Transmission fault sparks hybrid Toyota Yaris recall

Toyota has issued a recall on late Yaris and Yaris Cross hybrid models due to a potential transmission fault that could cause them to stop unexpectedly during normal driving.

The recall’s statement on the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s website identifies an anti-corrosion agent as the core problem.

It writes that “improper application” of the agent during manufacture can cause the transmission’s “input damper” to slip when driven hard.

“When abnormal slip occurs, the vehicle may shudder and a warning light will illuminate,” the statement goes on.

“In the worst case, the hybrid system may shut down, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly slow or stop, increasing the risk of an accident and injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.”

The nationwide recall first concerns a batch of 234 Yaris models, bearing the chassis code MXPH10, and built across the model years 2019-2020.

Meanwhile 1061 Yaris Cross hybrids built for the model year 2020 are also being recalled. These go by the codes MXPJ10 and MXPJ15.

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A list of vehicle identification numbers has been published on the website. You can cross-check your Yaris or Yaris Cross here.

Toyota has pledged to fix affected cars free of charge when the required parts arrive in February/March and will immediately write to owners alerting them to the recall.

We reached out to Toyota but are yet to hear back on whether owners are advised to stop driving their cars in the meantime.

The Yaris and Yaris Cross represent just under a third of Toyota’s popular hybrid range. But up until now, there has been no recall for any other model regarding this issue.

That's likely because the 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain in question belongs solely to the Yaris and Yaris Cross models.

Toyota’s last significant recall concerning hybrids was in 2014 when an electrical fault affected two million Priuses, slowing them unexpectedly.

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