The Facebook owners group for Toyota Yaris and Yaris Cross hybrids are full of people frustrated by the flat 12v
battery issue. Toyota use the excuse of low mileage to get out of recalling these faulty batteries
Flat Battery
When our battery went flat, the doors wouldn't open. I tried the physical key but it only seemed to work in the locking direction (clockwise). I couldn't turn it the other way. When the AA came out, he told me to use a bit more force and Hey Presto, it unlocked. It was just a little bit stiff and I hadn't wanted to break anything. So in answer to the question, the key works even when the battery is completely flat. As I mentioned in my post in the 'Fitting a smart charger thread', the car can be jump started via the terminals in the fuse/relay box under the bonnet and apparently it only needs enough power to operate the relay then the big battery takes over. The AA man said that some hybrids have a switch to enable the use of the hybrid battery temporarily which would save a lot of faffing around.Cuddles wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2023 9:53 pm One question puzzles me though about people going out in the morning and finding the 12v battery is flat.
If it is flat I assume you can still open the door especially as the jump start will be in the glove box and bonnet latch is also inside. Don't you get locked out when it is flat as that system probably uses the 12v system to work.
Does this mean with this possible problem I should never double lock it as apparently the physical key doesn't work when double locked.
On another related matter, I used my CTEC gel battery charger to charge the battery afterwards and it hasn't gone flat since. A short time ago there was a software update/recall due to the emergency call system not shutting down properly. I wonder if this was what drained the battery?
Interesting about the call system update.
I originally ordered and paid deposit for GR version - the showroom car. They then cancelled the order as new rules from Toyota says they can't sell them until they have had them many months. They can register them and sell them in a few months.
I was furious as they should have known that.
Anyway, it gave me time to think while I calmed down. I paid a big deposit and was paying cash on the 29th so I did everything they asked.
I have a GR Yaris and was tempted with the GR Cross as I thought I was getting it this week but decided I only wanted a daily - standard car.
I am genuinly concerned at the issue of the 12v battery as I only do 4k a year so after blowing my top with the garage I have used for 20 years I said I will not cancel my 7 year service plan on the GR Yaris and the one on the AygoX - if they offer me the same very good deal on an Icon in the spring and lock in the trade in price on the Aygo. They agreed.
I decided on the Icon as it doesn't have the energy using extras such as heated and electric seats and blue lights. Even auto folding mirrors. Anything that uses 12v needed to go on this car for me. Other things such as smaller wheels to me are softer. Grey headlining and non tinted windows make a lighter interior.
Can't wait to get it but have bought the Noco starter and new cable to fix to the battery so it runs into the boot for my CTEK which my GRY spends its life on when it isn't driving around the dales. I have also bought a battery monitor 2 that also clips onto the 12v battery and uses bluetooth to show its condition on your phone. Not keen on the solar pannell. I bought them all now as I thought I was getting it this Friday.
I originally ordered and paid deposit for GR version - the showroom car. They then cancelled the order as new rules from Toyota says they can't sell them until they have had them many months. They can register them and sell them in a few months.
I was furious as they should have known that.
Anyway, it gave me time to think while I calmed down. I paid a big deposit and was paying cash on the 29th so I did everything they asked.
I have a GR Yaris and was tempted with the GR Cross as I thought I was getting it this week but decided I only wanted a daily - standard car.
I am genuinly concerned at the issue of the 12v battery as I only do 4k a year so after blowing my top with the garage I have used for 20 years I said I will not cancel my 7 year service plan on the GR Yaris and the one on the AygoX - if they offer me the same very good deal on an Icon in the spring and lock in the trade in price on the Aygo. They agreed.
I decided on the Icon as it doesn't have the energy using extras such as heated and electric seats and blue lights. Even auto folding mirrors. Anything that uses 12v needed to go on this car for me. Other things such as smaller wheels to me are softer. Grey headlining and non tinted windows make a lighter interior.
Can't wait to get it but have bought the Noco starter and new cable to fix to the battery so it runs into the boot for my CTEK which my GRY spends its life on when it isn't driving around the dales. I have also bought a battery monitor 2 that also clips onto the 12v battery and uses bluetooth to show its condition on your phone. Not keen on the solar pannell. I bought them all now as I thought I was getting it this Friday.
