What's Wrong with the 2nd Generation Yaris?

Front 3/4 view of a Toyota Yaris

The 2nd generation Yaris spans the 2006 to 2013 model years.

It has accumulated 196 owner complaints over those year and ranks 55th in reliability out of 81 eligible Toyota generations.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Toyota score is 6.36 while this generation comes in at 8.57.

Compare With Other Yaris Generations

The Worst 2006-2013 Yaris Problems

  1. Musty and Moldy A/C

    Toyota air conditioners smell like mold in numerous vehicles. So what's causing the musty smell and just how dangerous is it?…

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  2. Rodents Chew Wires

    Somewhere in the mid-2000's there was an industry-wide push by automakers to replace plastic and glass-based wiring insulation with a more eco-friendly soy-based coating. It's biodegradable, commendable, and a complete disaster for owners. …

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  3. Toyota Vehicles with Recalled Takata Airbags

    Parts supplier, Takata, manufactured defective, shrapnel-hurling airbag inflators that need to be recalled. The issue affects over 37 million vehicles spread out across 24 brands, making it one of the largest (and most dangerous) recalls in…

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What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

2nd Generation Yaris Key Numbers

  1. 8 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 196 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 55th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 81 eligible generations.

Recent 2nd Generation Yaris News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Toyota has blamed a musty A/C smell on microbes [i.e., mold] growing o the evaporator surface and now a lawsuit wants them to do something about it.

    The plaintiffs claim the vehicles have defective heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that cause smells and health problems from mold that collects on the evaporators. Numerous complaints have allegedly been filed with the government, Toyota and Lexus dealerships nationwide since at least 1999.

    This isn't the first time Toyota has been sued for musty A/C units.

    keep reading

  5. When Toyota switched away from using plastic or glass-based inulation in favor of soy, it invited in some very unwelcome Toyota loyalisits.

    According to the plaintiff, she learned the hard way about the soy wiring when her Avalon wouldn't start and a look under the hood showed wires chewed, so she had the car towed to a dealer. Toyota told her rodents had caused the damage and it would be no problem to repair the problems as long as she could cough up $6,000 to cover the bill.

    The soy-based wiring is allegedly attracting in rodents, who love to chew it up and use it for nesting material. The lawsuit, Heidi Browder vs. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al. follows a similar lawsuit filed against Honda earlier this year.

    keep reading