Toyota Tacoma spongy pedal problems

Filed Apr 27, 2026 · Brakes · 77,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the brake pedal was spongy while depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure persisted, and the contact discovered oil on the bottom of his shoe before discovering oil in the driver’s side footwell. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that oil was leaking from the engine firewall onto the brake pedal. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was initially informed that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V888000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact was provided with an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

Filed Dec 29, 2023 · Brakes · IN

Brake pedal spongy and when pushed and held it continuously goes slowly to the floor. I believe the recall for the master cylinder should have been extended back further.

Filed Sep 8, 2023 · Brakes · NY

Truck had to be abandoned after I attempted to start it and the brake pedal was stiff and the ignition would not allow starter to function. Dashboard message indicated a brake problem with transmission interlock. The next day, after viewing a U-Tube video on the problem (same make/model/year) I held the starter button in for 12-15 seconds with no foot on the brake. The engine started but the transmission remained locked in Park. Tow truck operator was able to release the shifter using an access port and screwdriver and found that he could drive it up onto the inclined platform. Once in place on the platform he shifted to Park and found it was again locked. This issue disabled the truck in a traffic area where it could not be started or shifted into Neutral to move it...a dangerous situation.

Filed Oct 26, 2022 · Brakes · OR

Truck has 3900 miles on it. From day 1, the brakes almost go down to the floor when sitting at a stop. If you press the brakes normally during driving, they seem to be okay, but if you sit at a stop, you can practically push the pedal to the floor. The only time I have ever experienced this is when you have a leak in the system or one of the brake components, such as the master cylinder, has failed. I spoke to one Toyota dealer and they said that there is a seal in the master cylinder that goes bad. I took my truck to my local Toyota dealer yesterday and they said that this was normal and that they have had other customers report the same issue. While I believe the dealer is going off the information that they have, I believe there is something truly wrong with these Tacoma brakes. I am a little terrified to drive this truck because of what could happen if I have to suddenly brake hard. I work on cars as a hobby and have done many brake repairs over the years and I have never encountered a situation like this one. The pedal is too spongy and should never go near the floor. It's unsettling, especially to those that work on cars and know how brakes are to feel and function. I think this issue needs to be investigated and Toyota needs to come forward and admit that there is an issue with the Tacoma brakes or post a bulletin assuring customers that this is normal operation. The dealers should not have to keep telling people that the brakes are OK.

Filed Nov 8, 2020 · Brakes · 7,500 miles · WI

Aprox mileage march 7k ,mileage now 12k nov 8. On the vehicle. 1st incident. March 2020.colorado mountains getting off of the highway off ramp with a .5percent grade downhill and 800 lb trailer. No brakes at 60mph clear skys 8pm dry pavement.pedal had to be pushed harder and harder to get the truck to stop yet wouldnt stop untill I used emergency brake. Almost lost control due to having to correct which direction I had to go so I wouldn't hit the car infront of me on the off ramp. Dealer inspection says nothing it wrong. 2nd incident was turning on round about flat dry pavement 25 MPH. Had to use e brake again to avoid collision due to soft pedal. Between 1/3and 2/3 of the distance to the floor the pedal seemed non existant again. 3red 4th 5th 6th and 7th incident. May-nov 2020 brake emergency warning comes on dash some times with or without break assist activated. Often when braking semi hard vehicle will brake as if there is oil on the brakes stopping distance becomes 20%-50% longer than anticipated even with pedal to the floor. I do not trust this vehicle. It has been back to the dealer for this issue and we had been told both times it was there that we are "using the break pedal the wrong way". This is getting to be scary for us to drive so we use the other car to take the child places. At random the brakes feel like you have to push the pedal extremely hard and or to the floor hoping the truck will stop. Reguardless of weather, load or pavement conditions.

Filed Jan 29, 2020 · Brakes · 85,000 miles · NJ

About 1 month ago I noticed my brake pedal felt spongy. Checked fluid level, pads and shoes, ok. No sign of a fluid leak. 1 week later I was doing 65mph and had to come to an emergency stop. My brake pedal faded all the way to the floor and I had no braking at all, couldn't pump them up and steered for the open shoulder. I limped home, changed my shorts and looked up the problem on several tacoma forums on the web. It seems to be a very common problem and nobody has an answer, people have replaced every component including the fluid with no luck. I hooked up my obd2 reader that has ABS functionality and it showed no fault codes. This seems to be a common problem and everybody is just guessing what causes the failure. It is the brakes!, the most important safety feature on any car. My truck has been parked and will stay that way until someone (hopefully toyota) figures out what is wrong and why.

Filed Oct 2, 2019 · Brakes · UT

Hi, I have been experiencing issues with my brakes for a few months now. This is a very new truck with about 6200 miles on it. When I go to bake, it feels very spongy. About half of the times that I press on the brake, I feel like my brake pedal goes almost 75% to the floor. I am worried about my safety, as I feel that I won't be able to stop in time if I needed to.

Filed Nov 8, 2015 · Brakes · GA

My brakes are spongy and go to the floor and took to a toyota certified shop and cannot locate the problem

Filed Sep 10, 2013 · Brakes · 51,000 miles · GA · crash

Anti lock feature not allowing adequate braking during emergency stop. Applied brake pedal hard and vehicle would not stop resulting in crash (minor. Tested feature later after accident with similar result..

Filed Jan 9, 2013 · Brakes · 5 miles · OR

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the brake pedal became spongy, causing an increase in stopping distance. In addition, the contact stated that the accelerator and brake pedals were too close in proximity and was causing the contact to erroneously depress the accelerator pedal when attempting to engage the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the technician did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was performing as designed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 5 and the current mileage was 2,800.