Yaris Hybrid 2020 TNGA - Hybrid System Malfunction

[AlfK]

21 hours ago, Mikw said:

Oh yes, the damper plate. had mine done on recall earlier this year

 

21 hours ago, Mikw said:

Oh yes, the damper plate. had mine done on recall earlier this year

Hi can I confirm with you Mikw (and anyone else who is following this thread since it started all those years ago as I am!), that you have had the damper plate on your 2020 Yaris Mk4 replaced as an official Toyota recall (i.e. not first having had this dreaded malfunction fellow Mk4 owners have been having since 2020)?

The reason I what to be clear on this is that I have spoken to my dealer on several occasions since buying my 2020 Launch Edition to try and have my damper plate replaced to prevent me having to suffer this catastrophic failure in the 1st place, as it sounds scary how the car completely shuts itself off during normal driving. However dealer categorically states that Toyota have not recalled any Mk4 Yaris for damper plate replacement.... and mine is only covered under the general 5 year warranty and only if it first develops this particular fault.

Regards, Alf.

[FROSTYBALLS]

5 minutes ago, AlfK said:

However dealer categorically states that Toyota have not recalled any Mk4 Yaris for damper plate replacement....

You can check for safety recalls on the following DVSA site:

https://www.check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk/recall-type/vehicle/make

[emma27]

Mines being done under warranty after developing fault.  TBH didn't know anything about issue until I experienced problem.

[TonyHSD]

19 minutes ago, AlfK said:

 

Hi can I confirm with you Mikw (and anyone else who is following this thread since it started all those years ago as I am!), that you have had the damper plate on your 2020 Yaris Mk4 replaced as an official Toyota recall (i.e. not first having had this dreaded malfunction fellow Mk4 owners have been having since 2020)?

The reason I what to be clear on this is that I have spoken to my dealer on several occasions since buying my 2020 Launch Edition to try and have my damper plate replaced to prevent me having to suffer this catastrophic failure in the 1st place, as it sounds scary how the car completely shuts itself off during normal driving. However dealer categorically states that Toyota have not recalled any Mk4 Yaris for damper plate replacement.... and mine is only covered under the general 5 year warranty and only if it first develops this particular fault.

Regards, Alf.

Toyota will only replace the damper if the car has had developed the issue and warning lights are on. 
If you want to trigger that event the easiest way is to accelerate fast ( full throttle sharply to the floor) why driving over bad roads, potholes, cracks, small  bumps etc anything that driving wheels will lose grip and heavy acceleration. This is how most people including me got into the trouble. 👍

Make sure you are covered under warranty and replacement will be free of charge and they have one in stock as it was previously a waiting time. Or perhaps you can drive the car as is and only replace if it ever happens. Not all Yaris are affected. 

[Cyker]

To clarify, there is NO recall for the damper plate issue - It will only be repaired under warranty or the extended repair campaign DevonAygo mentions, so the car *has* to display/log the error.

The repair campaign means even if the car is out of warranty or not covered by Relax, they will still repair it free of charge if the problem occurs and the code is logged.

[Mikw]

10 hours ago, AlfK said:

 

Hi can I confirm with you Mikw (and anyone else who is following this thread since it started all those years ago as I am!), that you have had the damper plate on your 2020 Yaris Mk4 replaced as an official Toyota recall (i.e. not first having had this dreaded malfunction fellow Mk4 owners have been having since 2020)?

The reason I what to be clear on this is that I have spoken to my dealer on several occasions since buying my 2020 Launch Edition to try and have my damper plate replaced to prevent me having to suffer this catastrophic failure in the 1st place, as it sounds scary how the car completely shuts itself off during normal driving. However dealer categorically states that Toyota have not recalled any Mk4 Yaris for damper plate replacement.... and mine is only covered under the general 5 year warranty and only if it first develops this particular fault.

Regards, Alf.

Yes, i can confirm i got my damper plate done on recall for another issue, details in this thread
 

 

[AlfK]

Oh I see, so the recall you mentioned was not for a damper swap but the DCIM software upgrade😌....had that recall months ago. So my dealer was correct about Toyota will only replace damper plate if you have this particular failure, and your car (in my case as reg'd Oct'20) is within 5 years old.....

