Brake warning lights !+ABS - Page 3 - Toyota Yaris Forums

JudgeM · 12-08-2013, 01:44 AM

Hey everyone. I have similar problem with my JDM Vitz RS too. Its not very frequent though.

Sometimes randomly when I come to a stop . The ABS light comes on. It won't go away until I turn off the car and turn it back on. I don't think its a major problem. I will also try to get the sensor cleaned and see how that goes.

This is weird problem ah . Usually I never see Toyota with ABS problem. My Corona with 250000kms and 15 years old has ABS and it works beautifully, I have raped the brakes on the Corona way more than on the Vitz.

Bluecar · 12-19-2013, 05:06 PM

Perhaps the Yaris ABS issue (rear wheel speed sensor problem) is 'old news' but I'd like to offer my experiences in case some find them helpful.

My car is an '07 Yaris hatchback that has been well exposed to Southwestern Ontario's snow, slush and road salt. My ABS warning lights started coming whenever the roads were slushy, from December 2011. After months of painful negotiation with Toyota Canada and the dealer I had the car repaired in August 2012. Toyota Canada provided the parts - both rear wheel hub and sensor assemblies, and the wiring harnesses - for free, but I had to pay for the dealer's labour - about CDN$524, plus an earlier $73 for the diagnostic check.

Naturally, Toyota Canada declined responsibility for the defect. They told me their contribution was a goodwill gesture because I had had the car fully maintained by Toyota dealers since new. Considering my dealer had originally quoted $1,349 for the repair, I was not going to quibble over this offer.

During my discussions with Toyota, I pointed out:

Per T-SB-0120-08, Toyota knew of deficiencies with the rear wheel speed sensor connections in 2008. They introduced modified wire harness assemblies with improved sealing midway through the 2008 model year.
The repair procedure outlined by T-SB-0120-08 involves checking for corrosion on the electrical terminals of both the speed sensor and harness connector; only speed sensors with corroded terminals need to be replaced.
Toyota should have warned its customers about the sealing problem as soon as they knew about it, so Yaris owners would have had the option to carry out preventative inspections before corrosion could cause expensive damage. My dealer told me that changing only the wiring harnesses (to the improved level) would have cost just $100.

I am certainly not lawyer but I understand 'duty to warn' is well established principle under common law, meaning companies have an obligation to warn those who use their products if they become aware of any problems or defects that are likely to cause damage, i.e. injury or financial loss. If there are any legally-informed people reading this, please weigh in.

And if anyone has a Yaris with ABS ('07 and some '08, see T-SB-0120-08) - you should probably check your wheel speed sensor connections sooner rather than later!

robkay · 12-22-2013, 10:18 AM

Definitely still a relevant thread as just last evening I had the indicators come on for the first time. My '07 hatch has about 75,000 miles it. It has been cold, snowy, and slushy here in NW OH this past week, so what folks here are saying makes sense. I wish this had happened a couple months ago when it was warmer! It's too cold for me to be laying out in the driveway trying to DIY it now. I have a pretty good independent shop I use and I think they would be willing to give the sensor cleaning/sealing a try. I'm overdue for rear brakes anyway. Guess I'll run it in and have them do both.

After now reading through the other thread, it reminded me of something. I had a situation a few days back where I braked for a slow turn and the ABS seemed to activate unnecessarily. I remember thinking, "That's weird. Why would the ABS kick in for this?"

Well, guess what, it's the next day after the indicators had come on. As I backed out to go do some errands I noticed that they were still on. I got a couple miles down the road and looked again and the were both OFF! Woot! So, I must have the intermittent version of the problem at the moment. The sensor causing the problem must have dried out overnight in the garage, or in the drier air outside today. I know I need to deal with it, though.

Great thread(s). Thanks to all who contributed!

Bluecar · 12-29-2013, 04:44 PM

Hey Robkay,

Cleaning and sealing the connectors makes good sense (I wish I'd done mine a couple of years back) but to pass on a word of caution from my dealer: If the electrical terminals on the sensors are already badly corroded, they may break when you unplug the connectors. This would turn your intermittent problem into a permanent one...

Even though your ABS indicators are now off, the fault codes C0210 (rear speed sensor RH circuit) and/or C0215 (rear speed sensor LH circuit) will remain stored in your car's OBD memory. Reading the fault codes should confirm the problem is with the sensors and not elsewhere.

Good luck!

robkay · 12-29-2013, 09:20 PM

Yeah--I called that shop I had been going to and they said basically that. They didn't want to touch the connectors out of fear of breaking them. They said their philosophy is that if the problem is intermittent, better to not risk making it permanent and just let it be until it makes itself permanent! I suppose what I will do is wait until the weather warms up and inspect them myself. If I don't see signs of corrosion maybe I'll spray them with contact cleaner a couple times, then take a deep breath--and a screwdriver, and see if I can slide them off. After a full week the indicators haven't come back on, though. But, the weather has been dry and somewhat milder. Arctic air is about to pounce, though. We shall see.

Thanks to all.

