Toyota yaris randomly won't start

3 the square

We have a toyota yaris a 2018 with low mileage that we purchased new most of the time it starts fine but the odd time you go to start it and it's completely dead showed it to the main dealer and a private garage and they both couldn't find any thing wrong when it doesn't start put a starter back on it and it starts first turn any ideas what might be wrong????

Atlantic Dawn

How much useage does it get and for what distance journeys?

Does it only happen in winter?

If it's starting first turn with starter pack it would generally indicate battery being bad or low, has this been tested or replaced?

3 the square

Don't get much use few short runs here and there happens any time of the year thing is you could give it a right run out turn it off after and it might not start after it pure radom you would have to carry the starter pack in back to be safe

passatman86

Did the ecu get checked - if possible

My wife had an aygo with similar issues that started like your symptoms. Eventually the car stopped starting as it was the ecu.

Atlantic Dawn

I take it that it's not the hybrid model?

zilog_jones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118457473#Comment_118457473

How short? If it's not being run for a good half hour or so on a regular basis and only doing shorter trips than that, the battery is probably never getting charged properly. Get a voltmeter and check the voltage, or just get a smart charger and keep the battery plugged in if it's going unused for weeks on end.

3 the square

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118460948#Comment_118460948

No petrol

Atlantic Dawn

I'd be looking at the battery, with the powerpack working each time that's the only extra thing being brought to the process to start the engine.

New decent brand battery for Yaris should be €100 or less.

3 the square

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462242#Comment_118462242

I will get the battery checked out couldn't have it plugged in to smart charger it might start fine outside my house and not start outside the shop in town could everyone day for 4 days in row fine day 5 nothing

3 the square

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462469#Comment_118462469

Thanks I do that ,you would think the two garages I took it too would have spotted that ?

Atlantic Dawn

Yes best port of call. I've seen brand new cars run in to battery issues if the car was say driven 2 miles a day or less over say 2 or 3 weeks in the cold weather, battery will be unable to replenish the power used to start the car and run lights etc on such a short drive and will eventually not be able to start the car.

At the end of the day, if the driving is going to be permenently so small the car will need to be either given an hours drive each week to recover or perhaps a change to an electric car is needed which would be ideal.

route66

Is it possible the floor mat isn't fixed in place and it moves sometimes - preventing the sensor in the clutch pedal from activating? If it is, then the car will assume the clutch pedal is not pressed in and prevent it from starting.

This will not explain why the starter pack gets it going, but - believe me - I had this happen on a Yaris and I would have believed anything was causing it. It was very sensitive so just getting out of the car caused the mat to shift slightly and the problem went away. For a while. I also charged the battery / bought a new battery / whacked the starter motor to free the solenoid, etc, in an attempt to cure the problem. These all solved the problem. Until they didn't.

zilog_jones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462484#Comment_118462484

I think you're misunderstanding what's probably the root cause of the problem. Each time you run the starter the battery is getting depleted more, but the car is (probably) not being run long enough to charge sufficiently, so in your example when you get to the 10th start (assuming return journey) then the voltage is too low. If the battery was maintained by an external charger when at home then this problem could be avoided. Letting the battery get discharged too much is bad for the battery, it may already be damaged and need replacement.

We still don't know how short your short journeys are, or exactly how often it is driven, so can't determine if it's just not being driven enough to charge the battery.

BrianD3

It could be something as simple as corrosion on the battery terminals/connectors. Car starts one day and not the next. Someone connects a booster to it, disturbs the corrosion and it starts. They then incorrectly attribute the start to the boost.

The garage should be doing some basic diagnostics like checking battery voltage at rest, with engine running and any time there is a no start - but don't assume that they are or are competent.

The electric trickle chargers are exactly made for this. I'd be connecting them once a fortnight.

My guess though is possibly a parasitic drain. If you have a multimeter, you can easily check for parasitic draw which would drain the battery.

Any garage should be checking the battery first and then for a parasitic draw and then the alternator.

Plenty of YouTube videos on how to do this. Really sounds like a parasitic draw in my opinion.

Could be something as simple as the light remaining on in the boot after the car is off.

3 the square

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462980#Comment_118462980

My brother took the yaris on day in the summer with on a journey started 1st turn at my house went 1 and half hour up the motorway he said he didn't spare it turn it off to pick up an item in a shop came out went to start it to come home and dead he didn't have the stater pack bit of a disaster really

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463824#Comment_118463824

Loose connection on the battery more than likely so.

tighten the connection.

cap.in.hand.

It could be ignition switch dirty contacts....if not a push button type......you could spray some electrical contact cleaner in through the ignition barrel pushing in the straw that's with the can and leaving overnight...it evaporates completely ... disconnect battery for safety though.