The Lemon Index

All cars · Toyota Yaris · 2012

2012 Toyota Yaris. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index23100 = average car
Complaints8NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold30,590U.S. model year
Per 100K sold26complaints
Complaint rank#1 of 6among the 6 scored Toyota Yaris model years (2007–2013); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 26,000 and 56,125 miles. Median 35,000, from 7 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Airbags50%
Wheels25%
Wipers & visibility12%
Tires12%
Electrical12%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
841401

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 5

  • 19V741000 Oct 2019 Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect. 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 propella

    Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy. 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

  • 18V025000 Jan 2018 Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect. On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 14,585 model year 2010-2012 Yaris vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington,

    Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0R (Zone B), and H0A (Zone C), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A).

  • 17V006000 Jan 2017 Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect. 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

    Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy. 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

  • 15V134000 Mar 2015 Structure

    Defect. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Yaris vehicles manufactured August 31, 2011, to February 9, 2015, and sold or registered in Puerto Rico. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with a roof headliner that does not provide the proper occupant protection in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 201, " Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."

    Risk. If the vehicles are equipped with a headliner that does not meet the impact requirements, there is an increased risk of occupantl injury in the event of a crash.

    Remedy. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the headliner, free of charge. The recall began on June 22, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

  • 13V292000 Jul 2013 Steering / Electric Power Assist System

    Defect. Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 Yaris vehicles manufactured August 21, 2011, through August 31, 2011. A relay in the Power Steering Control Module of the electronic power steering system could experience a short circuit due to insufficient distance between terminals in the relay and moisture contamination of relay coil windings. A short circuit in the relay could disable power steering assistance.

    Risk. If the power steering assistance shuts off, the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering control module. The recall began on July 31, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

NHTSA investigations

StatusSubjectOpenedClosed
OpenDesiccated air bag inflator rupture2021–

Manufacturer communications 200

Toyota filed 200 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • On some hatchback, when driving and passenger seat is unoccupied, passenger airbag off light will
  • Accelerator pedal sensor assembly information regarding the inspection, removal, and…
  • The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Toyota Yaris Liftback 5 HB FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆
Toyota Yaris Liftback 3 HB FWDnot ratednot ratednot ratednot rated
Toyota Yaris 4 DR FWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardNoNo

Engines and drivetrains 2

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
1.5L 4-cylManual 5-spdFWD30 / 36 / 33Regular$1,900
1.5L 4-cylAuto 4-spdFWD29 / 34 / 31Regular$2,000

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

YouTube repair topics

199 videos about the 2012–2019 Toyota Yaris, 19.5M views.

TopicVideosViews
Gauges, lights & wiring4261K
Oil changes & service4258K
Intake, EGR & engine sensors2245K
Infotainment, battery & electrical195K
Heat, A/C & blend door176K
Steering & suspension168K
Windows, doors & mirrors155K
Brakes & ABS236K

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
2009663463,743Speed control
2010452540,076Speed control
201223830,590Airbags
201323721,342Airbags
2014–2–Speed control
2015–8–Speed control

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

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