"How reliable is the 2009 Toyota Yaris?"

"Based on 133 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Toyota Yaris has a median complaint mileage of 39800 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Toyota Yaris?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Toyota Yaris is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 133 total complaints filed."

2009 Toyota Yaris: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 133 complaints

133

Total Complaints

39,800mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

6,200 25th Percentile

39,800 Median Mileage

81,099 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Seats

Vehicle Speed Control

Service Brakes

Electrical System

Suspension

Unknown Or Other

Body

Wheels

Steering

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"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 TH..."

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA YARIS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AND CAUSED HER TO CRASH INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. TWO OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED MODERATE INJURIES. THE C..."

"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 D..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 41 complaints

25th: 43,382 mi Median: 65,000 mi 75th: 105,000 mi

Seats 10 complaints

Median: 80,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 9 complaints

25th: 3,075 mi Median: 5,600 mi 75th: 16,550 mi

Service Brakes 8 complaints

25th: 60,000 mi Median: 65,000 mi 75th: 71,000 mi

Electrical System 7 complaints

25th: 46,750 mi Median: 60,092 mi 75th: 72,755 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 23 PR: 12 OH: 9 FL: 9 MA: 8 NJ: 8 NY: 7 GA: 7 PA: 6 MD: 6

Who Files Complaints?

1.5%

Original Owners

98.5%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Yaris — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2007	331	69,000	Air Bags	55
2008	286	56,531	Air Bags	72
2010	123	32,000	Air Bags	21
2011	31	53,371	Air Bags	5
2012	47	80,000	Air Bags	15
2015	22	40,000	Air Bags	14
2017	21	18,700	Air Bags	3
2019	43	7,450	Engine	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28