Ask the Car People.SM


New Yaris Problem - A Lemon? - READ ONLY

82 messages,  Last post on Sep 08, 2009 at 7:57 AM

You are in the Hatchbacks - Archived Discussions Forum.

This discussion is ARCHIVED. To reactivate the discussion, post a request in the Lost? Ask the Hatchbacks Host for directions! discussion.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Yaris, Hatchback

Messages Page 3 of 9

#21 of 82 Re: New Yaris Problem - A Lemon? [liam3] by caferacer1000

Jan 16, 2008 (3:28 pm)

Replying to: liam3 (Dec 18, 2007 9:03 pm)
OK. You guys have hit the nail directly on the head. I bought a 2008 Yaris Liftback Automatic in Dec., 2007 and have the EXACT SAME issues. Do I have a solution? Of course not. What I do have is the Official Toyota Line (by proxy of their dealer, Kenny Kent Toyota in Evansville, IN) There is nothing wrong with your car. The Yaris is going to buck, surge and hunt gears because....are you ready?.....We, as citizens, don't pay enough attention to what our Congress is doing and allow them to pass restrictive emissions standards that Toyota (by their inability to create a car that runs on US emissions standards or can be modified to run better) is incapable of meeting without building a car that runs like my Yaris. This is from the shop foreman at the above mentioned dealership. So.....your car is NORMAL. It's our nasty government. Never mind the bucking and surging. You can either suck it up or your friendly Toyota dealer will offer you a $1600.00 loss on your investment to trade to something different. Sounds a lot like Circuit City offering a TV for $299.99 only to get you to spend more once you realize what a steaming pile it is. We all know how well Circuit City is doing, right? Anyway, having come from a 2001 ECHO (which ran perfectly so I gave it to my college bound son for Christmas) I can honestly say that the Yaris is MAJOR step back in drivability. Hell, the '75 Vega I used to tow a race motorcycle around with was smoother. We'll see what arbitration accomplishes.

#22 of 82 Yep! by yi5hedr3

Jan 17, 2008 (6:59 pm)

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.

#23 of 82 this is a 'feature' by funkrl

Jan 27, 2008 (9:28 am)

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.

#24 of 82 Re: this is a 'feature' [funkrl] by ttai

Jan 27, 2008 (1:25 pm)

Replying to: funkrl (Jan 27, 2008 9:28 am)
Are you upset about this? I personally would rather it do that than having the car rev to 2000 rpm in park while it's cold. I always hate that huge thunk when you put it in gear in the morning.

#25 of 82 Yaris Problem - A Lemon? [liam3] _NO_ The Truth! by podred

Feb 16, 2008 (3:36 pm)

Replying to: liam3 (Dec 18, 2007 9:03 pm)
Every Yaris will act like this and that is the good news.
 
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!

#26 of 82 Re: Yaris Problem - A Lemon? [liam3] _NO_ The Truth! [podred] by ttai

Feb 17, 2008 (9:13 am)

Replying to: podred (Feb 16, 2008 3:36 pm)
When I drive the Yaris, it was pretty apparent everything they did was geared towards squeezing out the most mileage out of a gallon of gas. The weight of the car is very light. The engine management under acceleration is obviously biased towards fuel efficiency. Toyota was smart enough to give us the gated shifter to override the computers and it works quite well. You get the sense they just didn't slap a small engine on a small car like other makes. How can you justify buying a small car when you're averaging 26mpg? I average 37mpg. No lemon here.

#27 of 82 Re: Yaris Problem - A Lemon? [liam3] _NO_ The Truth! [podred] [ttai] by podred

Feb 17, 2008 (3:14 pm)

Replying to: ttai (Feb 17, 2008 9:13 am)
I'm up to 5,000 miles on my new 08 Yaris S Hatch, auto. I too enjoy the gated shifter for the control it offers. This car continues to surprise me with the level of quality, and integrity of the body panels in terms of great fit, noise free, rattle free, even gaps and build quality befitting a much more expensive car. It's amazing they can do so much and still keep the cost to the consumer down. This car has most of the most importanct tech features of my 2008 Avalon limited. It has VVT-i, and ECT trans, that's smart and shifts down on it's own when in hilly country, as well as some of the smaller amenities.
 
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.

#28 of 82 Re: New Yaris Problem - A Lemon? [liam3] by saildesign

Feb 17, 2008 (3:55 pm)

Replying to: liam3 (Dec 18, 2007 9:03 pm)
The "bucking" you feel is DFCO (Deceleration Fuel Cut-Off) and is designed to save fuel, not decrease emissions. This is prerfectly normal, and happens on manual cars as well. Don't sweat it.

#29 of 82 Toyota Lemons by crazedcommuter

Feb 18, 2008 (8:01 am)

Replying to: ttai (Jan 27, 2008 1:25 pm)
"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."
 
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".

Messages Page 3 of 9

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement