Yaris or Vitz?
Toyota sold the Yaris in Japan as the Vitz from 1999 to 2019, then switched to the Yaris name there in 2020. A Vitz on our roads is a Japanese-import Yaris, so the parts and schedule follow the Yaris of the same generation and engine.
The earlier hybrids, sold as the Yaris Hybrid and Vitz Hybrid (NHP130), use the 1NZ-FXE system shared with the first Aqua. The fourth-generation car, on sale in Japan from 10 February 2020, has a newer hybrid engine, the M15A-FXE.
Toyota Yaris cambelt or chain?
| Used in | Camshaft drive | |
|---|---|---|
| 1KR-FE three-cylinder | Vitz and Yaris from 2005 | Chain |
| 1NZ-FE and 2NZ-FE | Earlier Yaris and Vitz | Chain |
| 1NR-FE | Later Yaris; the Vitz from April 2014 used a 1NR-FKE version | Chain on the 1NR-FE |
| M15A, from 2020 | Current Yaris and Yaris Hybrid | Confirm with the mechanic |
Toyota Yaris cambelt replacement: what you might need instead
With a chain, there's no change on a schedule. Chains can still wear early if the oil is neglected or a tensioner fails, and a rattle from the front of the engine is the sign. On-time oil changes are the maintenance.
If a garage has quoted for a belt on a petrol Yaris, ask which belt. Most engines also have a ribbed drive belt that turns the alternator, and that one does crack, wear and squeal. It's a far smaller job than a cambelt would be.
Toyota Yaris battery: signs and causes
Slow cranking, especially on a cold morning, is the classic sign, and AA New Zealand says a battery over three years old that does it may be on the way out. A Yaris that mostly does short trips is at risk, because short runs may not put back what starting used.
After any flat battery, the AA recommends a diagnostic check to find the cause, since the alternator is built to keep a battery topped up, not to revive a dead one. On a Yaris Hybrid, the 12-volt runs the auxiliary electrics and wakes the system, so a flat one stops the car even when the hybrid pack is fine. How long car batteries last has more.
Battery checks you can do yourself
You can
- Look for white or green corrosion on the terminals, without touching it.
- Notice whether the engine cranks slower than it used to.
- Lock the car with the remote, so its computers can go to sleep.
- Give it a longer drive about once a month if it mostly does short trips.
Leave to the mechanic
- Load-testing the battery and checking the charging system.
- Finding what's draining a battery that keeps going flat.
- Anything on a hybrid's high-voltage side.
- Matching the replacement battery to the car's specification.
Our take on a Yaris
Keep it simple: ask for a battery test at the next service and have the result written on the invoice. If anyone mentions a cambelt on a petrol Yaris or Vitz, ask them to confirm the engine code, because a chain engine doesn't have one. A local mechanic who specialises in your car.