Toyota Yaris — the 11 years we've written up
2010–2020, side by side: what goes wrong on each, what the fix costs, and what they typically ask. 7 of the 11 carry a high-severity issue.
What this page is
These are the 11 Toyota Yaris model years Kestrel has done the homework on — not every year Toyota built one. A year that isn't listed here isn't a year we're warning you off; it's one we haven't written up yet. Ranking a whole model run would mean telling you about years we've never looked at.
Toyota Yaris by year
How many owner complaints NHTSA holds. A big number usually means a lot were sold; the shape matters more than the total.
Year by year
In-tank fuel pump impeller can deform and stall the engine on the road (recall) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Low-pressure fuel pump impeller can swell and stop the engine while driving (recall) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Passenger airbag lamp and seat-belt chime with the seat empty — occupant sensor fault — $300–$1,200
Front-door wiring to the side-airbag sensors can crack — side and curtain airbags may not fire (recall) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Side-airbag sensor wiring in the front doors can crack — side and curtain airbags may not deploy (recall) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Slow acceleration — Not yet priced
Headliner may not meet head-impact protection standard (recall, Puerto Rico cars only) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
High-mileage wear on the 1.5L: water pump weep and front wheel bearings — $300–$500 for a water pump; $250–$450 per wheel bearing
Takata passenger airbag inflator — three campaigns; nine crash reports with bags that did not fire — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Takata passenger airbag inflator — three recall campaigns, and a part that took years to arrive — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Takata passenger airbag inflators and a driver airbag cable that can go dead — four recalls, years of waiting — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
4 of these 11 have no high-severity issue in our write-up. That means we didn't find an expensive recurring fault — not that one cannot exist on the specific vehicle you're looking at.
Looking at one in particular?
This page covers the Toyota Yaris in general. The Kestrel report covers the one you're looking at — the asking price against the market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
Get My Verdict — $7.99Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for that year.
Known issues are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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