KnownCarProblems2008 Toyota Yaris Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 218 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Toyota Yaris, most often about the air bags (49% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Yaris model year since 2000 and has 10 recalls.
Most common 2008 Toyota Yaris problems
Air bags
107 complaints · 49%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
My fiance was in a nasty traffic accident. She was rear ended while stopped at a traffic light in her 2008 Toyota Yaris by a vehicle traveling at around 40-50mph. On impact she stated the seatbelt on the driver's side locked, then unlocked giving more slack as she projected forward, then gained momentum back into the…
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that after the vehicle was serviced under a manufacturers recall for the air bags twice, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.
Brakes
32 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that the brakes and the ABS lights remained illuminated on his vehicle continuously. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer and he was not advised what caused the failure to occur. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 66,000.
Vehicles emergency brake light and ABS light continued to come on. Vehicle was taken to the Toyota dealer and we were told that the rear wiring harness and sensors had completed eroded and that until this problem was repaired the vehicle had no working ABS system or traction stability control. We were advised that…
Speed control
20 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 54,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
Driving vehicle on city streets, and attempted to brake. Brake and ABS came on, and ABS system engaged. Road conditions were dry, weather was warm and sunny. Abs engagement made it difficult to come to complete stop, even though road conditions were dry. Since initial incident, ABS system comes on periodically while…
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated while driving at speeds of 28 MPH, the contact moved to avoid another vehicle. The contacts vehicle then abnormally accelerated to speeds of 60 MPH and he was unable to stop the vehicle by depressing the brakes. The vehicle proceeded to crash into a boulder and…
Electrical
18 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 57,500 miles.
My vehicle has intermittently exhibited a failure to accelerate once a day or once every other day for a couple of months. The check engine light would come on and the vehicle would not accelerate until the ignition is turned off and restarted. My mechanic told me the problem might be related to the throttle body…
Vehicles emergency brake light and ABS light continued to come on. Vehicle was taken to the Toyota dealer and we were told that the rear wiring harness and sensors had completed eroded and that until this problem was repaired the vehicle had no working ABS system or traction stability control. We were advised that…
Suspension
16 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
Bolt head securing left front wheel suspension and frame, was apparently sheared off by pothole while driving. Loud metallic pop heard. Not sure why parts are still holding together. Will need repair asap.
Tl * the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that the vehicle was making a loud clunking noise. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the bolt on the front control arm was fractured as a result of corrosion. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle…
Engine
15 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. While driving at approximately 55 MPH the vehicle stalled. Upon restart it operated normally. The failure began to recur intermittently while driving at any speed as well as while stopped. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where he was informed the wiring harness for…
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and took it to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The dealer stated that the engine harness was defective…
Body and structure
10 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 68,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
Left subframe bolt completely rusted and broke off of frame. No damage or over-torquing of bolt occurred. Known problem with Toyota yais subframe bolts.
Bolt head securing left front wheel suspension and frame, was apparently sheared off by pothole while driving. Loud metallic pop heard. Not sure why parts are still holding together. Will need repair asap.
Wheels and tires
9 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 37,500 miles. Parts named most often: pressure monitoring and regulating systems.
I tried to stop + could not. If feel as if there are several recalls on this vehicle, one that does not meet highway standards, in which the dealership should have known about before selling to me on october 31, 2016. I had trouble getting my title from the dealership + had several issues with the vehicle + it was…
The ABS brake sensor connector on the rear wheels hubs is not sealed and allows water and road salts to corrode the electrical connection, which causes the ABS system to be deactivated.the vehicle still has brakes but no ABS brakes. When I took the car into Toyota for diagnostics they said that it has been a problem…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Toyota Yaris recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began november 20, 2019. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are j0a, j0b, and j0c. Lexus' numbers for this recall are jli, jlj, and jlk.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4runner, 2003-2006 tundra, 2003-2013 corolla, 2009-2010 corolla matrix, 2004-2005 rav4, 2002-2007 sequoia, 2011-2013 sienna, 2008-2012 scion xb, 2008-2009 lexus is-f, 2007-2012 yaris and lexus es350, 2010-2017 lexus gx460, 2002-2010 lexus sc430, 2006-2012 lexus is250 and is350 and 2010-2015 lexus is250c and is350c vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota, scion and lexus owners. General motors will contact the pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on february 1, 2017. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are g0p (toyota zone a), g0r (toyota zone b), h0a (toyota zone c), glg (lexus zone a), glh (lexus zone b) and hla (lexus zone c).
