10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,632 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Toyota Yaris brakes problems

brakes problem

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2008 Toyota Yaris Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #21

May 032022

Yaris

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My brakes have failed me many times. I had to eventually get those change in the brakes still aren-??t working completely correct

- Duncan, OK, USA

problem #20

May 272021

Yaris

  • miles
My fiancee bought her 2008 Toyota Yaris on about the 26 Apr 2021. Right off she had brake failure pretty quickly after buying the car. Brake pads were suspected of failing. When the front tires were removed the calipers had built up thick rust on inside surface where the pads sit on both front calipers. The pads were pushed into the rotors heavily causing the driver side rotor to be damaged beyond acceptable limits. The right side rotor was turned successfully with enough rotor minimum thickness remaining. So the rust caused me to replace 1 rotor, both calipers and pads on front and rear brakes. The rust built up on the calipers threaded input and output brake fluid lines threaded attach points. This could have cause a fluid leak that could of been very dangerous leading to injury or death of occupants. I have not reported this to The Toyota dealership or anyone else. I didn't know I could report dangerous items that could be set for a safety recall by the NHTSA. As for the airbags, the driver airbag light stays on and passenger light comes on when 10 pounds of weight is sat in passenger seat. The belt is not latched. My driver seat belt is always latched when I drive. I weigh 130 but the light remains on. So, will the driver air bag inflator explode or fail due to the warning light illuminatimg. I was unaware of a recall for this and 3 others have not been repaired yet by previous owners. The third item is backseat seatbelt female receptical will not latch to the male end on 2 of the 3 seating positions. This is a real safety issue when we place children in the backseat. We can only take 1 child at each drive, so even adults riding in the backseat will be not buckled up, which is un-law and very dangerous causing severe injuries and even death in an accidental collision. I will take my Fiancee's 2008 Yaris to a Toyota dealership for the 4 recalls noted today by VIN,7/29/2021. Thanks, Richard Peavler

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #19

Jul 292017

Yaris

  • 105,899 miles
Frequently when driving in this car and I attempt to press on brakes it takes a bit longer than it should for a reaction to occur. Which is very dangerous in certain weather conditions which I was affected in having to press on brakes which led to slamming on brakes and still not the appropriate reaction time causing me to slam in another car on a a slippery intersection which is when I finally able to hear my brakes basically touch the ground. With the failure of reliance on my brakes the front end of my car in completely destroyed which now caused my driver door to no longer open.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #18

Apr 152016

Yaris

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The ABS and brake light have been lighting up intermittently. The dealership said no codes show stored. I saw history of this complaint with sensor issues. Lights did not go on day of appointment. But did come on in the way home.

- Middletown, NY, USA

problem #17

Jan 252016

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 118,268 miles
I was less than five minutes from home, on my way to take my children to school. I made a right hand turn off the street from my neighborhood, unto the service road that leads to the ramp for the highway entrance. As I headed towards the ramp that enters unto the highway, the 2008 Toyota Yaris felt like it suddenly started to accelerate. Despite my foot was on the brakes, the car would not slow down. I swerved back unto the service road to avoid continuing unto the ramp, in fear that I would crash into the cars on the highway. To avoid hitting any vehicles on the service road, I managed to swerve the vehicle off the side of the road ? with the car finally stopping when it crashed into a pole. My children and I suffered seat belt bruising and cuts. I was hospitalized for a few days for hand, foot, and back injuries, and still under doctor's care for the injuries. In addition, the vehicle was a total lost. I have my service receipts reflecting that I kept up with the maintenance of the car. In addition, I had the brakes serviced in October of the previous year...updated 03/15/16.....updated 03/31/16 updated 6/11/18

- Clearwater, FL, USA

problem #16

May 162015

Yaris

  • miles
When I tried to roll the window down, by clicking on the button, there was a small fire that caused smoke inside the car. I would also like to verify my breaks and airbags. I would like to make an appointment to bring my car in either Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #15

Feb 092015

Yaris

  • 123,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The ABS and brake warning lights came on at the same time and have remained on. Internet research has revealed that this is a known problem with the 2008 Toyota Yaris due to corrosion of the rear sensor and harness. ABS is now inoperable and the repair is very costly. This should have been a recall long ago by Toyota.

- New Milford, CT, USA

problem #14

Aug 082013

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 80,907 miles
Our daughter was driving on highway 44 in Missouri at or near grey summit Missouri with the cruise control set on, when our 2008 Toyota Yaris started to accelerate on it's own. Our daughter had to swerve to miss hitting other vehicle on the highway. She attempted to stop and the cruise control did not disengage. To avoid hitting another vehicle she steered the vehicle off the highway and crashed head on into trees. Toyota hired Bosch to have the "black box" analyzed. The company and Bosch claim no malfunction of the vehicle. Our daughter continues to dispute their claims and we have lost the vehicle in an insurance claim to aaa of Missouri. In additional we have lost value in the vehicle, we are paying insurance accident penalties and lost $1000 in deductibles. We continue to dispute Toyota and Bosch's claim that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. Since our accident there has been additional evidence of "tin whiskers" as potential cause of electronic failure. We believe we have been the unfortunate victims of Toyota negligence and need to request assistance in fighting this issue with Toyota.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #13

Aug 152014

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
When using the cruise control and going up a hill, ABS light and brake light comes on. Now it does it even without cruise control on. Those lights come on when you start the car. The brakes and fluids have all been check and there is no defaults with any of that.

