Toyota Yaris Maintenance - Strut And Shock Replacement

The Toyota Yaris is a simple compact car that is easy to drive and repair. If your handling is sloppy or the ride quality isn’t as comfortable as you think it should be, it might be time for new shocks and struts. Here is how to replace them.

Is your Toyota Yaris not riding like it should? It might be time to replace your shocks. Here’s how. 

Replacement Yaris parts here.

Before beginning this repair, it is important to first gather the tools you need and secure a place to complete the job. Specifically, you will need:

• Floor jack
• Jack stands
• Tire iron
• Ratchet Set
• Adjustable wrench
• Spring compressor (if needed)
• Torque wrench

It is recommended that you replace your shocks and struts every 60,000 miles.

Replace Front Struts/Shock

In order to replace the front struts, it is simply a matter of removing the tire, removing parts and compressing the spring (if needed), and then putting it all back together.

Here are the steps:

1. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel, on the side you want to work on. Then, jack up the vehicle, secure with jack stands, and finish removing the tire.
2. Looking at the front spring strut, find and remove two bolts on the top of the steering knuckle. This should allow you to remove the front strut from the vehicle.
3. With the strut out, you have two choices. You can take all the pieces of the strut apart, put a new spring on and then reassemble using vice grips and a torque wrench. Or, you can purchase a complete replacement with the new spring already installed.
4. After you have fixed or replaced the strut, you will reverse the steps above to reassemble it. Then, you will want to take the vehicle for a test drive to make sure the repair is complete. Your ride should be stiffer than before with the new shocks.

Also, when you are done test driving the vehicle, you will want to double-check that all your bolts are tight.

Replace Rear Shocks

Following the same steps as the front, you will remove the tire, loosen bolts and then remove/replace the shock.