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2012 toyota 4runner, corolla, corolla matrix, sienna, yaris, scion xb, lexus es350, gx460, is-f, is250, is350, is250c, is350c, and lexus lfa vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, toyota is recalling certain 2009 toyota corolla, corolla matrix, yaris, yaris hb, scion xb, pontiac vibe, lexus, es350, is250, is350, and is-f vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsy
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota and lexus owners. General motors will contact the pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on december 6, 2016. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are g1p (toyota zone a), g1r (toyota zone b), g2g (lexus zone a), and g2h (lexus zone b). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are g0p (toyota zone a), g0r (toyota zone b), glg (lexus zone a), and glh (le
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 scion xb and lexus is f, 2009-2011 toyota corolla and corolla matrix, 2006-2011 toyota yaris, lexus is250 and lexus is350, 2010-2011 toyota 4runner, lexus is250c, lexus is350c and lexus gx460, 2011 sienna, 2007-2011 lexus es350, and 2009-2010 pontiac vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 scion xb and lexus is f, 2007-2008 toyota yaris, 2006-2008 lexus is250 and lexus is350 and 2007-2008 lexus es350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, distric
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the pwms circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin december 20, 2015. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is c0m.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor company (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 tundra, sequoia, corolla, corolla matrix and scion xb, 2008-2011 highlander and highlander hybrid, 2007 camry and camry hybrid, 2009 camry and camry hybrid, 2006-2011 rav4, 2006-2010 yaris, and 2009-2010 scion xd and pontiac vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the power window master switch (pwms), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: If the ffc is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota vehicle owners, and general motors will notify the pontiac vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in may 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General motors sent pontiac vibe owners an interim letter on june 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General motors sent notices to the pontiac vibe owners on september 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on october 27, 2014. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may con
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 rav4, 2006-2010 yaris, 2008-2010 highlander, and 2009-2010 tacoma, corolla, corolla matrix and general motors pontiac vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a flexible flat cable (ffc). Due to the shape and location of the ffc's retainer, the ffc could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.
Seats
Risk: If the spring breaks, the seat may not lock in position. In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat could move increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat rail, and replace it with a new one, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on july 3, 2014. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 yaris vehicles manufactured august 22, 2005, through may 12, 2010, and 2008-2010 scion xd vehicles manufactured april 4, 2007, through may 12, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the springs used for the seat rails on the driver's seat and the seat rails of the front passenger seat of three-door models may break.
Visibility and wipers: power window devices and controls
Risk: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners that experience a problem with a switch should not attempt to make repairs, but should contact their toyota dealer or the toyota customer experience center at 1-800-331-4331. General motors will contact the pontiac vibe owners affected by this recall and gm dealers will inspect and repair switches as necessary. Those owners may contact pontiac customer care at 1-800-762-2737.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 camry, camry hybrid, rav4, corolla, corolla matrix, tundra, sequoia, highlander, highlander hybrid, yaris, scion xb, scion xd and pontiac vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.
Equipment: labels
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
Full defect summary
Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: Incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Power window master switch fire
Summary
On october 10, 2012, toyota initiated a safety recall of approximately 2.5 million u.s. Vehicles involving the following models and model years:2007-2009 camry and camry hybrid, 2009 corolla and corolla matrix, 2008 highlander and highlander hybrid, 2007-2009 rav4, 2008-2009 scion xb and xd, 2008-2009 sequoia, 2007-2008 tundra, 2007-2008 yaris, and 2009 pontiac vibe.see NHTSA recall number 12v-491 for more details, including the affected vehicle manufacture dates for each vehicle model.note that only early-production 2009 model year vehicles are included in the recall.toyota and gm dealers will inspect the power window master switch (pwms) assemblies and apply a specialized grease that inhib
Power window master switch fire
Summary
Odi has identified certain toyota vehicles experiencing a higher rate of fire and thermal event incidents among all toyota vehicles that use the same power window master switch design.they include a total of approximately 1.4 million model year (my) 2007 through 2009 camry, camry hybrid, rav4 and yaris vehicles built from approximately september 2006 through august 2008, as well as all my 2008 highlander hybrid vehicles.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea12-006) to further study the alleged defect and its consequences.the odi reports cited above can be viewed at www-odi.NHTSA.dot.gov/owners/searchnhtsaid under the following identification numbers: 104
Questions about the 2008 Toyota Yaris
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Toyota Yaris?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (107 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); brakes (32 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); speed control (20 complaints, typically around 54,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Toyota Yaris have?
- 10 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 17, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Toyota Yaris?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Yaris model year since 2000, with 218 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.