Problems · by component

2005 Toyota Corolla service brakes, hydraulic problems

28 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2005 Toyota Corolla cite service brakes, hydraulic, 3% of all 943 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
28
3% of all complaints
Crashes
11
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the service brakes, hydraulic

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE AT 50 MPH OR ABOVE, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES FOUND WITHIN THE BRAKES AND HAD AT LEAST TEN MONTHS OF USE BEFORE NEEDING REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 9, 2011Service brakes, hydraulicODI 10418178
“I AM 76 YEARS OLD. OWN 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA WITH 30K MILES. TOOK MY CAR TO DEALERSHIPFOR ROUTINE SERVICING AND OIL CHANGE. WAS TOLD I HAD BRAKE FLUID CONTAMINATION AND IT WOULD COST $2200. THE 2005 TOYOTA AVALON AND HIGHLANDERS WERE RECALLED FOR BRAKE FLUID LEAKS. COULD IT BE POSSIBLE MY CAR HAD THE SAME PROBLEM? *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 28, 2011Service brakes, hydraulicODI 10384826
“WHEN I SPEEDED UP AND PRESSED GAS FROM 30 TO 55 MILE PER HOUR AT THE FREEWAY, I FOUND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN. I WAS AT 55 MILE PER HOUR WHEN I FOUND IT AND TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDLY. HOWEVER, THE BRAKE COULDN'T BE PRESSED HARDLY AND THE CAR COULD NOT BE STOPPED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE CAR SLOWED DOWN SLOWLY AND HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, EVEN THOUGH I TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKE HARDLY. THE BRAKE DIDN'T WORK WELL WHEN THE CAR IS IN THE PROCESS OF SPEEDING UP FROM LOW SPEED TO HIGH SPEED AT THE FREEWAY. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 8, 2010Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 10354474
“COMING TO A STOP WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, I FIRST FELT RESISTANCE FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL THEN NOTHING. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL. THIS HAPPENED TWICE IN A 10 DAY PERIOD. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 13, 2010Service brakes, hydraulicODI 10343056
“I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT AROUND 65 MPH. THEY WERE CLOSING THE RIGHT LANE FOR ROAD WORK, LEADING EVERYONE TO MERGE INTO ONE LANE. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND THEY LOCKED UP. AS I WAS MOVING FORWARD AND SLOWING DOWN AS EVERYONE WAS SLOWING BECAUSE OF THE MERGING (HOWEVER, THIS WASN'T HAPPENING SMOOTHLY, AS I WAS SKIDDING INSTEAD OF SIMPLY DECELERATING), I WAS REAR ENDED BY A CAR TRAVELING AT FULL SPEED (APPROX 65 MPH). THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT HIT ME INTO GRASS MEDIAN ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. WHILE STOPPED FOR MERE SECONDS, I HAD NOT EVEN PUT THE CAR INTO PARK YET, MY CAR STARTED ROLLING DOWN THE MEDIAN'S EMBANKMENT, THROUGH THE WOODS WHILE MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE. I KEPT PRESSING THE BRAKE AND IT WAS NOT RESPONDING. I HIT A TREE AFTER ROLLING APPROX 100 FEET INTO THE WOODS. A TOYOTA DEALER IS CURRENTLY DOING THE REPAIRS, AND TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKES WERE IN FACT WORKING WHEN DRIVING IT AROUND THE SHOP AT SLOW SPEEDS. I FEEL LIKE NO ONE BELIEVES ME, NOR IS EVEN OFFERING AN EXPLANATION ON HOW THIS COULD EVEN HAPPEN. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 16, 2010Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 10336688
“2005 COROLLA LE PURCHASED IN SEPT 2005. WAS GOING HOME TODAY FROM WORK. I WAS DRIVING SLOW (THX GOD) BECAUSE OF TRAFFIC. WHEN I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN WHEN SEEING A CAR IN FRONT ON ME, THE BRAKES WON'T RESPOND. I PUSHED THE BRAKES COUPLE TIMES BUT IT WON'T SLOW DOWN. SO I REAR ENDED A TRUCK. MY CAR FRONT END IS IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE BUT SINCE IT WASN'T AT A HIGH SPEED THE FRAME SEEMS TO BE OK. OF COURSE THE TRUCK INFRONT OF ME BARELY HAS A SCRATCH. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 3, 2010Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 10328707

Showing 6 of 28 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.