Parts for your 1999 Toyota Echo|yaris-Centre bearing

1999 Toyota Echo/Yaris centre-bearing: what’s fitted and what isn’t

Short answer: a centre-bearing isn’t used on the 1999 Toyota Echo/Yaris. That first‑gen Echo/Yaris (NCP10/NCP12) runs a front‑wheel‑drive transaxle with two short driveshafts (CV axles) and no longitudinal prop shaft. There’s nothing down the middle of the car to support, so there’s no centre support bearing in the driveline. This is backed by Toyota’s Electronic Parts Catalog for NCP10/NCP12 models (front axle shaft assemblies only, no propeller shaft or carrier bearing), the Toyota New Car Features information for the platform (FWD transaxle layout), and general workshop literature such as Haynes/Autodata for the same generation, which show CV axles and hubs but no centre-bearing arrangement.

Why isn’t a centre-bearing used here? Centre-bearings are designed for vehicles with a two‑piece prop shaft (common on rear‑drive utes, vans, and some AWDs). They hold the middle of a long shaft steady, controlling vibration and keeping alignment sweet. The 1999 Echo/Yaris doesn’t have a prop shaft at all—drive goes straight from the gearbox/differential (transaxle) to each front wheel via compact CV axles—so the need for a centre-bearing simply never arises.

It’s worth noting that some FWD cars use an intermediate (jack) shaft with a carrier bearing on the right‑hand side to help equalise shaft lengths. On the AU/NZ‑delivered first‑gen Echo/Yaris, the catalogue listings and workshop procedures don’t call out a separate carrier bearing assembly