2009 Toyota Yaris Complaint Log

WHEN I DRIVE AT 60MPH AND HIGHER MY 2009 5 DOOR LIFTBACK YARIS WITH ELECTRONICALLY ASSISTED STEERING THAT I BOUGHT NEW, IT HAS A DANGEROUS TENDENCY TO WANDER. IF I LOOK AWAY FOR A SECOND, THE CAR WANDERS AND HAS OFTEN DONE SO INTO OTHER LANES. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 TIMES IN THE YEAR THAT I HAVE OWNED IT. I HAVE HAD TO ADJUST MY DRIVING HABITS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THAT THIS HAPPENS OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED MANY MORE TIMES. THE HABITS THAT I PRACTICE TO AVOID THIS ARE TO PAY CONSTANT ATTENTION TO THE ROAD AHEAD OF ME SO I DON'T WANDER OUT OF MY LANE. MUCH MORE ATTENTION IS NEEDED WITH THIS CAR THAN ANY OTHER OF THE 8 PASSENGER CARS I HAVE OWNED AND DRIVEN. IT IS VERY TAXING ON MY ENERGY LEVEL ON LONG DRIVES WHICH I CONSIDER TO BE 3 HRS OR MORE. I AM VERY CAR SAVVY AND I THINK THIS PHENOMENON IS DUE TO THE ANGLE OF CASTER ON THE FRONT SUSPENSION. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO ADJUSTMENT FOR CASTER ON MY YARIS OTHERWISE I WOULD TRY THAT. IT DOES NOT TRACK AS STRAIGHT AS MY PREVIOUS CARS OF WHICH RANGE FROM HEAVY TO LIGHT WEIGHT, FROM OLD TO NEW, AND FROM BEING EQUIPPED WITH POWER STEERING TO NO POWER STEERING. MY YARIS HAS ELECTRONIC ASSISTED STEERING. I HAVE READ THAT THE NEW COROLLA HAS ELECTRONIC STEERING AND THOSE DRIVER'S COMPLAINTS REFLECT MINE. I HAVE NOT COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS EARLIER BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF LIGHT WEIGHT WITH SMALL SIZE AND RELATIVELY TALL HEIGHT. AFTER HEARING OF THE COROLLA DRIVER'S COMPLAINTS AND THE COINCIDENCE OF IT BEING EQUIPPED WITH POWER STEERING, I THINK THERE MAY BE A PATTERN. MY THEORY IS THAT THE CASTER IS SET TO MAKE STEERING EASY ON THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FOR THE REASON OF SAVING WEIGHT AND MONEY IN THE MATERIALS IT WOULD TAKE TO MAKE A MORE ROBUST POWER STEERING SYSTEM SUCH AS BIGGER ELECTRIC MOTOR, BIGGER WIRES, BIGGER BATTERY, BIGGER ALTERNATOR, ETC. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA YARIS. THE DAY RUNNING LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE ARE EXTREMELY BRIGHT. WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT, IT APPEARS THAT YOUR STANDARD HEAD LIGHTS ARE LIT; INSTEAD, THE DAY RUNNINGS LIGHTS REMAIN ILLUMINATED. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE STANDARD HEAD LIGHTS AND THE REAR LIGHTS ARE IN THE OFF POSITION WHICH NEARLY RESULTED IN SEVERAL COLLISIONS. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE FRONT HEAD LIGHTS ARE EXTREMELY BRIGHT AND THERE WERE NO AFTER MARKET PRODUCTS AVAILABLE PER THE MANUFACTURER TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WILL ALSO SPEAK WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 179 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA YARIS. WHEN THE CONTACT PLACED THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION, IT BECAME STUCK IN THE START POSITION. THE STARTER DID NOT FULLY ENGAGE THE ENGINE TO START. THE FAILURE COULD HAVE CAUSED THE WHEEL AND STARTER TO BURN UP. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN INSPECTED BY THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,500.