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 Yaris owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Any day, any weather, any road conditions. The road could be as dry as a bone. When I drive around a curve (it doesn't matter if I'm driving 45 MPH, or 15 MPH), the break pedal will engage on it's own, the steering wheel will lock, and a beeping alarm will go off. I have no control of the van. It will put me into oncoming traffic. Everyday. Everyday. Any time I drive this van. Multiple times a day for the last 15 months. Lots of $, and lots of trips to dealer and car repair shops. Can't figure out what is causing the problem, but it's a major problem. We tried new tires, changing wheel sensors, new brakes, adding fluid to steering wheel column, new axels... And the list goes on. Nothing fixes the problem. I've read a lot of similar stories on the internet. Lots pf people, same problem, and nothing is fixing the problem on anyone's van. There isn't a solution to a major problem.
While driving on the freeway at approximately 55-60 MPH traffic came to a sudden stop. I applied the brakes to the 2007 Toyota Yaris, 4 door and instead of braking normally, the brakes locked, causing the car to slid 30-40 feet, striking the stopped car in front of mine. The impact caused significant front end damage and yet none of the air bags deployed. Fortunately there were no serious injuries, however both the braking system and the airbags failed to work properly. The road conditions were dry and there were no other factors that would have affected the incident.
Tl* the contact owned a 2007 Toyota Yaris. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the brakes failed and the steering locked. As a result, the contact crashed the vehicle into the rear of the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained burns on the chest, a cut on the lip, and a bruised right arm and leg. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed and the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V169000 (seats). The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Yaris. While the vehicle was parked, the hand brake would not release. The failure recurred constantly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Toyota motor corp. Has confirmed to me that the 2007 manual-transmission Toyota Yaris engine has insufficient compression to hold the car on an incline when the engine is off and the transmission is in first gear. I experience a continual bumping-back on a slight hill. (I discovered this only when I hadn't set the parking brake because I was sitting in the car.) I've driven stick-shifts all my life and every independent mechanic I've shown this to has agreed that it is a tragedy waiting to happen. Several noted that it is called "reverse dieseling". Problem #1: consumers are not being informed of this situation. I'd never have purchased the car if I'd known. Solution: a letter must be sent to all Yaris owners immediately, informing them of this. Problem #2: at the bare minimum, why is there no warning system which is activated when the parking brake is not set? …
Thirteen months have passed and now I have a failure of the left rear wheel speed sensor to match the failed right rear wheel speed sensor that was replaced. The repair action will be to replace the sensor and wiring harness. Due to excessive corrosion, the dealer is recommending replacement of both the left and right rear wheel speed sensor wiring. This will be the third rear wheel speed sensor failure on two Yaris that I have had to deal with in 14 months. The cold weather and salt used on the roads during a snowy winter appear to wreak havoc on the connection between the wiring harness and the rear wheel speed sensors on the Yaris sedans. A little internet research will lead you to the conclusion that this is a very common problem in Canada or anywhere where salt is used on the roads in winter. …
Both the parking brake and anti-lock brake system [ABS] indicator lights illuminated while driving and with the parking brake not engaged. The lights remained illuminated. Upon inspection of the rear skid control sensor and skid control sensor wire [part of the ABS], I found both the passenger and driver's side assemblies to be very wet and dirty with mud both inside and outside the electrical connector between the wire and the sensor itself on the hub assembly. On the driver's side, the electrical connector pins were badly corroded. So much so, in fact, that one of the pins was broken and partially disintegrated. With the connection being corroded and broken, the ABS will not function. …
The ABS light would start coming on from time to time. It would stay on for days at a time (during which time I had no ABS), then go off for no reason. The brake pedal started to shudder and vibrate whether or not I was touching it. If it happened to be vibrating while I was actually braking, brake power would be heavily reduced. This has caused me to have to swerve out of the way several times so I don't rear-end someone. This has happened every winter since 2009, and has not gone off since last winter (2011/2012). Many other Yaris owners have complained of this same problem happening. Many attribute it to one or both of the rear wheel sensors. Some have had this replaced for many hundreds of dollars by Toyota; while it fixes the problem for a while, the new sensor becomes faulty within a couple of years (absurdly short amount of time). …
My ABS and brake lights came on at the same time on my 2007 Yaris sedan. The manual states to stop driving the car and contact the dealer immediately. The car is a daily commute car with 75,000 miles at the time. The problem was an internal failure of the right rear wheel speed sensor. The dealer replaced the sensor (part number 42450-52060 / hub & brg assy r), and cleaned corrosion from the wiring harness where it connects to the speed sensor. The total repair cost was over $650. The amount of corrosion on a car just over 2 years old on the rear ABS wheel speed sensors shows a potential design flaw in this part and how it is attached on the Yaris vehicle line. This failure disables the ABS system and causes erratic operation. On one occasion on the way to the dealer while the ABS light was off I had a brake anomaly. …
My 2007 Toyota Yaris sedan; when I apply brakes to slow down while at high speed on rough roads,I can feel like the sensation of no intention of car to stop,I feel the brake pads in front or rear brake shoes like in a jerking motion,I feel the motion in the brake pedal,I visually inspect brake wear often because of this,brake shoes lining are very thin normally by factory, I even bought new brake shoes and did not installed them because there was not much difference between old and new linings,aside from that I am content with Yaris ,I am 60 yrs old,driving since I was 19,drove commercially in the past, could there be a problem with the brake system of 2007 Yaris,I never felt such sensation in brake pedals while slowing down at high speed on rough roads while driving any vehicle,could you look into that? …
Brake complaints in other Yaris years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2007 Toyota Yaris?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the brakes of the 2007 Toyota Yaris, 14% of the model year's 296 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota Yaris brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2007 Toyota Yaris, though it has 10 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 Yaris brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 59,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 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.