Selling a dead, wrecked or worn-out Toyota Yaris

Before you do, know that air bags make up the biggest share of the Yaris's NHTSA file, and the air bag recalls behind them are fixed free at a Toyota dealer. The year-by-year numbers come first, then what went wrong in each of the three cars sold under the name.

The Yaris file at NHTSA, one model year at a time

Owners filed 912 complaints on the Yaris for model years 2006 through 2020, per NHTSA's data pulled October 10, 2026. "Air bags" is how many of those complaints name the air bags. "Recalls" is the number of campaigns NHTSA lists for the year, tire-placard and label campaigns included.

Air bags are the component named most on every model year from 2007 to 2013. We haven't read the complaint write-ups, so this page doesn't say what they describe. What it can list are the recalls.

Problems in each Yaris generation

2007-2012: air bags, seat rails and window switches

The first US Yaris took over from the Echo. It had a 1.5-liter four rated at 106 hp, and buyers chose between five manual gears and a four-speed automatic, in sedan or three-door liftback form; a five-door joined for 2009. NHTSA's file opens with five complaints filed under 2006.

Air bag recalls on these cars:

• Spiral cable, 14V168. On 2006-2010 cars, the flat cable in the steering column that connects the driver air bag can be damaged, and the air bag can stop working. The 1,486,413-vehicle campaign also covers the RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, Highlander, Tacoma and Pontiac Vibe.
• Takata passenger inflators. Recall 16V340 (2006-2011 Yaris) is a 1,754,517-vehicle campaign across Toyota, Lexus, Scion and Pontiac models. Recall 18V025 covers 2010-2012 Yaris registered in a list of states; NHTSA's summary counts 14,585 Yaris inside a campaign total of 116,126 that also covers other models. Toyota's October 2019 final phase lists "certain 2007-2012 Model Year Yaris".
• Pretensioner insulators, 09V031. On 134,895 2006-2007 Yaris, small urethane sound insulators near the front seat belt pretensioners could catch fire when the pretensioners fire in a crash. Dealers remove them.

Two more recall groups hit this generation. Recall 14V169 covers springs in the front seat rails of three-door cars that can break, so the seat may not lock and could move in a crash; its 472,388 vehicles include the 2008-2010 Scion xD. Recalls 12V491 and 15V689 address power window master switches that can overheat, and each campaign covers many Toyota models.

The 2007-2010 Yaris and the 2006 Yaris hatchback are also on Toyota's 2013 customer support list for electronic throttle parts. That program extended coverage; it isn't a recall.

2012-2018: the Liftback, built in France from 2013

The second US Yaris came only as a three- or five-door Liftback, with the same 1.5-liter and gearboxes. From May 2013 every US Liftback came from Toyota's plant in France. Its recalls were mostly small:

• 13V292: 74 2012 cars built August 21-31, 2011, whose power steering relay can short and cut steering assist.
• 15V098 and 16V367: loose rear axle bearing bolts on 226 2015 cars, and front strut mounting bearings that a hard bump can damage on 3,106 more.
• 19V319: on 43,221 2015-2017 cars, the wiring for the side air bag sensors in the front doors can crack and corrode, so the side and curtain bags may not deploy properly.

The 2015 has only 15 complaints, but they report 9 crashes and 5 deaths. The file doesn't tie them to a defect. Toyota never sold a 2019 Liftback here; 2018 cars were still on sale in January 2019.

2016-2020: the Mazda-built Yaris

From 2016 a Mazda2-based sedan, built by Mazda in Salamanca, Mexico, was sold as the Scion iA, then the Yaris iA, then the Yaris sedan. A Mazda-built hatchback followed for 2020, with a 106-horsepower direct-injection 1.5-liter and a six-speed automatic. Both left the US market in June 2020.

Recall 21V617 covers 31,307 2019-2020 Yaris, Yaris Hatchback and Yaris Sedan cars. An impeller in the low-pressure fuel pump can crack and deform until the pump fails, and the engine can stall. Dealers replace the pump for free.

Fix it or let it go?

Start with recalls, because they're free. Run the VIN at NHTSA's lookup and look for open air bag work on anything from 2006 to 2012. A 2019 or 2020 that stalls or won't restart may need only the recalled fuel pump.

After a crash, the list of repairs grows. Deployed air bags are part of it, and on a small, older car the total can pass what the car is worth. Our air bags deployed and wrecked car guides explain how to weigh it.

How the sale works

Write down the VIN and mileage, plus whatever is broken. Request an offer on this page or phone (877) 421-6008. Tell us where the Yaris is, whether that's a driveway, a street or a body shop's back row, and whether it rolls. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.

You sell the whole car as it sits, so don't pull the converter, battery or wheels, and tell us about any part someone has removed. When the truck arrives, sign over the title and give the driver the keys. Our no-title guide helps if the title is lost, and after you sell covers plates and insurance by state.

Looking at other small Toyotas? See the Echo, Corolla and Prius c, or all Toyota models.