I note what others have chipped in this thread with.....many thanks for your inputs.....TonyHSD, I will go for your last 'option' and drive my Yaris in my normal OAP pace 😄

Frostyballs, this link I have been using since getting my Mk4 to keep uptodate with recalls....thanks though

 

Regards, Alf

[Cyker]

If it's any consolation, it seems the majority of us who've had the problem get it once, and then never again, so it may be that one slip has welded the two plates together so they can't slip any more  

I tried very hard to make it slip again after they told me they wouldn't fit the fixed damper unless the error came up again (Well, by tried, I really just mean I drove the way I normally do   ), but so far absolutely nothing despite the many pot holes, speed humps, full-bore launches from traffic lights, full throttle overtakes or emergency stops to avoid a phone zombie or pram pusher have triggered the error again...

BTW this car is really fun to drive  

I am getting through tyres considerably faster than TonyHSD tho'...

[TonyHSD]

13 hours ago, Cyker said:

If it's any consolation, it seems the majority of us who've had the problem get it once, and then never again, so it may be that one slip has welded the two plates together so they can't slip any more  

I tried very hard to make it slip again after they told me they wouldn't fit the fixed damper unless the error came up again (Well, by tried, I really just mean I drove the way I normally do   ), but so far absolutely nothing despite the many pot holes, speed humps, full-bore launches from traffic lights, full throttle overtakes or emergency stops to avoid a phone zombie or pram pusher have triggered the error again...

BTW this car is really fun to drive  

I am getting through tyres considerably faster than TonyHSD tho'...

You definitely don’t want two plates welded toggle because when excess torque happens this will destroy the engine or the mg1 and the planetary gears. I don’t know of anyone ever noticed that in certain situations engine shuts off with a loud thud, in these and similar scenarios if there is no damper clutch and this thud happens and it’s strong enough can cause damage. The thud is springs been fully loaded and next step protection is slip in the plates. No slip means breaking. 
How to cause this loud thud to hear it, simply go off the line with half or full throttle, you will hear thud when engine kicks in and it’s loaded, then immediately release accelerator and slow quickly to standstill the engine will remain spinning at high rpm and shuts off with thud. 
Do these experiments in safe environment and at your own risk. I have done so for the last 220000 miles and 8 years without breaking the car or cause any road accidents, it’s just how the hybrid system works. 

How to avoid thud and eventual damper issues and to extend the life of it:  - - start from stationary smoothly in ev and then push slightly more to switch to petrol, no thuds and transition is smooth. 
Use e5 premium petrol. 
When driving over cracks , potholes, bumps avoid hard and sudden accelerations with full throttle. 
Do not cross fords and deep waters with depth over half of your wheels. 
You are good for 10+ years and many trouble free miles. 

 

[Martin West]

My 2021 Yaris had this happen yesterday on the motorway, was lucky enough to be near a services and was able to pull in after loss of power, acceleration etc. all warnings came on as below…. Breakdown man arrived and couldn’t diagnose anything even with the Hybrid Malfunction Visut Dealer sign on and virtually zero acceleration power when he switched the engine on. Decided to disconnect and reconnect Battery under driver seat and the car then worked perfectly with no warnings. He followed me home and I now have to take it into Toyota on April 4th for an investigation. I have a feeling they’ll find nothing wrong with it although it has now made me lose all faith in the car so will be looking to change it should they say they can’t find a problem.

[Paul john]

1 hour ago, Martin West said:

My 2021 Yaris had this happen yesterday on the motorway, was lucky enough to be near a services and was able to pull in after loss of power, acceleration etc. all warnings came on as below…. Breakdown man arrived and couldn’t diagnose anything even with the Hybrid Malfunction Visut Dealer sign on and virtually zero acceleration power when he switched the engine on. Decided to disconnect and reconnect battery under driver seat and the car then worked perfectly with no warnings. He followed me home and I now have to take it into Toyota on April 4th for an investigation. I have a feeling they’ll find nothing wrong with it although it has now made me lose all faith in the car so will be looking to change it should they say they can’t find a problem.

Which Battery is under the drivers seat?

[CPN]

58 minutes ago, Paul john said:

Which battery is under the drivers seat?