12-19-2013, 05:06 PM	#38
Bluecar Drives: 2007 Yaris LE 5-dr Auto Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Aurora, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3	Perhaps the Yaris ABS issue (rear wheel speed sensor problem) is 'old news' but I'd like to offer my experiences in case some find them helpful. My car is an '07 Yaris hatchback that has been well exposed to Southwestern Ontario's snow, slush and road salt. My ABS warning lights started coming whenever the roads were slushy, from December 2011. After months of painful negotiation with Toyota Canada and the dealer I had the car repaired in August 2012. Toyota Canada provided the parts - both rear wheel hub and sensor assemblies, and the wiring harnesses - for free, but I had to pay for the dealer's labour - about CDN$524, plus an earlier $73 for the diagnostic check. Naturally, Toyota Canada declined responsibility for the defect. They told me their contribution was a goodwill gesture because I had had the car fully maintained by Toyota dealers since new. Considering my dealer had originally quoted $1,349 for the repair, I was not going to quibble over this offer. During my discussions with Toyota, I pointed out: Per T-SB-0120-08, Toyota knew of deficiencies with the rear wheel speed sensor connections in 2008. They introduced modified wire harness assemblies with improved sealing midway through the 2008 model year. The repair procedure outlined by T-SB-0120-08 involves checking for corrosion on the electrical terminals of both the speed sensor and harness connector; only speed sensors with corroded terminals need to be replaced. Toyota should have warned its customers about the sealing problem as soon as they knew about it, so Yaris owners would have had the option to carry out preventative inspections before corrosion could cause expensive damage. My dealer told me that changing only the wiring harnesses (to the improved level) would have cost just $100. I am certainly not lawyer but I understand 'duty to warn' is well established principle under common law, meaning companies have an obligation to warn those who use their products if they become aware of any problems or defects that are likely to cause damage, i.e. injury or financial loss. If there are any legally-informed people reading this, please weigh in. And if anyone has a Yaris with ABS ('07 and some '08, see T-SB-0120-08) - you should probably check your wheel speed sensor connections sooner rather than later!

12-22-2013, 10:18 AM	#39
robkay Drives: Hatch Join Date: May 2009 Location: NW OH Posts: 89	Definitely still a relevant thread as just last evening I had the indicators come on for the first time. My '07 hatch has about 75,000 miles it. It has been cold, snowy, and slushy here in NW OH this past week, so what folks here are saying makes sense. I wish this had happened a couple months ago when it was warmer! It's too cold for me to be laying out in the driveway trying to DIY it now. I have a pretty good independent shop I use and I think they would be willing to give the sensor cleaning/sealing a try. I'm overdue for rear brakes anyway. Guess I'll run it in and have them do both. After now reading through the other thread, it reminded me of something. I had a situation a few days back where I braked for a slow turn and the ABS seemed to activate unnecessarily. I remember thinking, "That's weird. Why would the ABS kick in for this?" Well, guess what, it's the next day after the indicators had come on. As I backed out to go do some errands I noticed that they were still on. I got a couple miles down the road and looked again and the were both OFF! Woot! So, I must have the intermittent version of the problem at the moment. The sensor causing the problem must have dried out overnight in the garage, or in the drier air outside today. I know I need to deal with it, though. Great thread(s). Thanks to all who contributed! Last edited by robkay; 12-22-2013 at 02:45 PM.

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12-08-2013, 01:44 AM	#37
JudgeM View User's Garage Drives: 2005 Toyota Vitz RS Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 181	Hey everyone. I have similar problem with my JDM Vitz RS too. Its not very frequent though. Sometimes randomly when I come to a stop . The ABS light comes on. It won't go away until I turn off the car and turn it back on. I don't think its a major problem. I will also try to get the sensor cleaned and see how that goes. This is weird problem ah . Usually I never see Toyota with ABS problem. My Corona with 250000kms and 15 years old has ABS and it works beautifully, I have raped the brakes on the Corona way more than on the Vitz.

12-29-2013, 04:44 PM	#40
Bluecar Drives: 2007 Yaris LE 5-dr Auto Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Aurora, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3	Hey Robkay, Cleaning and sealing the connectors makes good sense (I wish I'd done mine a couple of years back) but to pass on a word of caution from my dealer: If the electrical terminals on the sensors are already badly corroded, they may break when you unplug the connectors. This would turn your intermittent problem into a permanent one... Even though your ABS indicators are now off, the fault codes C0210 (rear speed sensor RH circuit) and/or C0215 (rear speed sensor LH circuit) will remain stored in your car's OBD memory. Reading the fault codes should confirm the problem is with the sensors and not elsewhere. Good luck!

12-29-2013, 09:20 PM	#41
robkay Drives: Hatch Join Date: May 2009 Location: NW OH Posts: 89	Yeah--I called that shop I had been going to and they said basically that. They didn't want to touch the connectors out of fear of breaking them. They said their philosophy is that if the problem is intermittent, better to not risk making it permanent and just let it be until it makes itself permanent! I suppose what I will do is wait until the weather warms up and inspect them myself. If I don't see signs of corrosion maybe I'll spray them with contact cleaner a couple times, then take a deep breath--and a screwdriver, and see if I can slide them off. After a full week the indicators haven't come back on, though. But, the weather has been dry and somewhat milder. Arctic air is about to pounce, though. We shall see. Thanks to all.