Could my cross be having he same issue?
I drove a lot bit today after 36 hours no drive, an error flashed about low power for steering and then the parking break. It won't lock and when I try to press the pedals it does weird things. Garage is shut until Monday and my roadside assistance has lapsed. At least it's at home.
I drove a lot bit today after 36 hours no drive, an error flashed about low power for steering and then the parking break. It won't lock and when I try to press the pedals it does weird things. Garage is shut until Monday and my roadside assistance has lapsed. At least it's at home.
Found a good video from a chap who works with batteries and fixes problems for people. I asked him about the issue and this is his reply:
"the main issue ive found is down to the quality of the battery not its AH, they just seem to struggle with sitting around and low milage if the car is used regularly and you pop the charger on every 2 weeks it should not have any issues. On the topic of upgrade I found the best battery to be a yuasa YBX5202 Google that number and you will find the battery, on the older yaris they used an AGM battery which was pretty good and very rarely did they fail before 5 years the new generation use a cheap standard lead acid battery the YBX5202 is exactly the same size in dimensions it's just a better quality of battery.
Dealers can be funny. Some have said to owners if you purchased the car second hand. Even if it's only 13 months old, then the 12v battery warranty ended at 12 months which is odd lol, If you fit a better quality battery and its the same dimensions, then they shouldn't complain about it but each dealer is different. If you prefer to have a better battery and are handy with tools, you can always re fit the standard battery, every time you take it to the dealer. That way, they can't tell. But they shouldn't care if its got a better battery, but again every dealer is different. Hope that helps.
"the main issue ive found is down to the quality of the battery not its AH, they just seem to struggle with sitting around and low milage if the car is used regularly and you pop the charger on every 2 weeks it should not have any issues. On the topic of upgrade I found the best battery to be a yuasa YBX5202 Google that number and you will find the battery, on the older yaris they used an AGM battery which was pretty good and very rarely did they fail before 5 years the new generation use a cheap standard lead acid battery the YBX5202 is exactly the same size in dimensions it's just a better quality of battery.
Dealers can be funny. Some have said to owners if you purchased the car second hand. Even if it's only 13 months old, then the 12v battery warranty ended at 12 months which is odd lol, If you fit a better quality battery and its the same dimensions, then they shouldn't complain about it but each dealer is different. If you prefer to have a better battery and are handy with tools, you can always re fit the standard battery, every time you take it to the dealer. That way, they can't tell. But they shouldn't care if its got a better battery, but again every dealer is different. Hope that helps.
We had this problem first in January and then twice this week.
Took the car back to the dealer for a check and they had 3 other cars with flat batteries.
Why is this not a Toyota recall or notification.
Why are more Toyota drivers not aware of this problem being so wide spread.
Why are we all driving cars with a major problem,
Where is Toyota fix?
Has anyone any ideas how to escalate this problem nationwide?
Our car is a 72 reg, and we had to use our 1980’s battery charger to start it!
Took the car back to the dealer for a check and they had 3 other cars with flat batteries.
Why is this not a Toyota recall or notification.
Why are more Toyota drivers not aware of this problem being so wide spread.
Why are we all driving cars with a major problem,
Where is Toyota fix?
Has anyone any ideas how to escalate this problem nationwide?
Our car is a 72 reg, and we had to use our 1980’s battery charger to start it!
This is a concern to me as I will only do about 4k miles a year. Get my Icon next week and gave them a CTEK cable so they could connect it to the battery and run it into the boot. I intend to connect the CTEK once a month for a charge and probably more important a condition and remove any sulphor build up due to under use. Have also bought a Noco GB40 for the glove compartment.
Been buying Toyotas for 25 years and If I have problems like some others have had i will keep it for a couple of years and then walk away as I did after owning 8 new Fords on the trot and after a few problems walked away and never had a ford again.
They need to fix this probably by putting a new battery in - probably the Yuasa suggested in the video above. Hopefully, the CTEK charging for half a day once a month will keep it OK. My little used GR Yaris is permanently on a CTEK in the garage and no issues after 3 years so I am confident in them keeping the batteries spot on. Most people are probably not aware of sulphor build up on under used batteries when they drop below a certain level of charge. They still work but the build up keeps getting worse till they struggle to hold a full charge then the problems start and are not aware of CTEK battery conditioners.
