Yaris - Braking power low message

[Reilly]

Hi

Newbie here. I bought a 70 reg Yaris Excel at the end of May and it’s been running fantastically. Until today. When I switched on the power I got a message on the instrument screen saying “Battery Power Low”. “Visit Your Dealer”.  The brake system warning light stays yellow and the electric power steering system warning light stays yellow.  Then another message that “Battery power is low”. 
 

on the MyToyota app, it says “your car has no active warning lights”.  “Everything is fine.  Clearly not as the car won’t start.

i did a search for this on the forum, but couldn’t find anything.  Any ideas what is wrong and what I should do?

 

I accidentally posted this in GR club forum rather than Yaris forum. Could a mod move this please?

Craig

Edited July 16 by Reilly
MSG posted in wrong forum.

[flash22]

Mk4 yaris ?

[Reilly]

Yes Mk4 Yaris.

[Cyker]

This is a classic sign the 12v Battery is low - When its voltage output drops below a certain threshold, all the car's computer systems go a bit wonky.

It might just need charging (Either take it on a long journey, or just leave it on in Ready mode for 30minutes+), but if it's the factory Mutley one it might need replacing.

 

[Reilly]

Thanks for this. I’ll try leaving it on ready for 30 minutes + as you suggest tomorrow morning and if that doesn’t work I’ll call breakdown service. Do I have to be in car while it’s warming up or can I just lock it with it warming. I did say I was a newbie 😬

[Cyker]

It won't let you lock it when you're outside the car, unless you force it to using the physical key.

Strictly speaking you should stay in it as it's technically illegal to leave a car active but unattended on a public road, but if it's on a driveway or something you're okay.

 

[Reilly]

This is my first Toyota. It’s supposed to be the most reliable brand on the planet and after six weeks for me it won’t start. 
 

i called Toyota servicing and booked it in for Thursday. If your warming up suggestion works, should I still ask Toyota to check it out?

[Derek.w]

31 minutes ago, Reilly said:

This is my first Toyota. It’s supposed to be the most reliable brand on the planet and after six weeks for me it won’t start. 
 

i called Toyota servicing and booked it in for Thursday. If your warming up suggestion works, should I still ask Toyota to check it out?

You maybe better off sticking a car Battery charger on it just to give the Battery a good charge if it still the original Battery and not holding it charge at  12.3 volts or just below for lets say 3 days then replacing it.  

[Cyker]

The first batches had slightly marginal 12v batteries; I suspect due to being sat unused during covid.

For most people it hasn't been an issue, but a significant number of people, esp. those who don't drive the car much or let it sit unused right after buying it, developed problems.

If it keeps dying really quickly, the fix is basically to replace the Battery, although rather than replacing it with the OE Toyota 12v, a lot of people are opting for the slightly higher capacity Yuasa equivalent.

Mine still has the original Battery and it hasn't given me any problems, so far, but I drive mine loads and I still keep a portable jump-starter pack in the car just in case!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Topic moved to the Yaris forum

[Gren]

On 7/16/2024 at 8:56 PM, Reilly said:

This is my first Toyota. It’s supposed to be the most reliable brand on the planet and after six weeks for me it won’t start. 
 

It's  common problem for modern cars with so much electronics, I had the same problem with my Renault

[MikeSh]

On 7/16/2024 at 8:56 PM, Reilly said:

This is my first Toyota. It’s supposed to be the most reliable brand on the planet and after six weeks for me it won’t start. 

But it's probably nearly 4 years old. If it was a late 2020 car it may well have sat through later lockdowns and the Battery got damaged. This event will just add to that. You can try nursing it for a while with chargers and leaving the car in Ready, but you may as well replace it and get on with life. 

I had a similar thing with our non-Toyota which suffers short trips. Replaced the Battery, but as the old one was only a couple of years old I've kept it as a possible jump-starter. It seems to hold its charge (voltage) reasonably well, albeit a tad lower than I'd expect, and I give it a charge every few months. I hope I don't have to test it in anger.

[flash22]

Mk4 uses a standard Battery and not an AGM so it's about half the cost, it is a wear-and-tear item so is not covered by any warranty the dealer will be charging you for 1 hour of labour plus a new Battery at retail

 

as above COVID wiped a lot of batteries out due to the delays in production mix that in with the harsh winters some have had, also check for any outstanding recalls as the early Mk4's had DCM issues leading to dead batteries

 

chalk it up to the cost of driving - get a Battery fitted and move on with life, it's not insurmountable

[Reilly]

Thanks Mike and Bob.  My “new” car is nearly 4 years old. But when I was looking for a car and was attracted to the Yaris, I saw plenty of positive promotion from Toyota. 