Not the driver's seat. The rear passenger seat.

... both!! 😉

The HV Battery is centralised and the 12v auxiliary Battery is to its side (driver's side - RHD UK vehicles)

[Paul john]

7 hours ago, CPN said:

Not the driver's seat. The rear passenger seat.

... both!! 😉

The HV battery is centralised and the 12v auxiliary battery is to its side (driver's side - RHD UK vehicles)

I know that… @Martin West said Battery under driver seat. 

[Cyker]

10 hours ago, Martin West said:

My 2021 Yaris had this happen yesterday on the motorway, was lucky enough to be near a services and was able to pull in after loss of power, acceleration etc. all warnings came on as below…. Breakdown man arrived and couldn’t diagnose anything even with the Hybrid Malfunction Visut Dealer sign on and virtually zero acceleration power when he switched the engine on. Decided to disconnect and reconnect battery under driver seat and the car then worked perfectly with no warnings. He followed me home and I now have to take it into Toyota on April 4th for an investigation. I have a feeling they’ll find nothing wrong with it although it has now made me lose all faith in the car so will be looking to change it should they say they can’t find a problem.

Yeah it is quite scary when it happens and the car goes full beepy christmas tree; Definitely need to take a few breaths after that!!    The only reason I didn't loose faith in mine is I'm an idiot and immediately tried to make it happen again, several times, without success  

It sounds like yours may be missing some system updates however - One of the earliest updates was to stop the system cutting power and going into full limp mode if the driveline damper slipped; Mine already had that update from factory (Although it still had a recall for it for some reason!), and was still fully driveable even with the hybrid system malfunction messages scrolling over the MFD - When my one had the Hybrid system malfunction, I was still able to accelerate at full bore up to 70mph, and after I turned the car off and on again (Which cleared all the messages aside from the main hybrid system malfunction one), I could also use the cruise-control and auto-steer - There was literally no loss of performance or functionality.

There are 2 TSBs related to this - One is for that software update I mentioned, and one is to fit an uprated damper assembly - Unless your dealer is totally incompetent, they should carry out one or both of those on the car since that error is pretty obvious.

[rockyhi]

I live on an Island so travelled to the mainland to purchase my Yaris Hybrid car brand new and first registration April 2021, manufacturing date however is Dec 2020.  All was going well, had to travel to the Mainland for SKID control and ECU reprogramming recall in NOV 21.  Not long after, recall for Radar sensor arrived.  Not a major problem as you may guess, not much call for it on an Island as don't have motorways, likelihood of using it pretty slim.  So till Oct 2022 when returning to the car after walking the dogs it decided not to start, warning sounds and messages Hybrid system off, low brake power etc, etc pull over to a safe place  switch off and contact dealer (made me laugh seeing as it hadn't switched on in the first place). Very gratefully it didn't happen like everyone else on this thread while driving. I live on an Island and the garage I've always used for all vehicles I've purchased over the years, last 2 were diesel Yaris's had no clue unfortunately, as they had never heard of it.  Car had to stay where it was till I could get a solution as it happened on a weekend and and dealership on the Mainland was closed. Needless to say the solution was to jump start it and fortunately mechanic gave me the instructions on how over the phone.  All fine till DEC 22 when I found myself in the same predicament and a few times more over the course of the festive period till after the New year where I could weather permitting/ferries sailing etc travel to the mainland and get it sorted in FEB 2023.   Radar recall got done and another that had just been issued for the DCM reprogramming. Glad I was already there and not travelled all the way home to receive another recall letter!!  

Diagnostics were run and no fault was found other than for some odd reason the dealer charged the Battery while carry out the diagnostics.  I had just driven the vehicle 100 miles to get there, so no clue why it would need that. Long and the short of it I was told drive the vehicle more often and take it for a long spin every week or once a fortnight and to look at the Toyota website/contact Toyota.  Vehicle is driven every day, bought on the advise it's about the town car and economical, perfect for short trips and slow traffic.  Not impressed if now I have to drive further, use more fuel - kind of defeats the purpose.  Needless to say, made a fuss as didn't fancy travelling home to end up with the same predicament miles from home and stuck on the mainland.   Asked them to check Battery again and low and behold Battery had depleted enough for the same messages/alarms.  Dealer as a good will gesture and much to their annoyance changed the battery and complained that they had a lot of batteries out the back which Toyota would not reimburse them for (well that's not my problem)  Car had been fine since, albeit on two occasions after the snow this year 2024 it did fail to start initially but rectified it's self after a lot of cursing by me and going back into the house for a strong coffee before returning to the car and trying again without jump starting.  Had to replace the fuse for the washer pump.  