It should be OK as long as I keep an eye on it and remember to plug it in every now and then.
Been buying Toyotas for 25 years and If I have problems like some others have had i will keep it for a couple of years and then walk away as I did after owning 8 new Fords on the trot and after a few problems walked away and never had a ford again.
They need to fix this probably by putting a new battery in - probably the Yuasa suggested in the video above. Hopefully, the CTEK charging for half a day once a month will keep it OK. My little used GR Yaris is permanently on a CTEK in the garage and no issues after 3 years so I am confident in them keeping the batteries spot on. Most people are probably not aware of sulphor build up on under used batteries when they drop below a certain level of charge. They still work but the build up keeps getting worse till they struggle to hold a full charge then the problems start and are not aware of CTEK battery conditioners.
It should be OK as long as I keep an eye on it and remember to plug it in every now and then.
Battery went flat again for the fourth time since October 2023 and lucky I had the first service due this morning. The battery was needing to be recharged and I've been told it is due to the low mileage which is 2900. Issue is I work from home and don't require to go out for long drives. The dealership informed me that I've got to do at least 60 miles a week to keep the battery charged. I've never had this problem with a normal car, surely Toyota should be telling us of this problem before we fork out a lot of money on these cars.
It is easy enough to charge the battery using the CTEK connector in the boot.
I have now fitted a Battery Monitor 2 onto the battery.
The seat is easy to pull up and get to the battery.
Warning - when loosening the nuts on the battery there are metal parts very near by so cover the whole of the spanner as it is easy to touch these parts. Use an old rubber glove just leaving the spanner head clear.
BM2 works about 50% of the time but when connected it tells you what the charge is. It also tells you when the battery is being charged which is interesting as it is charging quite a lot of the time so any decent run of 5+ miles should keep it topped up. It only needs to connect once every other day to show me. My battery is steady at 12.65v after 4 weeks and 300 miles. I will plug the MSX 5.0 CTEK charger in at the end of each month just to keep the lead plates free from the sulphor build up that kills them if under used - but still a good idea on all batteries to keep them clean and extend their life.
Love the car and pleased I got it and the battery anxiety is starting to wear off now I can see it is charging as soon I I switch the car on. Also have a Noco Gb40 in the glove compartment just in case and also just ordered one for the GR Yaris - also just in case - you never know!
I have now fitted a Battery Monitor 2 onto the battery.
The seat is easy to pull up and get to the battery.
Warning - when loosening the nuts on the battery there are metal parts very near by so cover the whole of the spanner as it is easy to touch these parts. Use an old rubber glove just leaving the spanner head clear.
BM2 works about 50% of the time but when connected it tells you what the charge is. It also tells you when the battery is being charged which is interesting as it is charging quite a lot of the time so any decent run of 5+ miles should keep it topped up. It only needs to connect once every other day to show me. My battery is steady at 12.65v after 4 weeks and 300 miles. I will plug the MSX 5.0 CTEK charger in at the end of each month just to keep the lead plates free from the sulphor build up that kills them if under used - but still a good idea on all batteries to keep them clean and extend their life.
Love the car and pleased I got it and the battery anxiety is starting to wear off now I can see it is charging as soon I I switch the car on. Also have a Noco Gb40 in the glove compartment just in case and also just ordered one for the GR Yaris - also just in case - you never know!
I bought ny Yariscross in March 2023, I do around 5000 miles per year. But I dont always use it every week.
I too have had a flat battery, 3 times in the last 4 months. so this week I got a battery check - guess what - they said "NO FAULT FOUND"
The lady at the garage said the starting problem was because it was a Hybrid and I should start it up a couple of times a week or fit a solar charger !
I have now written to Toyota GB. i HAVE LOST FAITH IN THE GARAGE. I have just ordered a jump start portable booster.
I too have had a flat battery, 3 times in the last 4 months. so this week I got a battery check - guess what - they said "NO FAULT FOUND"
The lady at the garage said the starting problem was because it was a Hybrid and I should start it up a couple of times a week or fit a solar charger !
I have now written to Toyota GB. i HAVE LOST FAITH IN THE GARAGE. I have just ordered a jump start portable booster.
