Brake Pedal Goes To Floor

I have a Corolla 2009. It's about 6 months that the brake pedal feels soft and when I stop at a red traffic light and have to hold the brake down, the pedal keeps going down until touches the floor (within 10 seconds). The car still stops safely, but it's scary and concerning. The ABS system does not work propely after this condition either, because I guess there is not enough pressure for it to get engaged. I am sure this is not normal, because we deal with a hydraulic system and when the pedal goes all the way down it means somewhere hydraulic system leaks. There is no leak of brake fluid as its level is constant in the reservoir, so I guess the main brake cylinder is not well sealed.

 

I took my car to a dealer and with much surprise they said it was normal!! they say all Corollas do the same! I can't believe it that they refuse to accept it. My car is still under warranty and I am wondering how I can negotiate with the dealer and have them check it thoroughly and fix it. Your thoughts are welcomed.

Call Toyota national customer care. I have never seen this condition in a properly functioning brake system and would be quite reluctant to keep driving this car with the pedal going to the floor.

get it to a dealer ASAP, theres something wrong and you're under warranty.

get it to a dealer ASAP, theres something wrong and you're under warranty.

sounds like air in the brake line, one time, this idiot at a toyota dealership got air in the brake line

 

after a brake, job, he denied the whole thing, I told him to bleeed the lines, and the problem went away.

Or perhaps it is a recall defect, in which case, I'd be upset as hell at the dealership.

I would start out by reporting it to the NHTSA.

I would then find a new Toyota dealer to do business with. I have found there is quite a difference in them, if you check around.

I cannot believe the poor quality and potential safety issues that many of these dealers pass off with the phrase “it’s normal”. This is complete nonsense. Either these dealer’s service departments are completely incompetent at diagnosing and repairing cars as a result of years of not having to do so, (due to Toyota’s traditional quality), or they have been pressured by Toyota to gloss over all kinds of legitimate problems with this “its normal” answer.

Either way, if you add up all the legitimate problems that customers have taken to Toyota dealers, and been given the “its normal” answer; it makes you seriously question why you would ever buy another Toyota product, if all these discrepancies are in fact normal for their cars.

Correction: I cannot believe the poor quality and potential safety issues that some of these dealers pass off with the phrase “it’s normal”. This is complete nonsense. In my humble opinion, either these dealer’s service departments are completely incompetent at diagnosing and repairing cars as a result of years of not having to do so, (due to Toyota’s traditional quality), or have they been pressured to gloss over all kinds of legitimate problems with this “its normal” answer? You need to find a dealer that does not offer that pat answer. If you look around you find they are out there.

i'll guess its a bad master cylinder.

i'll guess its a bad master cylinder.

could this be one of the defects ??

When my brake pedal fell to the floor, the mechanic that did the brake job said it was normal,

I told him it was not. Then I ordered him to bleed the brake line or I was going to make a big fuss,

I was ready to punch him in the face, I really don't lose my temper that often, this was the only time

in my life at at dealership, I almost lost it.

well if the part is bad then yea a defect. air just doesn't get into the brake system on its own, there would have to be an external leak which you would notice hopefully or the brake light would come on to indicate low fluid. since its not on i would guess a bad master, it can cause the pedal to goto the floor without loss of brake fluid.

I have a Corolla 2009. It's about 6 months that the brake pedal feels soft and when I stop at a red traffic light and have to hold the brake down, the pedal keeps going down until touches the floor (within 10 seconds). The car still stops safely, but it's scary and concerning. The ABS system does not work propely after this condition either, because I guess there is not enough pressure for it to get engaged. I am sure this is not normal, because we deal with a hydraulic system and when the pedal goes all the way down it means somewhere hydraulic system leaks. There is no leak of brake fluid as its level is constant in the reservoir, so I guess the main brake cylinder is not well sealed.

 

I took my car to a dealer and with much surprise they said it was normal!! they say all Corollas do the same! I can't believe it that they refuse to accept it. My car is still under warranty and I am wondering how I can negotiate with the dealer and have them check it thoroughly and fix it. Your thoughts are welcomed.

i registerd specialy with this form to comment regarding issue of corolla 2009 brake defect because i suffered from the same problem since i had this car before one year back i felt the brake pedal going lower down to touch floor when i press and in most cases when i drive fast the car not stop so i had 3 accidents!!!!!!!!but fortunately i am not injured but my car destroyed and with surprising the dealer insist to deny that there is problem in the brake although i reported this since first accident i made and now just before one week i had the third accident , i hit one car in front of me although there was enough space about 5 meter between us and and that car was stoped but the brake fail to stop my car although i pressed untill i touch the floor

now i don't know what to do and even if i sell this car it will be very cheap as it had 3 accidents histories

classic example of a customer being too ignorant or lazy to take appropriate action to get the toyota dealer or the national office to do the right thing. I am sorry to say this man, but how can you go through more than one accident and not realize this is a safety hazard. Your, along with your family's life is on the line, and you haven't contacted toyota telling them that the dealer won't fix the problem?

No one is that stupid. This sounds like a troll to me.

(I never lose my temper on things like this, but sorry, I had to say it this time).

We have an '09 Corolla S, and the situation you've described is not normal. Anyone who tells you it is is lying to you (yes, I said LYING to you).

My experience, so far, with my dealer's service department is that they don't do ANYTHING without prior authorization from Toyota. If Toyota doesn't know about it (or won't fess up), neither does the dealer. It's like they won't think for themselves. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but to tell you the brake pedal going to the floor is normal, in my opinion, borders on criminal negligence.

I agree that you should take it elsewhere, even to the dealership of another make of car -- ANYTHING -- to find and resolve the problem.

We have an '09 Corolla S, and the situation you've described is not normal. Anyone who tells you it is is lying to you (yes, I said LYING to you).

 

My experience, so far, with my dealer's service department is that they don't do ANYTHING without prior authorization from Toyota. If Toyota doesn't know about it (or won't fess up), neither does the dealer. It's like they won't think for themselves. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but to tell you the brake pedal going to the floor is normal, in my opinion, borders on criminal negligence.

I agree that you should take it elsewhere, even to the dealership of another make of car -- ANYTHING -- to find and resolve the problem.

 

this is true for all dealerships, the company usually treats the service technicians like kids . Of course if you went to a honda dealership, the service technicians there have free hand at criticizing the toyota.