Nowhere did I see “by the way if you’re thinking of buying a Yaris make sure you drive at least 600 miles per month or else the 12v Battery will run flat and you’ll have to call your breakdown provider to recharge.  Or you can buy a solar trickle charger and a Battery booster.”

This is what I get now from my Toyota dealer.  It’s not acceptable to agree to this suck it up position and Shell over money to Toyota who know they’ve done wrong.

See this link on a YouTube post the other day about the action Polish Toyota dealers have taken about the issue. 

 

[hind]

It doesn't really change much. My Battery has around 30% of nominal capacity. This means that it won't start after two weeks of parking. It has to degrade even further to be replaced under warranty. 

[MikeSh]

54 minutes ago, Reilly said:

Toyota who know they’ve done wrong.

Toyota are far from the only manufacturer who has been caught out here. Cars now have more active/current draining gizmos than ever, some of which are still on when the car is 'off' and then Covid changed the book on behaviour patterns which has left a trail of damaged batteries that are causing trouble and will for a little while yet. (Some EVs are even getting updates to charge the 12V from the traction Battery when the car is off and unattended. That is not a very desirable thing to do which shows how tricky this situation is.)

So either do the mad expensive thing and trade it for another make of car (you won't be the first) or change the Battery (and check the recalls as Flash said). As long as you use it for an hour or so a week it'll be fine. If your dealer really said 600m/m they are insane. (Though to be fair if you did do that the Battery would probably go a few more years and it'd get you off their back ... so maybe not insane. 🤔 )

 

[ColinB]

It's not only Toyota hybrids that have this problem, I had a new Nissan Pulsar that was playing up and was diagnosed with a faulty Battery which was replaced under warranty.

My C-HR wouldn't start during lockdown, the AA came out and jumped it, the second time I was prepared and had a booster pack. I've not had a problem with my RAV4 despite only covering 11k miles over the 3 years that I've had it and never doing the recommended hour a week sitting on the drive in ready mode. 

[Mojo1010]

Like what everyone said it's not just a Toyota thing. The previous owner may not have used the car for many days at a time. If it happens again, best thing to do is replace the Battery with a higher capacity one like the yuasa 45ah which some members have done. 

It's not worth getting upset about, the Battery is 4 years old and it's not unusual to fail in any brand of cars. The gen4 Yaris is the best small car in the world. 

[Mojo1010]

Yuasa 45Ah

[Mojo1010]

Should do a read on Chas G's posts regarding the 12v Battery at the top. He was throwing a strop all over the forum for many months. Threatening to get rid of the car and moving onto other marquee to anyone who would listen to him. Then one day he had a lightbulb moment....he is now probably the happiest Toyota forum member ever existed. 

[hind]

 

[Reilly]

Guys as a newbie to both Toyota and hybrids I was raging about the dodgy Battery issue when my Battery died. I picked it up from the dealer today who had checked it and did an overnight charge gratis (and they said it’s fine). 

I have now bought a booster charger and a solar charger and will do the “ready” charge weekly while washing the car. 

All a bit of a performance compared to my last car!  Though the Battery cost for this is much cheaper.

Mojo, may I ask if the battery you suggested can be easily replaced diy and if so will the warranty still be valid.

[Cyker]

8 hours ago, hind said:

 

I appreciate the time and effort taken to create this masterpiece of a graph  

[Paul john]

7 minutes ago, Reilly said:

Guys as a newbie to both Toyota and hybrids I was raging about the dodgy battery issue when my battery died. I picked it up from the dealer today who had checked it and did an overnight charge gratis (and they said it’s fine). 

I have now bought a booster charger and a solar charger and will do the “ready” charge weekly while washing the car. 

All a bit of a performance compared to my last car!  Though the battery cost for this is much cheaper.

Mojo, may I ask if the battery you suggested can be easily replaced diy and if so will the warranty still be valid.

I can answer the last question about the Battery. Yes easily replaceable and No wont affect warranty as 12v is considered a “disposable item” the same as tyres and brake pads. 
just do your research on what will “reset”  when you disconnect the 12v.

[Derek.w]

I do less than one mile now for the DC to DC converter to fully charge my car Battery using solar power when car is not in use & my annual milage is 3000 to 4000 miles.

Thats 3 solar panels & a solar controler.

Battery is now a

Yuasa HSB202 Part no YBX5202  45AH cca 440 amps