Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Toyota Corolla owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. While driving at approximately 40 MPH and attempting to engage the brakes, the brakes seized without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the rear the preceding vehicle. The vehicle landed on the divider and the air bags did not deploy. The contact was injured and received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a collision shop. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V285000 (air bags); however, the recall repair was not performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000. ..updated 09-29-15
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and pressing the brake pedal to stop, the brakes malfunctioned causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of a second vehicle. The driver sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. No police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that the failure occurred on multiple occasions. In 2009, the complete brake system was replaced due to a defect. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
The car wouldn't break a few months back causing it to smash into the person infront of me ever since then and getting repaired nothing has fixed it.
On this date (nov. 19, 2009) my mother and I were on the way to work on interstate 45, it was a clear day no weather issues at all. After about 20 min into our commute we came up on an accident in the road, where a car up ahead had spent out of control, as I applied my foot to the brake the car continued to accelerate and instead of the car coming to a stop we collided with the car in front of me. Now when I say the car kept going it did instead of hitting the SUV once we hit him twice as if my foot wasn't to the floorboard. The entire front of my car was destroyed, the SUV in front had a small dent, but thanks to the lord no one was hurt except for a large bruise on my mother and lots of hurt feelings for me. The police were called to the scene and it was when they showed up I realized that the impact was so bad that it jarred our doors shut. …
I was driving coming from my sister in laws house at grandview, washington leaving around 7:40 am heading home to seattle going west to interstate-82 on Friday, August 22, 2008 with my three kids. I was using my cruise control and stayed on the left lane for about 20 to 30 minutes. We just left yakima city and headed to the fred redmon memorial bridge at around 8:30 am going up hill, in which I saw two tractor-trailer far in advance and both were driving on the right lane. The left lane was open as I drove in to the bridge but then the other tractor-trailer made a change to go to the left lane. I was probably 50 feet away when the other tractor-trailer made the change to the left lane. I was cruising about 50 to 60 MPH in which I have to put my right foot on the brake pedal. At first, I thought I step on my gas pedal because the car did not slowdown a bit. …
Tl contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla which was purchased brand new. The vehicle has Goodyear integrity tires, 195/65/r15, which were the original tires. She stated that whenever she would travel on wet road conditions the vehicle would slide and the brakes would not respond. On one occasion, while exiting a highway ramp at speeds of less than 15 MPH during inclement weather, the vehicle began to slide around the exit ramp. She attempted to control the vehicle, to no avail. She then proceeded to do a complete 360 degree turn and crashed into a concrete wall. There were no injuries. There was moderate damage on the front-end of the vehicle and she was able to drive the vehicle from the scene to the dealer. She was awaiting a damage estimate from the dealer. No repairs were made to date. The failure and current mileages were under 23,000. Updated 4/7/2010 updated 06/01/10
Daugther who is seventeen stated that Toyota Corolla 2007 in which she was driving was turning a corner on highway 218 in and around polkton ,nc was unable to steer vehicle and wheel became very loose and unable to turn and steer and when attempted to stop car brakes would not work and daughter eventually went over opposite oncoming lane and off road into a ditch thank god no oncoming car was coming could have been a lethal if car was coming daugter hurt her back in the accident please help us there is a problem with powersteering in these Toyota Corolla and it is a sign from god almighty and needs looking in to this matter I dreamed weeks before this happened that my daughter had died andwhen we took the car to Toyota they said they did not have a recall on this car but you have complaints and it must be looked into before something dangerously happens please dont ignore this plea
This happened about four weeks apart with two different drivers under similar conditions. We were slowing to stop at a stop sign traveling 5-10 MPH and when we applied the brake, the engine reved up. When it happened to me the the car wouldn't stop when I applied the brake so I put the car into neutral and thus avoided hitting car ahead of me. I took the vehicle to my local Toyota dealer. They had it for a day and half and said they could find nothing wrong. They said I should remove my after market car mat ( which I have) and suggested that both drivers had applied the brake and accelorator at the same time. I think this is highly unlikely as my foot isn't wide enough to do both unless my foot is nearly off the brake. The car mat in question has been the car for 6 plus years and is a custom made one which does not slip.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Corolla. While driving approximately 20 MPH approaching the intersection, the contact attempted to slow down and the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle continued moving into the intersection causing a vehicle to crash into the contact's driver side door. The air bags did not deploy. The contact received injuries to the neck. The insurance company investigated the failure and confirmed that the brakes were working properly. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not moving fast and the crash was not severe enough for the air bag to deploy, but they also stated that the air bag was not connected to the driver's seat. The mount vernon police department report 10-24232 was filed. The failure and the current mileage were 33,000.
While entering a curve my car slowed down then all of a sudden accelerated to an uncontrollable speed, I tried to regain control of my car by tapping on the brakes which did not help my situation as a matter of fact it made things worse, to avoid oncoming traffic I hit a pole again at a high rate of speed which made my car spin, I am a professional school bus driver & have taken this and many other curves for years, I could not explain why this car did what it did, as a result of this crash I received a reckless driver ticket and 2 points on my license because it was a one car accident, the only explanation that the authorities could give me was hydroplane, thats not what happened it was as if this car my car of 7 years had a mind of its on and started racing.
Brake complaints in other Corolla years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2007 Toyota Corolla?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the brakes of the 2007 Toyota Corolla, 5% of the model year's 836 complaints. The component named most often is pedals and linkages (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota Corolla brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2007 Toyota Corolla, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 Toyota Corolla brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 34,000 miles, and 36% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 19 crashes, 0 fires and 11 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.