rear defroster/ steering

[rudolfoz]

Hello,
I am new to this forum. I just bought a 2008 Yaris sedan base. I am happy with the car, but there are couple question I hope somebody could help me out.
1) I recently discovered that my Yaris does not have a rear defroster (no button, and no heater on the window). I was wondering if I can survive the winter without one, or I need to install one. I assume that it would be expensive.

2) when I drive at highway speeds (70mi/h and faster) the car feels little out of control. I did alignment twice. The dealer told me that the power steering is very tight, so it's kind of hard to control it at high speeds. IS that normal?

Thank you very much for help.

[yarrr]

1) That's kind of weird, I thought every car came with one... especially in the frozen north. You could always get a hand defogger and an ice scraper for the really bad days.

2) Ya that's kind of a common complaint. The dealer is correct the power steering makes the wheels wander too easily. Rear sway bar, lowering springs, upgraded shocks and struts, wider tires, hub spacers all help, and the more you do the more solid it feels. Careful though, I joined looking for help with highway wander in the wind and now I'm addicted to modding my yaris.. haha

[Wowzers78]

Your rear defroster control should be the little circular button on the Hot/Cold control knob on the bottom. Should light up orange I think...lol

[advocate]

The car is small. It will get battered around by high speed winds and deep potholes / sinkholes

If your car vibrates at high speeds, there are mechanical problems.

If your car veers randomly under heavy winds you have a stability issue. Sadly this issue has been acknowledged by many members on the forum already. This happens because the Yaris rides up high like it has a lift kit. Its rear tires are also inset further than normal under the car than most other cars. It also comes standard with bicycle sized tires.

Common fixes are to get a rear sway bar to help stiffen the chassis and also to lower the car on aftermarket springs.

[advocate]

Your rear defroster control should be the little circular button on the Hot/Cold control knob on the bottom. Should light up orange I think...lol

It's not a standard option. At least it wasn't on the 07's.

[Wowzers78]

It's late and I realized how bad my directions sounded....heres a picture...lol

[Wowzers78]

It's not a standard option. At least it wasn't on the 07's.

Didn't know that...wow..talk about base model..lol...well thats where it should be if you DO have it :smile:

[rudolfoz]

Thank you for your help.
My Yaris is 2008 and it is missing that button. I could not believe it, but it's true. I'll make sure I have my ice scraper ready.

[rudolfoz]

The dealer is correct the power steering makes the wheels wander too easily. Rear sway bar, lowering springs, upgraded shocks and struts, wider tires, hub spacers all help, and the more you do the more solid it feels. Careful though, I joined looking for help with highway wander in the wind and now I'm addicted to modding my yaris.. haha

Thanks for advice. I am really tempted to improve it, but I am sure my wife will bring me back to reality. I guess I'll just slow down little bit ( It improves the milage anyway).

[RedHatch08]

Very surprising that there's no rear defrost. I thought all cars would have that at this point.

In stock form, the car is fairly lightweight, sits sort of high, has a tall side profile, and a pretty soft suspension. All this makes it prone to feel a little unstable at higher speeds, especially if it's windy, and you get crosswinds.

[127.0.0.1]

1) That's kind of weird, I thought every car came with one... especially in the frozen north. You could always get a hand defogger and an ice scraper for the really bad days.

2) Ya that's kind of a common complaint. The dealer is correct the power steering makes the wheels wander too easily. Rear sway bar, lowering springs, upgraded shocks and struts, wider tires, hub spacers all help, and the more you do the more solid it feels. Careful though, I joined looking for help with highway wander in the wind and now I'm addicted to modding my yaris.. haha

item 2 incorrect

power steering is 100% off when on the highway. wander has nothing
to do with power steering

[Yaris Hilton]

power steering is 100% off when on the highway. wander has nothing
to do with power steering

True. The Yaris' electric power steering is speed controlled. It only works when the car is stopped or moving slowly.

There are lots of threads discussing Yaris highway wander. Alignment settings, particularly toe and caster, should be checked if it's excessive. A relatively tall, short, light car like this will always be twitchier than a 1972 Cadillac Sedan Deville.

[DebbyM46227]

True. The Yaris' electric power steering is speed controlled. It only works when the car is stopped or moving slowly.


Wow, I didn't know that. I'd even be happy with no power steering at all, my Honda CRX's didn't have it and the only time I missed it was parallel parking in a really tight space.

[IllusionX]

ya, i'm very surprised the yaris didn't have it.

Though, most would think all cars have it standard. But no, some States' not required by law.

All news cars in Canada must have rear defrost. I'm not sure since when this started, but i've seen a Dodge Omni and a Dodge Caravan that didn't have it.

[rudolfoz]

True. The Yaris' electric power steering is speed controlled. It only works when the car is stopped or moving slowly.



I actually took a ride with a mechanic from Toyota dealership and told him about the power steering changing with the speed. He told me that the power steering is constant and does not adjust to the speed. Go figure....

[rudolfoz]

There are lots of threads discussing Yaris highway wander. Alignment settings, particularly toe and caster, should be checked if it's excessive. A relatively tall, short, light car like this will always be twitchier than a 1972 Cadillac Sedan Deville.

I used to drive a 1997 Geo Prizm before the Yaris. I was able to drive the Prizm up to 100 miles/hour without feeling out of control. That's why I was little puzzled that a 2008 car would feel less secure. The Toyota mechanic explained that the old cars had CastIron engine blocks, and they were heavier and more stable. The actual weight difference between 1997 Prizm and 2008 Yaris is only around 50 pounds. I guess the tallness of Yaris has to play a bigger role.

[2007yariz]

It's late and I realized how bad my directions sounded....heres a picture...lol

That is my car lol, my interior looks exactly like that.

[Yaris Hilton]

I don't find excessive wandering with my sedan, either. It's a much more common complaint with the hatchbacks.