2007 TOYOTA YARIS H/B Complaints

I WAS DRIVING TO MY MOTHERS OFF OF 700 E IN SALT LAKE CITY, DURING TRAFFIC. ALL 3 LANES STOPPED TO LET ME PASS AND AS I WAS TURNING LEFT ANOTHER CAR WAS DRIVING IN THE BIKE LANE AT 45MPH AND WITH OUT TOUCHING THEIR BRAKES SLAMMED INTO MY CAR THROWING ME A FEW FEET. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR I NOTICED MY AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. I REMEMBER THERE BEING A RECALL ON THEM AND LARRY H MILLER DID NO HAVE THE PARTS THEY NEEDED SO THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IF THAT OTHER DRIVE WAS GOING 4-5 MPH FASTER MY SON AND I COULD BE DEAD DO TO NO AIRBAGS. IT JUST WORRIED ME FOR THEM NOT DEPLOYING WHEN THE OTHER DRIVERS THEIR AIRBAGS DEPLOYED JUST FINE.

CLUNKING NOISE HEARD DURING VEHICLE OPERATION OVER ROADWAY BUMPS OR APPLICATION OF BRAKES. INSPECTED TO FIND FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BOLT CORRODED AND CRACKED. THIS BOLT IS LOCATED AT THE REAR OF THIS CONTROL ARM AND PASSES THROUGH THE SUBFRAME. BOLT HEAD AND PORTION OF SHANK WAS MISSING DUE TO CORROSION AND FATIGUE FAILURE. LOWER CONTROL ARM WAS LOOSE, POSING AN UNSAFE OPERATION CONDITION. TOYOTA HAS AN EXISTING TSB ON THIS ISSUE. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND PAID REPAIR COSTS OUT OF POCKET. SUBFRAME REMOVED, PORTION OF BOLT EXTRACTED AND REPLACED. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RE-EVALUATED FOR A RECALL POSSIBILITY. *TR

AIR BAG DEPLOYED AT A LOW SPEED IMPACT. GOING 20 TO 30 MPH, THE AIRBAG EXPLODED UNEVENLY MOSTLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE, SHOULDER HURT FOR MONTHS AFTERWARDS

EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF EMISSIONS EVAP SYSTEM DUE TO WATER INTRUSION THROUGH POORLY DESIGNED COMPONENTS. CHECK ENGINE LAMP (CEL) ILLUMINATED CONSTANT ON DURING HIGHWAY TRAVEL. STORED DTCS OF P043E, P043F, P2401, P2402, AND P2419. INTERNET SEARCH REVELED EXISTING ISSUE IN TSB EG048-07 WHICH NOTES WATER ENTERS FILLER PIPE COVER, CONTAMINATES CANISTER FILTER, THEN DAMAGES THE EVAP PUMP LOCATED IN CHARCOAL CANISTER. REPAIR REQUIRES AN UPDATED FILLER COVER ($6), REPLACEMENT OF FILTER ($50), NEW CANISTER ($600), PLUS 0.5HR OF LABOR CHARGES. APPLICABLE WARRANTY IS 3YEAR/36000MILES. DURING REPAIR REPLACED FILLER COVER, FILTER, THEN CLEANED ENTIRE SYSTEM OF WATER. NOTE: THIS YARIS WAS ALREADY BUILT USING THE UPDATED FILLER COVER P/N. YARIS FAILED THE FOLLOWING TEST DRIVE DONE IN ATTEMPT TO AVOID EXPENSIVE CANISTER REPLACEMENT. FOLLOWED TOYOTA SERVICE MANUAL TO TROUBLESHOOT CANISTER WHICH LEAD TO PERMANENT DAMAGE. THREE BOLTS ATTACH THE PUMP VALVE TO THE CANISTER VIA PLASTIC THREADED INSERTS. THESE INSERTS STRIPPED INSIDE THE PLASTIC, RENDERING THE CANISTER UNUSABLE. REPLACING WITH NEW CANISTER AND RETESTING FOR REPAIR. THIS PORTION OF THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM IS RELATED TO A MANDATED REQUIREMENT. THIS FAILURE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE LONGER TERM EMISSIONS WARRANTY PERIOD AND NOT THIS SHORTER TERM PERIOD. FAILURE OF A $6 COMPONENT RESULTING IN VICTIM FAILURES OF $650 IN ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS IS IRRITATING TO THE CONSUMER AND IRRESPONSIBLE OF THE MANUFACTURER. CUSTOMER HAS ALREADY NOTED THAT THIS EVENT WILL AFFECT (NEGATIVELY) FUTURE VEHICLE PURCHASE DECISIONS. NOTE: THIS FAILURE DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT MPG OR OPERATION BUT DOES ILLUMINATE THE CEL. CONSUMERS MIGHT OPERATE W/O REPAIR WHICH WILL CONDITION THEM TO ACCEPT AN ILLUMINATED CEL. THEY MIGHT NOT BE NOTIFIED OF OTHER OBD MALFUNCTIONS AND PARTIALLY DISABLED EMISSIONS CONTROL SYSTEM. *TR

