Toyota Yaris Mk4 buying used: How I would reduce risk of 12V battery problems

[@grahamtaylor9332]

Hi I have watched your videos about the Yaris battery problems with interest. I nearly bought a new Yaris Design last February but I walked away because of the 12 volt battery problems. On my first visit to the dealer I specifically asked the salesman about the battery as I had heard in the past that if you don,t cover enough mileage then the battery can deplete and the car won,t start. The salesman said that he had not heard of any problems with the Yaris , but he had heard of problems with the Yaris Cross. Ultimately I decided not to buy the car after researching the car on the internet. By the way I told the salesman that I only mainly do short journeys and around only 5000 miles per year. It was a shame since I liked the car, I went on to buy a Mazda2 Mild Hybrid and I can achieve 60 mpg easily on a run and it was £3000 pound cheaper than the Yaris. The Yaris is better specked and is an automatic and a proper hybrid though. Maybe I will buy a Yaris in the future if I can be sure that the battery problem has been solved. Thank you for your videos I have enjoyed watching them. best wishes

[@Helpful-Stuff]

Thanks for your comment. I have really mixed emotions about my Yaris. On the one hand I think it is the best car I have ever owned ... I love the fantastic fuel economy and all the gadgets ... but on the other hand it is the worst car I have ever bought because a 10 month old car should not fail to start after one day parked. One of the reasons for producing the videos is that anybody who is considering buying a Yaris Mark 4 should be aware of the problem and then they can decide whether or not to buy a Yaris. The other reason is to help people who have bought a Yaris to manage the battery and (hopefully) avoid more failures to start. Toyota agreed to change my 12V battery so I am now on my 2nd Mutlu battery. I have decided that if my car fails to start again I will go to a local garage or Halfords and get a Yuasa battery installed. I have read that this battery is a much better quality battery with a bigger capacity and resolves the failure to start problem. I hope you enjoy your Mazda 2 and the £3,000 you have saved 💷😀👍

[@davidlawford8998]

The Corolla does this as well. Mine was a 2020 2L

[@Helpful-Stuff]

I know that there are other Toyotas that have the same problem. However, I obviously focus on the Yaris because I own one and my videos are based on my own personal experience. For a brand with such a strong reliability reputation I find it unbelievable that Toyota GB just do not seem to care about the damage this is doing to the brand.

[@aszokkkk]

This is just rediculous considering the price and the brand... Maybe Toyota fixed this issue in Mk 5 (2024)?

[@Helpful-Stuff]

When my car failed to start and I was at the dealer collecting my car after the battery had been charged overnight ... one of the many questions I asked was - is the problem fixed in the new 130bhp 2024 Yaris. Unfortunately, this happened a few months ago (Oct-23) and the dealer did not know because they had not even seen the new car. I am in email discussion with Toyota Customer Services about my car and this is one of the many questions that I asked in my last email ... I suspect they will not answer the question but if I get an answer I will put this and any other useful information into a video. (I am not sure whether the 2024 Yaris is called the Mark 5 or just an update to the Mark 4???)

[@aszokkkk]

@@Helpful-Stuff btw, is this flat battery issue impacted hybrids only or the regular one too?

[@Helpful-Stuff]

The flat battery issue only affects hybrids. - The hybrid 12V battery charges from the high voltage traction battery via a DC-DC converter. It can be a small battery because the only thing it needs to do is turn the computers on. - The petrol engine's 12V battery charges via an alternator. The battery needs to be big because it needs to turn a starter motor that starts the petrol engine and on a cold winter morning that may require quite a bit of current. Incidentally I am not sure where you live but in the UK Toyota GB only sell Yaris Hybrids. No petrol Yaris are available in the UK.

[@dawidwsmole]

@@Helpful-Stuff Mark 4 facelift

[@Helpful-Stuff]

Yep agreed ... I now know that the 2024 Yaris is a facelift to the Mark 4 and it definitely is not a Mark 5 Yaris. I don't have any personal experience with the 2024 Yaris but I was reading in the Toyota Owners Club forum that the new 2024 Yaris is still factory fitted with a Mutlu battery - the same as my 2022 Yaris. I obviously have no idea if the quality of the Mutlu battery has been improved ... I hope it has otherwise there is the risk of the 2024 Yaris may suffer the same problems as my 2022 Yaris.

