Brake actuator assembly failure

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have just been informed by the Toyota dealership it will cost me $3,500 to have the brake actuator assembly replaced on my 2013 Toyota Corolla with only 85,000 miles on it. I believe this part should not have gone bad with this amount of miles on it. Could it be possible this was faulty in production and has now gone bad? What are your thoughts?

2

You are out of warranty and things break or just quit working for no reason . If you still have functioning brakes get a second opinion from an independent brake shop.

3 Likes
3

Manufacturing defects generally show up early. Not sure what the dealer is calling the brake actuator assembly. Maybe the abs modulator. 83K miles, stuff breaks. Sorry.

4

Search online- Toyota has a history of issues with brake actuators on other models. Some resulted in warranty extensions. I couldn’t find anything specific to the Corolla. Wouldn’t be hard to believe if they have issues on other models that the Corolla might also be affected… You could try finding an independent mechanic to replace the module. Probably cost less than half of the price the dealership quoted. Saw prices online for those modules that were around a grand…

5

Your owners manual should have a number to call if you need help with your Toyota. The CSR (customer service rep) at Toyota may be able to authorize a warranty extension or offer to pay a percentage of the repair costs. Remember you have used this for 85k miles so far so it is unlikely that they will pay 100%, but they might.

6

You’re out of warranty, so it’s not necessary to let the dealership fix this. Find a good local, independent mechanic who has a good reputation and works on Japanese imports. Have them do it. It will probably cost you a lot less.

For what it’s worth, I agree that this part should not have failed this early. But then I became nearsighted in the 8th grade and I firmly believe that my eyes should not have failed that early either. :wink: Sometimes things go bad earlier than they ought to, but once they’re out of warranty all you can do is throw yourself on the mercy of the manufacturer and hope they pitch in with a good-will percentage of the repair cost. If they agree to pay a percentage of the repair, still check with that independent mechanic. If they can do it for $1,000 then getting 50% off of $3,500 is still more expensive.