Problems · by component

2009 Toyota Corolla service brakes, hydraulic problems

71 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Corolla cite service brakes, hydraulic, 5% of all 1,533 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
71
5% of all complaints
Crashes
24
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
14
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the service brakes, hydraulic

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT TURNED ON TOGETHER. THIS IS TURNING OUT TO BE A VERY COMMON ISSUE WHICH IS DUE TO THE CORROSION OF THE SENSORS ON THE RARE WHEELS. WITH ABS LIGHT TURNED ON, THE VEHICLE IS INCAPABLE OF APPLYING ABS WHEN REQUIRED DURING BRAKE, CREATING A HIGH SAFETY CONCERN. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 16, 2013Service brakes, hydraulic, Electrical systemODI 10493141
“I HAVE HAD THIS COROLLA FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS, AVERAGE ABOUT 700 MILES PER WEEK - DRIVE IT DAILY. I HAVE HAD NO SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH IT UNTIL THE PAST MONTH OR SO IN WHICH I HAVE EXPERIENCED TWO "SUDDEN ACCELERATION" EVENTS. IN BOTH CASES I WAS TRAVELING AT A VERY LOW SPEED, ABOUT 10 MPH OR SO IN PARKING LOTS. WHILE COASTING / BRAKING WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, SUDDENLY IT WAS AS IF THE BRAKE PEDAL TURNED INTO AN ACCELERATOR PEDAL! I FELT ALL OF THE BACK-PRESSURE THE BRAKE PEDAL NORMALLY HAS LEAVE AND IT WENT ALMOST COMPLETELY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. AT THE VERY SAME INSTANT THE ENGINE REVVED AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR "LEAPED" FORWARD. IN BOTH CASES THIS LASTED ONLY A FEW SECONDS THEN THINGS WENT BACK TO NORMAL. THERE WERE NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE PANEL WARNING OF ANYTHING WRONG. IN BOTH CASES MY FOOT WAS CLEARLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND NOWHERE NEAR THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE FLOOR MAT AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO INTERFERENCE BETWEEN IT AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS CAR HAS ALREADY HAD ALL OF TOYOTA'S "RECALL" REMEDIES APPLIED TO IT AND COULD BE EASILY ASCERTAINED BY EXAMINING THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS AT BUTLER TOYOTA OF MACON,…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 4, 2012Service brakes, hydraulic, Engine and engine cooling, Vehicle speed controlODI 10450183
“BOUGHT USED 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA (5 SPEED MANUAL CLUTCH) VEHICLE IN MID 2011. NOTICED THAT THE GAS PEDAL, BRAKE AND CLUTCH ARE ODDLY VERY CLOSE, AND GAS PEDAL SEEMS TO STICK, WHICH SEEMS TO CAUSE ERROR IN SHIFTING/ ACCELERATION/ DE-ACCELERATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN USING IN BETWEEN GEARS. NOT SURE WHAT THAT IS ALL ABOUT, OR WHETHER OR NOT THERE HAS BEEN A PRIOR COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS OR RECALL, BUT I THINK IT SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION AND FIXED BY TOYOTA FOR SAFETY REASONS. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 5, 2012Service brakes, hydraulic, Engine and engine cooling, Power trainODI 10442495
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND AND THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE FRONT TIRES RELEASED SMOKED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED AROUND SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE COMING TO A STOP IN A DIRT AREA. THE FRONT TIRES, ROTORS AND CABLES WERE DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER MODIFIED THE ACCELERATOR, REPLACED THE ROTORS AND THE CABLES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 124,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 30, 2011Service brakes, hydraulic, Vehicle speed controlFire reportedODI 10441714
“THE ACCIDENT WITH MY 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA I BELIEVE IS DUE TO BRAKE FAILURE. THIS VEHICLE HAS MANY FEATURE THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO REACT IN SITUATIONS OF MINOR ICE AND/OR SLIDING. THE SLIDING LIGHT, OR "VSC/TRAC INDICATOR" (PG. 158 OF OWNER'S MANUAL), COMES ON EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE SLIDES. EVEN WHEN THE CAR SLIDES SO SLIGHTLY THAT YOU CANNOT FEEL IT, THAT LIGHT WOULD COME ON TO WARN THE DRIVER OF THE POTENTIAL HAZARD, ACCORDING TO THE MANUAL "IF THE VEHICLE IS IN DANGER OF SLIPPING OR THE FRONT WHEELS SPIN, THE INDICATOR FLASHES TO INDICATE THAT THE VSC/TRAC HAVE BEEN ENGAGED. A BUZZER (INTERMITTENT) SOUNDS TO INDICATE THAT VSC IS OPERATING." THE CAR WAS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH ANTILOCK BRAKES. AS I WAS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN, I COULD INSTANTLY TELL MY BRAKES WERE NOT RESPONDING. I HIT THEM HARDER, STILL NO RESPONSE. I HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES PUSHING DOWN WITH ALL MY FORCE & STILL FELT AND HEARD NOTHING FROM THE CAR. USUALLY IN SUCH CASE, EVEN IF THE VEHICLE IS SLIPPING, THE DRIVER SHOULD HEAR A TRIPPING NOISE, THAT THE ANTILOCK BREAKS ARE RESPONDING OR AT LEAST ATTEMPTING TO. BUT NONE OF THAT HAPPENED. THE SLIDING LIGHT DID NOT TURN ON, THE CAR DID NOT REACT TO ME…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 11, 2011Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedODI 10439286
“I WAS CURRENTLY ON 1 AND 9 NORTH OF JERSEY CITY NJ. I WAS ON A STOP LIGHT AND WHEN IT TURNED GREEN, THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE AS MUCH AS IT WAS SUPPOSE TO WHEN YOU PRESS ON GAS PEDAL. IT WAS LITERALLY MOVING 5 MILES PER HOUR. I WAS PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL FOR THE CAR TO GO BUT IT WAS STILL NOT EVEN MOVING UP. I TURNED ON THE HAZARDS AND PULLED OVER. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TURNED OFF THE CAR FIRST. I CHECKED THE GAS TANK AND THE ENGINE BUT I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS LIT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. I BROUGHT IT TO THE CAR DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY ARE NOT 100% SURE WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT BUT THEY DISCONNECTED THE ALARM WIRE TO SEE IF THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. THE SECOND PROBLEM OF THIS CAR IS WHEN YOU PRESS ON THE BRAKE, IT STILL MOVES A LITTLE BIT. WHEN YOU START GOING AND PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL, YOU HAVE TO PRESS ON IT HARDER FOR IT TO GO BUT IT GASES UP THAN IT NORMALLY DOES. I HAVE RECENTLY SAW THE PREVIOUS OWNERS RECEIPTS FOR ITS CAR SERVICE AND HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. HE ALWAYS HAD TO FIX THE ACCELERATOR BUT UNTIL NOW, IT IS STILL THE SAME AND STILL NEEDS TO BE FIXED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO GO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 23, 2011Service brakes, hydraulic, Engine and engine cooling, Electronic stability control (esc)ODI 10403304

Showing 6 of 71 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Service brakes

Free remedy

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 SCION XD AND MY 2009-2010 COROLLA, AND COROLLA MATRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 1.8L ENGINE AND ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. WHEN DRIVING UNDER CERTAIN UNIQUE CONDITIONS IN EXTREMELY LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURES, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SUCTION PORT FOR THE BRAKE VACUUM CAN BECOME BLOCKED DUE TO THE FREEZING OF CONDENSATION RESULTING FROM POSITIVE CRANKCASE VENTILATION.

Service brakes, hydraulicReported Aug 27, 2009NHTSA 09V338000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 8, 2026

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