My 2002 toyota echo on nov. 16th 2010 while driving on the freeway in the county of los angeles ca. Went into reverse while still in drive. There was traffic ahead of me so I was only driving about 2 MPH when it went into reverse while the automatic shift was still in drive. I went to put on the brake but the brakes did not work. I turned off the car and put on the hazards. Two minutes went by when I turned on the car and it went into drive. I then took it to the keyes toyota in van nuys ca, and was told that they never heard of this before from any toyota cars and that if they were even to look it would be completely at my expense. I sold the car for parts on 11/18/10.
Toyota Echo brake failure problems
11 of the 195 owner complaints about the Toyota Echo describe brake failure, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 11
- worst model year
- 2000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20051
- 20023
- 20007
Often reported together
What owners say
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 MPH on normal road conditions, without any warning signal, the brakes made the vehicle pull violent to the right. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the disc where bent and had to be replaced. After a short period of time the brakes failed again and the dealership o machined them to even the surfaces. Five months later, the problem persisted and the dealership machined the discs again. After the forth failure of the brakes, the problem was reported to a local consumer protection agency relating to the lemon law, but was referred to the federal safety agency. The manufacturer was contacted but they provided a referral to the office in puerto rico. The contact expressed concern because driving on a hilly area with defectives brakes would be highly risky.
2002 toyota echo experienced brake failure.*mr the consumer stated the brakes did not function at the same time, which caused the consumer to spin out of control. The brake indicator did not function as designed to let the consumer know when the brakes had worn out.
While applying the brakes pedal went to the floor. Vehicle stopped on its own. Driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove to the dealer for inspection, but mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. Driver informed the mechanic that this problem occurred more than once and still had not been resolved.
Brakes failed to stop vehicle when applied, and it rear ended another vehicle. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy. No injuries reported. Vehicle was towed, and totaled by the insurance company.
While driving 45 MPH brakes failed, causing the vehicle to roll down a cliff. As a result of severe damage the vehicle was totaled. *ak at an earlier date, the consumer tried to stop the vehicle but spun around on the front tires. Toyota informed the consumer that they did not cover the tires. The consumer was unable to stop the vehicle and swerved to miss an oncoming vehicle. Recall #02v268000 was issued after the occurrence. On the second occasion, the vehicle had gone over a cliff and hit a tree. The consumer requested compensation.
Vehicle was involved in a rear end collsion when brakes failed.*ak consumer stated when he attempted to apply the brakes they did not hold, and consequently rear ended another motorist.
Consumer started the vehicle and put it in reverse to back out. He applied brakes and the brake failed to stop. The vehicle rolled backward into wooded ditch. Also, consumer stated there was a vibration and hissing noise, one person was injured in the accident.
Prior to recall 01v326, brakes failed to stop and vehicle was involved in 3 different accidents, the consumer was injured in one of the accidents.
Vehicle has had brake problems since purchase in april 2000. Front pads were replaced 4 times; in june/ august/ december 2000, and june 2001. Front rotors were replaced once, and brakes failed and caused consumer to rearend another vehicle. Brake pedal felt normal, vehicle just kept going as brake was applied. Damage was $ 2000.00.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles have the possibility that the recess retains a rubber seal ring, which is located at the end of the cylinder body, and may be corroded due to an improper washing process.
- Risk
- In this condition, brake fluid may leak from the seal, or a small amount of air may enter the master cylinder, which could lead to an increase of vehicle stopping distance.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder and, if necessary, replace the brake master cylinder and booster. The recall began on november 29, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1‑888‑270‑9371.
Recall number 04V455000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, if the vehicle is driven under repeated start and stop operation in low ambient temperatures and in deep snow, there is a possibility that snow could accumulate in large quantities inside the rear wheel and freeze. The snow frozen inside the wheel could contact the rear brake line during wheel rotation.
- Risk
- If this condition occurs frequently, the rear brake line could be damaged, which could result in leakage of brake fluid, causing a decrease in brake effectiveness.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear brake lines. Owner notification began november 9, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 02V268000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission. Due to a unique combination of conditions which consist of cold ambient temperatures, load applied from air conditioner and other electrical devices, and immediately after starting the engine, there is a possibility that the vacuum in the intake manifold could be insufficient for the brake booster.
- Risk
- When the brake is applied under this combination of conditions, vacuum assist to the brakes would decrease, and the increased pedal pressure required could lead to an increase in vehicle stopping distance.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake booster and front brake pads. Owner notification began october 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 01V326000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota Echo brake failure
Which Toyota Echo years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (7 complaints), 2002 (3 complaints) and 2005 (1 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Toyota Echo?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history