Car went in for it's MOT this Month (Mar 2024) and low and behold when trying to start the car to move it onto the forecourt, car failed to start and they couldn't jump it as they didn't know how.  Fortunately I could tell the mechanics how to do it.  So my faith in the reliability of this car is non-existent and will have to look for another vehicle which isn't a hybrid or electric as I don't have the ability to charge it outside my flat or be bothered to use a charging point 2 miles from my home.  It appears it doesn't matter how far (as I did on their advise take it for long spins), how long or how often you drive this vehicle the 12volt battery is unreliable or the mechanics for keeping it working at optimal levels are not doing their job.  It shows that it's fully charged, so don't understand what's going on.  It's not left for more than a day without being driven.  Dealers are not helpful at all.  Mileage on the car is only 8,647.  Can't do much to increase it unless I travel to the Mainland on a regular basis which also defeats the purpose.  Rant over :-)

[Nixy]

What a bucket load of bad luck. Amazing truly amazing! 🙏

[rockyhi]

3 minutes ago, Nixy said:

What a bucket load of bad luck. Amazing truly amazing! 🙏

The joys of living in a geographically challenged environment. 😶🙃

[Cyker]

36 minutes ago, rockyhi said:

I live on an Island so travelled to the mainland to purchase my Yaris Hybrid car brand new and first registration April 2021, manufacturing date however is Dec 2020.  All was going well, had to travel to the Mainland for SKID control and ECU reprogramming recall in NOV 21.  Not long after, recall for Radar sensor arrived.  Not a major problem as you may guess, not much call for it on an Island as don't have motorways, likelihood of using it pretty slim.  So till Oct 2022 when returning to the car after walking the dogs it decided not to start, warning sounds and messages Hybrid system off, low brake power etc, etc pull over to a safe place  switch off and contact dealer (made me laugh seeing as it hadn't switched on in the first place). Very gratefully it didn't happen like everyone else on this thread while driving. I live on an Island and the garage I've always used for all vehicles I've purchased over the years, last 2 were diesel Yaris's had no clue unfortunately, as they had never heard of it.  Car had to stay where it was till I could get a solution as it happened on a weekend and and dealership on the Mainland was closed. Needless to say the solution was to jump start it and fortunately mechanic gave me the instructions on how over the phone.  All fine till DEC 22 when I found myself in the same predicament and a few times more over the course of the festive period till after the New year where I could weather permitting/ferries sailing etc travel to the mainland and get it sorted in FEB 2023.   Radar recall got done and another that had just been issued for the DCM reprogramming. Glad I was already there and not travelled all the way home to receive another recall letter!!  

Diagnostics were run and no fault was found other than for some odd reason the dealer charged the battery while carry out the diagnostics.  I had just driven the vehicle 100 miles to get there, so no clue why it would need that. Long and the short of it I was told drive the vehicle more often and take it for a long spin every week or once a fortnight and to look at the Toyota website/contact Toyota.  Vehicle is driven every day, bought on the advise it's about the town car and economical, perfect for short trips and slow traffic.  Not impressed if now I have to drive further, use more fuel - kind of defeats the purpose.  Needless to say, made a fuss as didn't fancy travelling home to end up with the same predicament miles from home and stuck on the mainland.   Asked them to check battery again and low and behold battery had depleted enough for the same messages/alarms.  Dealer as a good will gesture and much to their annoyance changed the battery and complained that they had a lot of batteries out the back which Toyota would not reimburse them for (well that's not my problem)  Car had been fine since, albeit on two occasions after the snow this year 2024 it did fail to start initially but rectified it's self after a lot of cursing by me and going back into the house for a strong coffee before returning to the car and trying again without jump starting.  Had to replace the fuse for the washer pump.  