[@khalidhafeez4520]

I bought a low mileage yaris mark 4 and after 2 days it failed to start and replaced with a new battery it failed to start after 6 months then 2 weeks later failed to start again

[@Helpful-Stuff]

I am sorry that you are have had multiple failures to start even with your new battery. The problem with the Yaris Mark 4 is the Mutlu battery that Toyota use in the Yaris. From your comment I am almost certain that the replacement battery was another Mutlu battery. Your comment also confirms to me that once the car has failed to start another failure to start is very likely because the battery has degraded so I think that after just one failure to start a new 12V battery is required. I have had multiple comments under my videos from people who have the problem by changing to a Yuasa battery. The problem is that Toyota dealers will not fit this battery ... they will always use the Toyota specified Mutlu battery. You need to go to a local garage or Halfords and ask them to fit a Yuasa battery. I have also had comments that using a solar trickle charger solves the problem for cars that are frequently parked and not used for several days ... even with the Mutlu battery. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYTJmp5qrt6LnNE My dealer fitted the cable to the OBD port so that it is easier kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWmwnHmLhcuXrLM Toyota GB are not at all helpful about this problem. Toyota Poland have admitted the fault with the Yaris.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3nXmGtnoLJgfLc

[@budgie003]

You are missing something, theres no alternator so mileage is not the issue, the hHV battery charges the 12v and this starts when you press the start button!

[@Helpful-Stuff]

I know that the 12V battery is charged from the main traction battery when the car is in READY mode whether the car is moving or parked. This is why I wash my car weekly with the car in READY mode to keep my 12V battery fully charged. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZmQfWOAl8eEi8k Cars which have a lot of days parked without driving are at an increased risk of the 12V battery going flat. My own car would not start after just 1 day parked. Cars which spend a lot of time parked will by definition be lower mileage cars. So lower mileage cars have an increased risk of not starting but not because they are low mileage but because they spend a lot of time parked. Incidentally somebody left a comment that their high mileage Yaris which does lots of long motorway drives failed to start. So it is high mileage cars as well. This video looks at my own car's daily mileage in the 4 weeks before it would not start. kzbin.info/www/bejne/maW7daF_btqoj6s So it is cars of any mileage that can suffer from the problem ... but cars that are parked a lot and are therefore low mileage that are more likely to fail to start.

[@stevecarey6840]

No they haven't in Europe toyta in Poland send equipment to dealers found out there problems with the battery replce em

[@Helpful-Stuff]

The video about Toyota Poland is also one of my videos. This is the link to the video for anybody reading this comment kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3nXmGtnoLJgfLc I made this video about buying a used Yaris Mark 4 before I found out about Toyota Poland. I still think the key message from this video is correct ... if buying a used Yaris Mark 4 of any mileage then you should get the dealer to replace the 12V battery BEFORE you purchase the car. I am still trying to find out if Toyota GB dealers have the new test equipment that Polish dealers have got ... and if Toyota GB will replace failed 12V batteries under warranty. If anybody knows please post a comment....

[@rodbtelenetbe]

Lexus also the same problems

[@Helpful-Stuff]

Manufacturers of all Hybrids and EVs use small 12V batteries because there is no starter motor ... all the 12V battery has to do is start the computers. All modern cars use a LOT more power when parked and "off" than a car built 20 years ago. The small 12V battery will eventually run out of charge if a car is left parked for several weeks. The problem with the Toyota Yaris Mark 4 is that the small 12V battery runs out of charge after as little as ONE day parked. My own car was 10 months old with 6,000miles on the clock and ran out of charge after ONE day parked. My Dad has a Lexus Hybrid and his car would not start when due to illness it was not used for a couple of weeks. He called the AA who started the car. His Lexus has not failed to start again. What is your experience with your Lexus ... did you have a failure to start after several weeks parked ... or several days parked?

[@rodbtelenetbe]

@Helpful-Stuff not yet a failure but i bought a jump starter for when i have a problem. Can't get the logic of how this can happen with expensive cars, whatever the brand.