BOLTS THAT HOLDS A-ARMS ARE GONE RUSTED COMPLETELY OFF SUSPENSION IS POPPING TOYOTA REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM EVEN AFTER KNOWING IT?S A MANUFACTURING DEFECT ESTIMATED COST FOR REPAIR IS 2,500+ FOR A 7 YEAR OLD CAR THAT ONLY HAS 132K MILES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA YARIS H/B. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V168000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

LAST FALL, MY YARIS' AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THEY SAID THEY FIXED THE SPIRAL CABLE, LEADING TO THE AIR BAG. I ASKED WHY IT HAD HAPPENED AND THEY DID NOT KNOW. THE REPAIR WAS AROUND $600. TODAY, I HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL FOR AIR BAG LIGHTS COMING ON IN THE YARIS AND I CALLED THE CORPORATE TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AND WAS TOLD THE RECALL DOES NOT COVER MY CAR BECAUSE IT DID NOT HAVE A "7 CHANNEL SPIRAL CABLE," EVEN THOUGH THE REPAIR TO MY CAR WAS FOR THE SPIRAL CHANNEL. I AM CONCERNED THAT NOT ALL YARIS' ARE BEING INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND THAT MY CAR IS NOT SAFE. (AS OF NOW, THEY DO NOT EVEN HAVE A FIX FOR THE 7-CHANNEL SPIRAL CHANNEL RECALL.) *TR

AFTER HAVING 4 NEW GOODYEAR ASSURANCE FUEL-MAX TIRES FOR APPROX 10 MONTHS AND 10,000 MILES, OBSERVED BULGES FORMING ON SIDEWALLS OF 3 OUT OF 4 TIRES. GOODYEAR WAS UNWILLING TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECT, BUT AFTER MULTIPLE CALLS TO CUSTOMER SUPPORT, THEY REPLACED THE 3 TIRES EXHIBITING THE PROBLEM WITH A DIFFERENT MODEL TIRE AT NO COST AS A MATTER OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. SINCE MANY PEOPLE HAVE POSTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS, AND INDEED ANOTHER CUSTOMER WAS IN THE SHOP WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN I WAS THERE, AN INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE PERFORMED. DOT NUMBERS: M7MFJC1R4311 M7MFJC1R2012. *TR

12/21/13: THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE 35F AND RAINING. AFTER A TRIP OF ABOUT 8 MILES MY CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE FOR A COUPLE HOURS. UPON STARTING THE CAR FOR MY RETURN TRIP I NOTICED THAT THE DASH INDICATORS FOR ABS AND BRAKE WERE LIT AND REMAINED LIT THROUGH THE DURATION OF MY TRIP OF ABOUT 8 MILES. THESE INDICATORS HAVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. 12/22/13: (NEXT DAY) WHEN I STARTED THE CAR THE INDICATORS WERE AGAIN LIT AND REMAINED LIT. HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING A COUPLE MILES I NOTICED THAT THE INDICATORS WERE NO LONGER LIT. RESEARCH HAS INDICATED A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CONNECTORS TO THE ABS SENSORS IN THE REAR WHEELS FOR WHICH TOYOTA EVENTUALLY RELEASED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN. IN LATER YEARS THE CONNECTORS WERE REDESIGNED TO BE MORE RESISTANT TO WATER AND SNOW. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY OCCURRENCES OF THIS PROBLEM IN THE NORTHERN US AND CANADA. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD ISSUE AN EXTENDED RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AS THEY DID FOR THE ISSUE WITH THE CORRODED SUSPENSION BOLTS. *TR

THE SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STARTED LIGHTING UP PERIODICALLY AND THEN EVENTUALLY STAYED ON. RAN AN OBD TEST THAT SHOWED THE CLOCK SPRING WAS SHORTED. THIS IS LOCATED IN THE STEERING WHEEL BEHIND THE AIRBAG. HAVE SEEN MANY ONLINE COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE AND FEEL A RECALL IS IN ORDER. THIS IS NOT A CHEAP DEALER REPAIR (MORE THAN $500) AND CAN BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF THE AIRBAGS DO NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH. IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE URGENTLY LOOKED INTO BEFORE LIFE OR LIMB IS LOST, IF IT HASN'T HAPPENED ALREADY. *TR