AI Damage2008 Toyota Yaris: common problems
Owners of the 2008 Toyota Yaris filed 218 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 218
- involving a crash
- 51
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 49% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 16% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 5 Suspension 7% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 5% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- 8 Seats 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 107 complaints (49% of all), 31 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 34 complaints (16% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 20 complaints (9% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 18 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 16 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 218 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 107 | 31 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 34 | 10 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 20 | 9 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 5 | 2 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The gear shift could apparently move in this locked position and the vehicle rolled backwards with a 6 year old child in the car. The car was totaled after hitting a concrete base to a light fixture. A failure occurred that allowed the car to shift gears off and in park.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained internal chest injuries that required medical attention. The contact stated that she was in the trauma unit for two days. The other driver did not sustained injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow lot.
The driver's side window glass fractured completely. The contact veered off the road and crashed into a tree. The contact sustained injuries to the body cavity, which did not require medical treatment. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer.
The contact stated that when the vehicle hit the tree her head went through the driver's side window as well as suffering injuries to her ribs, broken collar bone, broken shoulder, punctured lung, and a ruptured spleen that required medical attention. The air bags did deploy.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained hip and shoulder injuries, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 16v340000 (air bags), but the part to do the repair was unavailable.
My children and I suffered seat belt bruising and cuts. I was hospitalized for a few days for hand, foot, and back injuries, and still under doctor's care for the injuries. In addition, the vehicle was a total lost. I have my service receipts reflecting that I kept up with the maintenance of the car.
A toyota yaris was involved in a head-on collision with an audi tt. The yaris experienced a delta-v of approximately 60 mph. Post collision inspection of the vehicle revealed the yaris' driver seat rotated 90-degrees counterclockwise.
Sometimes if I pushed hard on the brakes, I would feel a vibration under the car, and the brakes wouldn't work properly. My car is completely destroyed and both of my young children were in the car when it happened.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,854 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Yaris has 43 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 218, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Yaris 20065 sources
- Yaris 2007258 sources
- Yaris 200992 sources
- Yaris 201090 sources
- Yaris 201125 sources
- Yaris 201235 sources
- Yaris 20139 sources
- Yaris 20143 sources
- Yaris 201515 sources
- Yaris 2016113 sources
- Yaris 2017114 sources
- Yaris 201888 sources
- Yaris 2019110 sources
- Yaris 202077 sources
- Yaris 202313 sources
- Yaris 20243 sources
- Yaris 20253 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Toyota Yaris?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, service brakes, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 218. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (11%), airbags did not deploy (11%), airbag warning light (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2008 Toyota Yaris?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2008 Toyota Yaris from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2008 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.