Car went in for it's MOT this Month (Mar 2024) and low and behold when trying to start the car to move it onto the forecourt, car failed to start and they couldn't jump it as they didn't know how.  Fortunately I could tell the mechanics how to do it.  So my faith in the reliability of this car is non-existent and will have to look for another vehicle which isn't a hybrid or electric as I don't have the ability to charge it outside my flat or be bothered to use a charging point 2 miles from my home.  It appears it doesn't matter how far (as I did on their advise take it for long spins), how long or how often you drive this vehicle the 12volt battery is unreliable or the mechanics for keeping it working at optimal levels are not doing their job.  It shows that it's fully charged, so don't understand what's going on.  It's not left for more than a day without being driven.  Dealers are not helpful at all.  Mileage on the car is only 8,647.  Can't do much to increase it unless I travel to the Mainland on a regular basis which also defeats the purpose.  Rant over :-)

Best thing to do if you don't want the hassle is go to your nearest Halfords or other car spares/motor factors and get a Yuasa YBX5202 as mentioned in other threads and have that fitted - It seems that is a much better quality Battery and I haven't heard anyone come back with the same problem (...yet, anyway!), unlike the OE Battery, where even after replacement the problem has reoccurred for some people.

Also, if you have a driveway or garage and really don't drive very often, might be worth using a trickle charger as well, but the Battery change might be enough.

Also driving far isn't required - It's time more than distance. Even just leaving the car on if you're e.g. sitting in it and eating lunch would likely be enough.

 

[rockyhi]

9 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Best thing to do if you don't want the hassle is go to your nearest halfords or other car spares/motor factors and get a Yuasa YBX5202 as mentioned in other threads and have that fitted - It seems that is a much better quality battery and I haven't heard anyone come back with the same problem (...yet, anyway!), unlike the OE battery, where even after replacement the problem has reoccurred for some people.

Also, if you have a driveway or garage and really don't drive very often, might be worth using a trickle charger as well, but the battery change might be enough.

Also driving far isn't required - It's time more than distance. Even just leaving the car on if you're e.g. sitting in it and eating lunch would likely be enough.

 

Thanks, nearest Halfords is on the mainland (14hr round trip providing they can fit it there and then, otherwise an overnight stay) will look into it, have one car spares/motor factor here that may be able to source it.  Downside would be me having to pay for it plus delivery costs and the cost of installation.  

[flash22]

typical dealer trick, fry the 12V with a charge and get it out the door, lockdown cars do seem to suffer with 12v Battery issues - it's not insurmountable put a decent Bosch/Varta or Yuasa Battery on it

 

once a Battery sits below a certain threshold, it starts to degrade, it will start to lose its current capacity, rinse and repeat until the battery is dead, any modern car will freak out if the voltage is too low

[Cyker]

Ack that is a pain; You can get them mail-ordered, there was a webshop (Tanya Battery or something like that? Help my poor memory other forum people!  ) which seems popular with members on here and they mail order batteries.

That said, if you just had it changed, I'd say just get a small portable jump starter and wait and see - It may be the new one is okay, no point in changing it prematurely.

I was just thinking, it's a shame manufacturers don't put a joule thief circuit into the car to power the main computer and contactors - That still would allow the car to still at least turn on even with the 12v nearly dead as long as there's some charge in it. My mouse has one and I tend to use the AA batteries from other devices that no longer work and it still gives me a few weeks runtime out of them  

[flash22]

14 hours away sounds like Shetland, i know delivery costs to up there can be horrendous and items like batteries need to come by sea

[Cyker]

Sooo a day trip to the mainland then? That'll give it some charge!  

 

[rockyhi]

1 hour ago, flash22 said:

14 hours away sounds like Shetland, i know delivery costs to up there can be horrendous and items like batteries need to come by sea

Not Shetland, option of putting Isle of Lewis is not available in the location drop down menu 🙂 But yes comes by sea. Residents can sometimes have issues just trying to get a Battery for a laptop delivered from some franchises, so you have to go to a shop that sells/repairs them to get them to order them.  Random items won't be delivered due to location, but other franchise's will, bit of a lottery really.

[rockyhi]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

Sooo a day trip to the mainland then? That'll give it some charge!  

 

You would think - but as experience shows it didn't 😂😂