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2012 Toyota Yaris
The 2012 Toyota Yaris appears in 5 NHTSA recall campaigns (air bags, structure and steering) and in 29 consumer complaints filed with the agency.
The component named most often is air bags: 394.7 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 113 per 1,000 across all 2012 model-year vehicles and against 367.3 per 1,000 for the Toyota Yaris line as a whole.
That is fewer than the average of 46.4 complaints per model year across the 15 Toyota Yaris model years on this register; 8 complaints reported a crash and 1 a fire.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2017 (14); the most recent in the file is dated 22 Feb 2019.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has opened 1 investigation naming this model year.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (manufacturer campaign J0A, J0B, J0C, JLI); components: air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module.
Defect, as filed: On January 9, 2018, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified NHTSA that they are recalling 14,585 model year 2010-2012 Yaris vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. As of January 30, 2018, Toyota is additionally recalling 3,347 model year 2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles located in states listed above. Also included in this recall filing is 98,194 model year 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles, located throughout the U.S., that previously received a “like-for-like” interim air bag inflator replacement. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assemblies with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0R (Zone B), and H0A (Zone C), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A), J0A (Matrix Zone A).
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (manufacturer campaign G0R, H0A, J0A).
Defect, as filed: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing.
Defect, as filed: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Yaris vehicles manufactured August 31, 2011, to February 9, 2015, and sold or registered in Puerto Rico. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with a roof headliner that does not provide the proper occupant protection in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 201, " Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."
Consequence: If the vehicles are equipped with a headliner that does not meet the impact requirements, there is an increased risk of occupantl injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the headliner, free of charge. The recall began on June 22, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing.
Defect, as filed: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 Yaris vehicles manufactured August 21, 2011, through August 31, 2011. A relay in the Power Steering Control Module of the electronic power steering system could experience a short circuit due to insufficient distance between terminals in the relay and moisture contamination of relay coil windings. A short circuit in the relay could disable power steering assistance.
Consequence: If the power steering assistance shuts off, the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering control module. The recall began on July 31, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing.
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2012 Toyota Yaris (black) against all 2012 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2012 | Yaris line | All 2012 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 394.7 | 367.3 | 113 |
| Electrical System | 105.3 | 61.2 | 134.9 |
| Structure | 105.3 | 47.3 | 43 |
| Wheels | 78.9 | 18.3 | 13.2 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 78.9 | 70.9 | 39.1 |
| Visibility/Wiper | 52.6 | 15 | 18.7 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 15 | 394.7 | 367.3 | 113 |
| Electrical System | 4 | 105.3 | 61.2 | 134.9 |
| Structure | 4 | 105.3 | 47.3 | 43 |
| Wheels | 3 | 78.9 | 18.3 | 13.2 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 78.9 | 70.9 | 39.1 |
| Visibility/Wiper | 2 | 52.6 | 15 | 18.7 |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 52.6 | 20.4 | 60.4 |
| Tires | 1 | 26.3 | 15 | 8.9 |
| Seats | 1 | 26.3 | 39.7 | 9.3 |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 26.3 | 51.6 | 55.5 |
| Engine | 1 | 26.3 | 20.4 | 127.7 |
| Suspension | 1 | 26.3 | 36.5 | 17.8 |
29 unique complaints, 38 component mentions; 7 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
| Action | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EA21002 | Engineering analysis | Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture | air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module | 17 Sep 2021 | open | — |
Other Toyota Yaris model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 5,662,497 |
| 2007 | 10 | 241 | 9,868,514 |
| 2008 | 10 | 199 | 10,005,036 |
| 2009 | 10 | 78 | 8,113,630 |
| 2010 | 9 | 83 | 7,624,801 |
| 2011 | 3 | 22 | 2,798,863 |
| 2012 | 5 | 29 | 1,638,877 |
| 2013 NHTSA | 1 | 7 | 16,582 |
| 2014 NHTSA | 1 | 2 | 16,582 |
| 2015 | 4 | 10 | 63,135 |
| 2016 | 2 | 3 | 43,315 |
| 2017 | 3 | 12 | 44,955 |
| 2018 NHTSA | 1 | 4 | 1,325 |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | 36,266 |
| 2020 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 31,307 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Toyota Yaris model years · Toyota: 65 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2012 Toyota Yaris have?
5 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 19V741000, was reported to NHTSA on 17 Oct 2019 and concerns air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Across all model years the Toyota Yaris line has 23 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2012 Toyota Yaris?
NHTSA's investigation file lists 1 action naming this model year; the table above shows each action's opening and closing dates. An action with no closing date was still open when the file was produced.
What component do owners of the 2012 Toyota Yaris complain about most?
Air Bags: 15 of 38 component mentions (394.7 per 1,000). Next is electrical system with 4. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.