time, but as I said it doesn't. And I'm use to letting off the gas half a mile from a light and coasting without having to hit the gas again. But this car drops speed like a rock when whatever it's doing kicks in.

    I'm dropping it off at the dealers tonight to see what he can make of it. Apparently I'm the only Yaris owner who has complained about this. Maybe I coast while others keep up the speed until they are on top of the light or stop sign.

    Thanks for your reply
  • lhansonlhanson Member Posts: 268
    I am wondering if your problem might be connected with the after market cruise control that you had installed. I have been seriously considering having cruise control installed on my 2007 Yaris hatchback, but I have read that a lot of people have had major problems including being left stranded along side of the road. 37 or 38 MPG is about what I get with my car in town or on the highway.
  • thecatmanthecatman Member Posts: 6
    The problem -- if it is a problem -- was happening before I had the cruise installed. So it's not tied to the after market cruise. I haven't had any problems with this product as of yet -- but I haven't been on any long trips.

    The problem wasn't so bad yesterday before I dropped it of at the dealer. It seemed that if the day is hot, I tend to notice the dragging more. Hopefully the dealer will feel the same problem and tell me what it going on.
  • lhansonlhanson Member Posts: 268
    Let us know what happens and give more information on the cruise control after you have had a chance to use it more.
  • thecatmanthecatman Member Posts: 6
    I got my car back and the dealer said it's normal -- which I don't buy. Basicly, the problem is where the gear shifts. If I'm going 40 and let off the gas, the computer has to decide if it should downshift or not. Half the time it does and the other half it doesn't. I explained that downshifting would waste gas, not save it and it should do this all the time if it was normal. Not sure what to do next. It happens more when the day is warmer, as if the computer is getting overheated. Also, I don't believe it's a gear shifting since I've moved it from D to "3" and can feel it downshift. It's almost more like a engine gearing down or something. I'll have to see if this clears up when I reach 5,000 miles
  • lhansonlhanson Member Posts: 268
    Maybe you could test drive another one and see if it does the same thing.
  • phllbitphllbit Member Posts: 8
    Do not buy an after market cruise control for the yaris. Toyota themselves told me that the yaris is not pre wired for the cruise control unit and this does not take into account the fact that the unit is made by a 3rd party company called Rostra, it needs to be spliced into the harness which is connected to the throttle sensor.

    On my yaris, the cruise gave out a surge due to incorect voltage whch blew the throttle sensor and you guessed, the damn thing broke down! This condition will always exist as I said before, the yaris is not wired for this. If you were to purchase a yaris with the 'convenience' package that includes the proper cruise control unit fiited by toyota at the factory with the proper wiring then you should not have any problems but do not fit the aftermarket cruise control it will seriously mess up your car if not invalidate any warranty you may have.

    As for the rough driving, the automatic yaris is programmed to downshift when going downhill as an emmission control feature, it's very annoying but that's the way it is. As far as I am concerned, there should be no sudden downshifting except maybe at very low speed. If anything like that is happening, get rid of it and get a Nissan or a Mazda.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    We get it. You don't like the Yaris. Maybe you should stick to the Nissan or Mazda boards.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    ... if not invalidate any warranty you may have.

    No, not automatically. If there's a problem with the car, Toyota would need to prove the aftermarket part caused the problem in order to deny a warranty claim.
  • 63pont63pont Member Posts: 1
    You describe the problem very well. It appears we have a Toyota P/R person telling us we don't know how to drive etc. I have a 07 Yaris, the problem began after a year and about 12,000 miles. (Nothing to do with the cold engine start etc which is normal, or the automatic downshift on a steep hill that Honda also has). This is a serging problem that takes place going on the highway at 30/50 MPH and it begins a slight downhill grade, and may even do it when you cannot notice the grade. It will drop 200RPM then serg up400 RPM to recover then drop again in a continual rythem. I noticed a harmonic rythem at higher speeds and at first thought it was a tire or bearing but have since realized it is the serging at high RPM when the engine is working and you can't feel the slight RPM change. One Service manager blamed me for the way I drove, they test drove it and said nothing wrong..I insisted the service manager take it out and I jumped in with him..The car was serging...he blamed the computer saying it was used to my driving...He insised I come with him for a ride in their service Yaris...same mileage(NOCRUISE CONTROL) IT WAS WORSE than my car...he admitted he was not moving his foot on the auxilerator....they said the set the computer back to factory specks, did not help...he admitted I was not the first complaint they had,.....my gas mileage has dropped by at least 15%.....different garage,service manager was up front and had experienced it....he will try to solve it...I suspect it has something to do with the drive by wire system Yaris uses........
  • thecatmanthecatman Member Posts: 6
    I took it in and the drove it. Basicly the person who sold me the car said he felt what I was talking about but the problem is between the gears. The computer isn't sure which one it should go in, so sometimes it stays in low and others times it doesn't.

    I told him that doesn't make sense, and while it feels like it's in lower gear, I don't believe that's the case. When the car is doing 50 and dragging, I can shift from D to 3 and you can feel it downshift. When it upshift it goes back to normal. But if it was already in 3 gear it wouldn't do that, and I'm going to fast for it to be in 2nd.

    It seems the problem has gotten better as colder weather sets in, although this morning it was the worst it's been in a week. It's not really bad, just annoying when you want to coast and feel the car holding back and slowing you down from time to time. Maybe after it breaks in this will improve.

    Other than that I have no problems with the car. The after-market cruise works fine, perhaps not as well as the factory, but I've taken it on a 2 hour trip without a problem. When I talked to the dealer he said I won't have the same problem mentioned, so I hope he's right.

    That's the update on my car at 2,500 miles.
  • dakedake Member Posts: 131
    The automatic has an overdrive (I don't think it's even called that, it's not quite a "5th" gear, but it's there). If you pay close attention while accelerating to highway speeds you'll feel it do a final shift. You can test it by manually up-shifting the gear selector. Go from 2nd to 3rd then over to "D" while you accelerate onto the highway. You'll feel the shift from 3 to "D" and then you'll feel another shift after that initial one. The downside to that is, it's geared in such a way that it falls out of it easily. A slight rise in road grade or the difference in drag between changing lanes from behind another car into open air will cause it to come down to regular D and it will tend to stay there beyond say the crest of a hill before going back to high D.

    Its goal is better highway fuel economy, but the problem is it's impractical to drive the vehicle in such a way as to use it - heck the car can't drive itself in such a way. The only way to keep it from falling out of high D is to accept minor decreases in speed. We as humans, and of course the cruise control, will typically adjust to maintain a specific speed therefore forcing the transmission to adjust.

    I can't really call it a design "flaw", but it's certainly not the best execution. It can be made to work for you, but you have to be feather-light on the gas pedal and be willing to sacrifice cruise speed to keep it in that high D.
  • thecatmanthecatman Member Posts: 6
    Thanks Dake! This makes sense. I'm going to give it a try to see what you mean. I hadn't heard about the higher "D", but it makes sense because on my trip I appeared to be getting real good MPG, mostly just going 60mph for a couple of hours using the cruise. Since this would keep it in the higher gear, it makes sense.
  • phllbitphllbit Member Posts: 8
    I agree the electronic throttle system is very sensitive and if it is out of adjustment or not working properly then you will get all sorts of problems. Mine is not too bad, it tends to downshift to 1st gear when going slow around a corner which can be disconcerting but I have got used to it and just take it a little easier.

    But all the other crap I have been having from this dealer is not going to be accepted. Stay tuned for further developments.
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