Toyota Yaris FAQs

Check out real-world situations relating to the Toyota Yaris here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• Toyota Yaris 2011 and Honda Jazz 2005: Engine longevity

  A few factors determine engine longevity, so let’s start with the first of those, the basic materials and design of the engine in question. Both the Toyota and Honda have advanced small-capacity engines that are made from quality materials. So that’s in their favour.

  The second factor is servicing. A lack of regular maintenance including fresh oil and filters will kill engines fast, so that’s crucial. And finally, how they are driven will also play a part. An engine that only does long distances in the country will always last longer than one that is subjected to frequent cold starts and stop-start traffic. An engine that is regularly revved to redline between the gears will also potentially die younger than one that is driven sensibly and with a bit of mechanical sympathy.

  The bottom line? There’s no short answer. But I have seen small-capacity Honda and Toyota engines clock up 250,000km and more with correct maintenance. Things have certainly changed from the 1950s when the average car engine needed a rebuilt every 100,000km and what was called a de-coke and valve-grind every 30,000km. Ask your grandfather about it.

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• Toyota Yaris: Is it suitable for off-road driving?

  Driven very, very carefully, a Toyota Yaris would probably make it up the Oodnadatta Track, but it would be a very slow process and the car may never feel the same again. Even a proper off-road four-wheel-drive can suffer at the hands of outback roads like these, and the corrugations have to be experienced to be believed. That theory also presupposes that the track is in relatively good condition at the time and it hasn’t been raining in those parts.

  Given that the vast bulk of your driving is, indeed, in Yaris territory I can see your point. Perhaps renting a four-wheel-drive for the Oodnadatta Track holiday would be the way to go.

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• Toyota Yaris 2006: Doors will not open

  It sounds like part of the mechanism that operates the door latch has broken or melted or fallen off or in some other way failed. I’m not sure about the specifics of the rear doors on a 2006 Yaris, but the solution is to get inside the door and operate the latch mechanically to open the door. But that can be easier said than done.
  
  If you can lower the window in that door, you might find a locksmith or specialist safe-breaker who can use a hook to manipulate the latch. But in many cases, the only solution is to remove the interior door trim to get at the broken mechanism. The problem there, of course, is that the door trim will be hard up against the door jamb and the rubber deals, so removing it can be a huge problem.
  
  In some cases, you’ll be able to remove/lift one corner of the door trim to gain access, but I can’t guarantee that the trim won’t be damaged in this operation. Once it’s damaged, of course, all bets are off and you can cut a hole in the trim to gain the access you need to trigger the latch.
  
  And the better news is that there are plenty of Yarises in wrecking yards waiting to give up their door trim to replace the one you’re about to butcher. And if memory serves, all Yarises had the same colour interior, so finding a matching door trim won’t be too difficult.

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