- Stockton, KS, USA

problem #12

Jun 132012

Yaris 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that the ABS indicator illuminated intermittently in the vehicle. The dealer stated that the ABS sensor was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 09/16/14 updated 9/18/14 the consumer stated salt corroded the sensors for the ABS. Then with no warning, there was a pulse in the brakes on dry pavement, thus greatly increasing braking distance. Updated 10/02/14 updated 10/07/14

- Hampshire, IL, USA

problem #11

Jan 072014

Yaris 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering and brakes suddenly malfunctioned causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle and crash into an embankment. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered a left knee and back injury during the incident. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000. Updated 08/19/14 updated 8/28/2017

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #10

Feb 212014

Yaris

  • 90,000 miles
In the winter months since I bought my car brand new, randomly the ABS would just go off during normal braking and then stop working all together and the ABS and the E-brake light would come on for a while. When I was driving home one morning I was coming up to a red light when the ABS decided to stop working and I slid right through the light, almost getting hit by on coming traffic. Now I had dismissed the problem till I realized that it could cause harm to me or my children and the ABS and E-brake light will no longer go off which is causing me to fail emissions.

- Oak Lawn, IL, USA

problem #9

Feb 032014

Yaris

  • 80,000 miles
Periodically my ABS brake light will come on during winter weather and then it will just go away when it is dry. On snow roads my brakes sometimes will not work. One day driving I drove through a red light because my brakes would not stop even though I was going around 30 and braked while in advance. Lucky, for me other drivers stopped. My mechanic confirmed that my ABS wiring has to be replaced and the hub. This is a common issue for Yaris and Toyota admitted they know this is an issue but they do not have a recall. This could have easily cost my life or my 18 month old son's life.

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #8

Jan 182014

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
On January 18th 2014, while exiting hwy 41 on to the ashland avenue off ramp in fresno California the brakes failed and the vehicle was totaled.

- Tulare, CA, USA

problem #7

Oct 232013

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
Since I buy the car sometimes when I turn ignition on it makes the noise that is starting all lights on the dashboard turn on for a almost a 20 to 30 sec. Then sometimes when I'm driving the speed gear drops with out me braking also when I turn right signal on sometimes the reverse light on dashboard also turn on. One time all lights on dashboard were blinking went I turn signal on. I took it to the dealer the person there told me they don't have any recalls and no complain then can't do anything if they don't see the problem. I have a video this. Now when I hit the brake the right signal canes on. Second time I took the car to the dealer the ignition call had a failure they replace coil 3 and dashboard lights diagnostic came normal and vehicle lights still do the samething. And ignition still does the samething and if I go back to the dealer to do another diagnostic they will charge me 124 dollars if nothing is found wrong. The problem is there but they can't find it I show the video to the guy in the dealer and still nothing.

- Roselle, NJ, USA

problem #6

Oct 102013

Yaris

  • 92,000 miles
I was driving on the highway and took a ramp in the right lane while it was drizzling. As I began to go down the ramp, I the car began shift toward the wall, and I brake. The car began to spin out of control, and completely hydroplaned. We hit a dividing wall several times before coming to a stop on the left side of the ramp. I have experienced previous issues with the brakes during wet and dry conditions. Sometimes if I pushed hard on the brakes, I would feel a vibration under the car, and the brakes wouldn't work properly. My car is completely destroyed and both of my young children were in the car when it happened.

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #5

Apr 262013

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 54,200 miles
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 driving and while braking. Toyota has denied any responsibility for repairs, even though this is a known issue that numerous Yaris owners have experienced. Later models for the Yaris have had the ABS design fixed to prevent this issue from happening.

- Wauwatosa, WI, USA

problem #4

Oct 012010

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that the ABS and air bag warning lights illuminated intermittently but most recently, both warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed, which located the failure at the ABS sensor and the air bag spiral cable. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000 and the current mileage was 61,529....updated 04-03-13

- Drakes Branch , VA, USA

problem #3

Apr 012011

Yaris 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
I have had numerous problems with this vehicle since just after the warranty expired. Toyota refuses to acknowledge or repair anything. I have replaced rear shocks, front wheel bearings, and now am having issues with the ABS system. It seems the entire underside of the vehicle needs replacement. The problems began less than 2 months after the 3 year warranty expired. At that time, the car had only 40,000 miles on it. The only response Toyota provided was "sorry, your warranty has expired." All mechanics I have discussed these issues with agree that such repairs should not be necessary on a vehicle with such low mileage. This car has not been abused or driven hard. It has had all maintenance done as suggested by it manufacturer. These issues should be taken care of by Toyota as warranty repairs since they are all obvious manufacturer defects. This is the one and only Toyota I will ever own.

- Chambersburg, PA, USA

problem #2

Jan 072013

Yaris

  • miles
My brake light and ABS light come on and go off every few days, my anti lock brakes disable and some times it's hard to slow down. It's the sensor, it started in the winter.

- South Milwaukee , WI, USA

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