Toyota Yaris Beeping? (11 Common Causes)

The Toyota Yaris is one of the best-selling subcompact cars of all time.

Like any other car, it has very sounds, beeps and chimes to alert the driver.

If you’re confused why your Yaris keeps beeping this article is for you.

Toyota Yaris Beeping

The most common causes of beeping on a Toyota Yaris include items on the passenger seat, the dash camera, anti-theft alarm issues, lane departure warning, low keyfob battery, navigation alerts, low tire pressure, defective door latches or one of the driver assistance features.

Beeping can be caused by a wide range of things, we’ve detailed the most common ones below.

Seatbelt Alarm & Weight on Seat

The seatbelt alarm is a known suspect for annoying beeps.

There might be a faulty sensor that isn’t recognizing that your seatbelt is fastened.

Alternatively, you may have some weight on the passenger seat like a bag of groceries, a backpack or even a bottle of water which is triggering the beeping noise.

In which case you can try fastening the passenger seatbelt.

Spare Keys Left in Vehicle

If you’ve left a spare set of keys in your Yaris you may hear a warning beep when you go to lock the vehicle as it thinks you are trying to lock the keys in the car.

Dash Camera

If you have the Toyota factory installed dashcam you’ll likely hear this beep on startup.

You won’t see any warning lights come up on the dash, however, if you look behind your rearview mirror where the dashcam is located, you will see the dash camera flashing.

If you see an error flash, you may notice the micro SD card has not been fully inserted into the camera.

By pressing the SD card into the dashcam, this should stop the beeping.

However, if the SD card is in and it’s still beeping, press and hold the ‘action’ button while you turn on the car.

  1. Make sure the vehicle is completely off
  2. Make sure you are parked on level ground
  3. Make sure the camera has shut off
  4. Press and hold the action button
  5. Then start your vehicle

By doing so you will recalibrate your vehicle.

You should hear a couple of beeps and see a green light and you’re good to go.

Some owners have also reported that when their factory dashcam settings were on max sensitivity, it triggered a beep-beep noise whenever braking medium to heavy.

Loose Connection: Seat Belt Sensors

Loose wiring or a bad electrical connection may be triggering a beeping noise.

It’s worth checking underneath every seat in the vehicle and checking / pressing together all the plastic wire connectors to ensure they are all tight.

It’s also a good idea to do the same behind the glovebox.

Key Fob Battery

This one is fairly self-explanatory.

Make sure your key fob battery isn’t running low, try swapping out the battery.

Anit-theft Alarm

The Toyota Yaris’ anti-theft works through a programmed key chip connected to the car’s immobilizer.

To reset the anti-theft and turn off the alarm’s beeping:

  • Depress the fob’s panic or unlock button.

Alternatively,

  • Insert the key into the driver’s door to unlock and reset the security system.

You can also try pressing the panic button for 5 seconds followed by pressing the lock button twice.

Walk ten feet away from the car and wait 10 minutes before depressing the unlock feature on the fob twice as well.

This may reset the anti-theft warning.

Lastly, you can try disconnecting the battery cables for 15 minutes.

This will re-calibrate the ECU (electronic control unit) and will hopefully clear the warning beeps.

If turning the ignition on does not clear the alarm then you may need your key fob to be reprogrammed or replaced due to a faulty transmitter.

BSM

The Blind Spot Monitor warns the driver if someone is in their blind spot or if someone is coming up behind your vehicle when you start to reverse, a warning light will flash in your mirror and it should also make a beeping sound.

Faulty Switches

A faulty headlight switch or a faulty ignition switch may be the cause of the beeping.

Since the headlights being on, or the key being in the ignition will cause the chime to sound, one of these switches may have a loose connection or be faulty.

Related: Toyota Yaris Alarm Going Off? (14 Causes & Solutions)

Headlight blown

Check to make sure that none of your lights have burnt out, you should check your rear lights and brake lights too.

Burnt Out Airbag Warning Light

On many vehicles, if the airbag warning lamp has blown on the gauge cluster, the car will beep to warn the driver.

You should be able to see the light come on when you start the car.

Speed Camera

On some Yaris models, a speed camera warning will make a double beep sound, this feature is within the Toyota sat-nav system.

Lane Departure Warning

As the name implies, LDW is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane.

This can trigger a warning beep.

Key Left-in-vehicle Warning Beep (With the advanced keyless function)

From the Toyota Yari owners manual:

If all the doors and trunk are locked using another key while the key is left in the cabin, the beep which sounds outside of the vehicle will be heard for about 10 seconds to notify the driver that the key is in the cabin.

