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2012 Toyota Yaris problems

The most common problem on the 2012 Toyota Yaris is airbags, typically around 88,000 miles. It has 2.3 times the complaints of a typical Yaris model year.

Typical year2.3x the typical complaints
Year score
38/100
Owner complaints
35
Recalls
5
Service bulletins
200
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
31-33mpg

The worst 2012 Toyota Yaris problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Airbags
    18
  • Body
    5
  • Acceleration
    4
  • Electrical
    4
  • Wheels
    4
  • Brakes
    2
  • Visibility
    2
  • Engine
    1
  • Seat belts
    1
  • Seats
    1
  • Suspension
    1
  • Tires
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Toyota Yaris

No deployment 6

Recalls 5

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported October 17, 2019 · 928,220 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
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 J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.

Recall number 19V741000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 9, 2018 · 116,126 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the federal safety agency 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, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As of January 30, 2018, Toyota is additionally recalling 3,347 model year 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles located in states listed above. Also included in this recall filing is 98,194 model year 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles, located throughout the U.S., that previously received a “like-for-like” interim air bag inflator replacement. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
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).

Recall number 18V025000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 9, 2017 · 577,875 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
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 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).

Recall number 17V006000 · Recall details

StructureReported March 9, 2015 · 16,582 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.

Recall number 15V134000 · Recall details

Steering: electric power assist systemReported July 3, 2013 · 74 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.

Recall number 13V292000 · Recall details

See all 5 recalls for the 2012 Toyota Yaris

Defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened September 17, 2021, still open

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 all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

EA21002

Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Toyota Yaris 200

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 200 bulletins for the 2012 Toyota Yaris

2012 Toyota Yaris fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
1.5L 4‑cylFWD29-3034-3631-33

What 2012 Toyota Yaris owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed May 13, 2022 · Seat belts · 76,200 miles · MD · crash · 2 injuries

The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Yaris The contact stated that while slowing down and coming to a stoplight, a second vehicle traveling 54 mph crashed into the rear of the vehicle. During the crash, both the driver-side and passenger-side seat belts malfunctioned and did not secure the occupants. The driver sustained head and torso injuries and the front passenger who was the driver's wife sustained broken ribs, and head and spine injuries. Medical attention was received. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,200.

Filed May 2, 2022 · Airbags · CA · crash · 1 injury

I was driving a 2012 yaris when I was in an accident that totaled the vehicles. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks which I believe the airbags had played a major role in the seriousness of the injuries I sustained but not sure how to prove that they failed to protect me and possible they made things worse with the scar across my forehead from being sliced open needing numerous staples as well as shattered pelvis. Is there any way by looking at the pictures can you tell me if the air bags did their job

Filed Dec 15, 2020 · Brakes, Electrical · 87,600 miles · UT

Was driving on the freeway at 70 MPH and had to brake for slower traffic ahead. When I depressed the brake pedal, the ABS system engaged, braking the left side of the car, then the right almost sending me off the road. After this had happened, the speedometer had started jumping to different speeds very rapidly and I was unable to tell my correct speed. The antilock brakes have continued to engage randomly when they are not needed, cause loss of braking control and the overall ability to come to a stop. The speedometer also jumps around every now and then. The ABS light was only triggered once, and then turned off.

Filed Jul 6, 2020 · Airbags, Body · 163,600 miles · PR · crash · 1 injury

On my way home, a 70's truck hit my left side, the airbag came out blind me and made lost control of the vehicule. Is a miracle that im alive. Happened at pr132 km0.4 guayanilla pr 00656.

Filed Mar 8, 2020 · Acceleration · PR

Saludos cuando me detengo las revoluciones bajan muchos el carro empieza a temblar y hace como para apagarse

Filed Jun 8, 2019 · Airbags · CA · crash

[xxx] on june 3,17 was in a fatal auto collions that costed her life.the auto was towed to hays towing in san bernadino ca. At:5486 industrial pkwy. San bernardino ca 92407. Police report [xxx]*dt information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tt

Filed Feb 22, 2019 · Acceleration, Body · CO

2012 toyota yaris. Consumer writes to recommend recalling vehicle model because of its many manufacturing defects. *as

Filed Dec 7, 2018 · Wheels · 187 miles · MN

Driving down hwy 94....with 4 children in the vehicle and there was a massive chunk of some type of hard debris....the car thumped so hard and scared us all.!!!! We continued on to church at assumption in st paul afterwards we drove off to leave and felt the car flapping...we had to pull over in a turn lane downtown st paul got out and saw we had a flat tire...after a lot of work and time...waiting and getting help when we got the tire off the rim was bent!!! The small spare tire was put on...I had to have the rim replaced which had to be put on order and the tire had to be replaced that was only 2 months ago that I got it!! I have pictures of the tire and rim..they do not fit in the file here.

Filed Sep 26, 2018 · Engine · 140,000 miles · WV

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota yaris. The contact stated that the check engine warning indicator was constantly illuminated for approximately one month. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 1809260488. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Apr 10, 2018 · WV

2012 toyota . Consumer writes in regards to recall notice replacement parts issues. Consumer has different vehicle issues in artemis. *smd

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2012 Toyota Yaris before you buy

Compare the 2012 Toyota Yaris

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Other model years

200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020

Questions about the 2012 Toyota Yaris

Is the 2012 Toyota Yaris reliable?

Owners have filed 35 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Yaris, 2.3 times a typical Yaris model year.

What is the 2012 Toyota Yaris year score?

The 2012 Toyota Yaris scores 38 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Toyota Yaris: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2012 Toyota Yaris?

Airbags, with 18 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles. Next is body (5).

How many recalls does the 2012 Toyota Yaris have?

5 recalls, covering air bags, structure and steering.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Toyota Yaris airbags?

Yes, 3 recalls: 19V741000, 18V025000, 17V006000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Toyota Yaris have bad airbags?

The Toyota Yaris model years with the most airbags complaints are 2007 (112 complaints), 2008 (107 complaints) and 2010 (45 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2012 Toyota Yaris get?

Official estimates for the 2012 Toyota Yaris range from 31 to 33 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.5L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 29-30 city and 34-36 highway.

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