Shocking Yaris!?

[jambo101]

Could potentially be a safety issue when filling the gas tank,i've been told that if you are pumping gas into your car never get back in it to get something until the gas pump is back in its cradle.

[Bella]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Holding the door frame as you exit the car usually eliminates the problem. I sometimes catch a jolt at night and if you are looking you will see an impressive arc of static electric.

I got so used to that working nights that it was kinda strange not seeing that spark when I got my 'normal hours' job!

I just put it down to me rubbing my feet on the floor mats after I've stopped/changed gears..! I never get shocked when I'm driving without shoes, only when I have some on!

[nazier]

that is quite a zap, i have tried rubber mats but i still get zapped when closing the door

[TRDMarty]

Happens to me every day. I've learned to hold on to the metal door frame BEFORE putting my feet on the ground. No ZAPPY

[nazier]

Originally Posted by TRDMarty

Happens to me every day. I've learned to hold on to the metal door frame BEFORE putting my feet on the ground. No ZAPPY

will try that today

[marcus]

just ground your car..they sell them wire you tap from the chassis hanging to the ground

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by CKaelin

I'm not sure how long this has been going on but it has really started to bug the crap out of me. Every time I get out of my 08 hatchback I get a shock! When I go to close the door... ZAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!!! I mean its not a big shock but it is uncomfortable and annoying.. Anyone had a similar problem?

lmao, wtf?

yeah... happens to me a lot... when you touch the door... touch the plastic part.... (not sure if the sedan has it.. but the hatch has the plastic part on the outside). I've found that touching that part discharges most of the charge without you feeling like you got shocked.

[Rain]

Does this happen with other cars or just the Yaris? haha

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by Rain

Does this happen with other cars or just the Yaris? haha

It happens with any car that utilizes cloth seats. Regardless of whether they use organic or synthetic cloth, due to our mixed material wardrobes we are bound to sometimes hit the combination of materials that creates a static buildup.

[shameer_k]

Once I tired getting out of the car without touching the door so i won't get shock but when i went to open the garage gate ZAPPP!

[suckerface]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

yeah... happens to me a lot... when you touch the door... touch the plastic part.... (not sure if the sedan has it.. but the hatch has the plastic part on the outside). I've found that touching that part discharges most of the charge without you feeling like you got shocked.

I found that doing this helped me out as well.

Originally Posted by BailOut

It happens with any car that utilizes cloth seats. Regardless of whether they use organic or synthetic cloth, due to our mixed material wardrobes we are bound to sometimes hit the combination of materials that creates a static buildup.

Though it seems obvious, I never really considered the cloth seats. I was used to having leather in the last 3 cars I owned.

[fluke_boy]

I used to get zapped something fierce all the time whenever I got out of my old 2001 Echo. Now with the 2010 Yaris not so much...I did used to live in NW Indiana and Chapel Hill, NC when I used to own that Echo. Now that I live in FL - more humid than the north...hhhhmmmmm....

[yannis-b]

This is something I really hate so for years and years what I've beeen doing when I exit the car is I make sure I don't touch the car at all and then close the door with my shoe. It's like a very gentle kick. :p My friends and wife find it funny but I can't touch the door!

You are also more likely to get zapped on a hot, dry day and as mentioned, your clothes and the seats fabric are important too. By the way, I do not own any clothes made of polyester apart from football shirts and I always make sure I, or my wife, use fabric softener.

[CtrlAltDefeat]

I've only gotten zapped a couple of times with my yaris (over the 2 years I've owned it). One of my previous cars (a pontiac) used to do it EVERY time. It got to the point where I would touch my key to the frame of the car before touching my foot to the ground every time I got out of the car.

Originally Posted by suckerface

I I'm planning on getting a grounding kit from Garm in the near future (http://shop.microimageonline.com/NRG...Kit-GK-100.htm) to see if that helps the few light ones I get now and then. I'm also hoping it'll help the poor quality sound through my AUX input as well.

er... a grounding kit helps with the electrical connections within the car. It wouldn't do anything for this problem.

[suckerface]

er... a grounding kit helps with the electrical connections within the car. It wouldn't do anything for this problem.[/QUOTE]

I figured it'd be worth a shot...getting one anyways

[Twistoffate0817]

I have been shocked twice by my Yaris, and its been on days when its warm outside. It sort of gets your attention lol.

[IMAMEX]

We've had Santa Ana winds these last couple of weeks and the shocks have been hitting me at least 2 times a day. It's mostly the psychological aspect of it that bothers me. That and not knowing what causes it. That's what lead me to this thread. I was destined to make a thread about it searched for it just in case and found plenty of solutions. I mostly wear sneakers or my doc martens with rubber souls so I figured it was that aspect of it but I guess it's my cotton clothing that's causing the buildup. I'm definitely going to look into some seat covers and that static spray that was mentioned.

[swidd]

Getting leather seat wraps significantly reduced occurrence for me.