Ignition Not Switched Off (STOP) Warning Beep

If the driver’s door is opened while the ignition is switched to ACC, a continuous beep sound will be heard to notify the driver that the ignition has not been switched off (STOP).

Left in this condition, the keyless entry system will not operate, the car cannot be locked, and the battery power will be depleted.

Watch the Dash Display

This could give you a clue about what’s causing the beeping.

For example, does the beep sound when the ECO light comes on?

Also, keep an eye on the radio / infotainment / navigation screen, this might give a clue too.

Toyota Yaris Beeping While Driving

If you are experiencing beeping whilst driving your Toyota Yaris, this may be caused by a faulty door latch, if you have a ‘door ajar’ light on the dashboard then this is almost certainly the case, these latches can often become stuck.

Faulty latches are very common across all vehicles – you may need to have a latch replaced although you should first try lubricating it with something like WD-40.

If it’s not related to the door sensor/latch then it could be caused by a damaged wire.

A lot of mysterious beeps and electrical issues can be traced back to damaged wires or loose electrical connections.

Toyota Yaris Beeps When Accelerating

If your Yaris beeps when accelerating or makes a strange noise this could be coming from the water pump, bearings or timing chain.

If you’re not mechanically inclined, your first port of call should be a mechanic or your local Toyota dealership.

If the noise is coming from under the hood then it’s not related to any of the electronic systems.

Yaris Beeps When Exiting Vehicle

If you are hearing a beep or chime when you turn off your Yaris this is likely because you opened the door first without turning off the engine. It may also be caused by if you left the sunroof open.

No Chime:

  1. Engine running
  2. Put vehicle into Park.
  3. Turn off the Engine
  4. Open the door.

Chime:

  1.  Engine running
  2. Put vehicle into Park
  3. Open the door
  4. Turn off the Engine

It may be possible to disable this using the Toyota Techstream software.

Toyota Yaris Not Beeping When Locked

If your not Yaris isn’t beeping when you lock it, it may be because the lock beeps have been turned off. The procedure to turn the beeps back on is fairly straightforward.

This trick is common across a wide range of Toyota vehicles from various years and isn’t specific to the Yaris.

  1. Sit inside the vehicle leave the door open
  2. Put the key in the ignition
  3. Release it straight away
  4. Put the key back in
  5. Turn the key to ON
  6. Count to 10
  7. Press any key on the fob, release.
  8. Press it again.
  9. You should hear a beep, that means it worked.
  10. Step outside the vehicle and test it out.

Related: Toyota Yaris: 12 Common Problems (Solution Guide)

Other Common Beeping Causes

  • 12V battery is about to die
  • Door / rear hatch open or not closed properly
  • Traction control (beeps when it activates)
  • Key Left-in-trunk Compartment Warning Beep
  • Exceeding speeds set in cruise control
  • Door is open and key is ignition
  • Seatbelt not fastened
  • Headlights on / key in ignition when door is open
  • Low fluids e.g. windshield waher fluid, engine oil etc.
  • Reversing (in some cases)
  • Spare set of keys locked in car
  • A warning / error condition on the instruments
  • Low fuel
  • Lights on reminder
  • Tire Inflation Pressure Warning Beep
  • RSA (road sign assist)
  • Lane Sway Warning (excessive swaying within the lane markings)
  • Lane Departure Alert
  • BSM (blind spot monitor)
  • ICS (Intelligent Clearance Sonar)
  • Park Assist
  • PCS (Pre-Collison System)
  • Red light camera warning beep
  • Cell phone left under a seat
  • Aftermarket head units

Diagnosing Beeps With a Scanner

Another possible option if you’re hearing a beeping sound is to use an OBD2 diagnostic scanner tool.

These are fairly easy to use, you simply plug them into your car – there’s usually an OBD2 port under the steering wheel.

Once you have the scan codes you can research these online specifically for the Yaris.

There are also OBD apps available so you can connect your car straight to your smartphone (either with a cable or Bluetooth) without even needing a scanner.

Related: 9 Most Common Toyota Yaris Problems (Solved & Explained)

Resources

https://www.toyota.com/owners/resources/warranty-owners-manuals.yaris.2019

https://www.toyota.com/owners/resources/warranty-owners-manuals.yaris.2017

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Author:

  • Ian Sawyer

    Growing up with a father who was a mechanic I had an appreciation for cars and motorcycles from an early age. I shared my first bike with my brother that had little more than a 40cc engine but it opened up a world of excitement for me, I was hooked. As I grew older I progressed onto bigger bikes and...