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Hatchbacks Toyota Yaris New Yaris Problem - A Lemon?
81 messages, Last post on Sep 08, 2009 at 6:57 AM
You are in the Toyota Yaris Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: bambesi (Dec 08, 2006 6:56 am)
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Replying to: liam3 (Dec 18, 2007 8:03 pm) |
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Yep - my new Yaris does the same thing, and yes, it is designed to do this when cold. It is indeed annoying, but "normal" for this car. 
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I have figured out why the Yaris automatic will not shift into 4th gear. It is an undocumented feature. Microsoft must have designed it  When you start your car, notice the green thermometer on the dash with the word, "COOL", under it. Your car will not shift into 4th gear until this light goes out. If you warm up the car and wait for the light to go out, it will shift fine. If you don't, you won't get out of 3rd gear. I guess it has something to do with EPA or gas mileage  I guess Toyoa thinks we are not smart enough to decide for ourselves when we are and are not worried about this.  It would have been nice if Toyota mentioned this little feature in the operator's manual, but sadly they did not. Perhaps if enough of us call them up and reference the lemmon law, they will get tired of all the complaints and put it in the manual. They should have provided a way to turn it off, too.
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Replying to: funkrl (Jan 27, 2008 8:28 am)
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Replying to: liam3 (Dec 18, 2007 8:03 pm) This is NOT A PROBLEM! It's a normal characteristic of the sophisticated electronically controlled transmission. Let me clarify. The specific designation for this transmission, and that of every automatic in the Toyota lineup of cars and trucks is: ECT. That stands for Electronically Controlled Transmission. Many people, even the Toyota technicians at the dealership do not understand this very well made, complex transmission. 1) It is designed to remain in the lower gears when you first start out in the morning or whenever the car is stone cold. 2) This has three benefits. A) It warms up the engine quicker B) It warms up the transmission oil C) It reduces emissions. 4) At 4,000 rpm this engine is just loafing, it's not working hard at all. Remember the red line is 6,000rpm. These engines have been in production and used in a variety of Toyota models for over 15 years both in the US and in the UK and other countries. 5) Should you feel some jerkiness while shifting that is also good news. It means that the clutches are engaging without slipping and wearing out. This is not your fathers old slushbox Buick transmission. 6) As someone who has personally owned 2 Toyota dealerships, and a person who was a professional racer, I can tell you that there is NO SUCH THING as A LEMON from TOYOTA.....period. All cars from 10k, to a million dollars, have different driving characteristics. It's normal. There is not a perfect car out there! One must remember that it's the most complex item you will ever own. The car makers cannot build any car that suits everyone perfectly so do not assume there is a problem. Finally and perhaps the BIGGEST PROBLEM... is the supposed "Expert" at the dealership that you are speaking with. Instead of being honest, they will make up stories, or tell you whatever they feel like. Being a Toyota Technician is the easiest mechanic job in the world. Honda's too. Why, these guys are mostly parts changers. The cars are so good that there is simply not much these guys need to know. Just ask any real mechanic that works on a Nascar Team, An Indy Car Team, An American LeMans team, A Sprint Car team... Now those guys are mechanics. Back to everyones Yaris. Stop and think, Toyota is the richest, largest, most successful company, that just happens to sell cars. Their engineers, designers and quality control people are not dummies. They are the finest in the business. There is no way that Toyota is going to build a car with a lot of problems. It just does not happen. As far as downshifting under conditions in traffic or when you are going downhill, that is normal as well. It's to reduce wear on the brakes and other components. This used to a feature that you would only get on a car costing $40,000 or more. Just like the letters on top of the engine: VVT-i. That is a very complex, expensive system know as Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence. It's computer controlled, measures vehicle speed, throttle position and a host of other variables then adjust the camshafts to provide maxium fuel economy while also producing maximum horsepower. Toyota is the only car company in the world with that, as they own the patent. When you buy a Toyota you are getting far more than your moneys' worth. Stop looking for things that you label problems. Relax...breathe....enjoy your car! It's one of the finest in the world. Cheers!
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Replying to: podred (Feb 16, 2008 2:36 pm)
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Replying to: ttai (Feb 17, 2008 8:13 am) When shopping for a car in this class I drove the Fit, the Versa, the Yaris, all in the same day, on the same stretch of freeway and over the same test route of city streets to give each a fair test, and to give myself a fair wayt to compare these cars. It was truly a very interesing experience, as most of you know, there is a heck of a difference between reading someone else's road test report and then actually driving the cars for yourself. I honestly did not find a bad car in the bunch. I did'nt even consider any of them marginal. They were all good, just different. My decision making process came down to nothing more than my personal preferences. Having owned several new cars for Nissan, Honda & Toyota I believe I went at this with as neutral of a stance as possible. The only thing that would have made it more fair from my viewpoint was if both Honda and Nissan offered theirs in 2 door models, as I cannot stand four door cars, for anything other than familes. It's just my personal love of coupes or 2 door cars that makes a difference for me. Anway I'm very happy with my choice and truly imrpessed as I had purposely lowered my expectations before driving them because I simply did not expect this level of quality and balance at such a low price point. |
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Replying to: liam3 (Dec 18, 2007 8:03 pm) |
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Replying to: ttai (Jan 27, 2008 12:25 pm) Well I would have to say that thousands of disapointed Toyota owners would disagree with you and your quote. Please refer to the Camry forum under "problems" and you will find quite a bumper crop of Toyota "Lemons".
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