Out of nowhere one month ago, suddenly BRAKE, ABS, and few other lights suddenly lit and a loud buzzer warning came on; and when I stopped and restarted are, did not occur again. A few feet later same thing happened; I drove home slowly with flashers on but had no brakes, and I was only able to coast to a stop. Took it to hybrid repair, who said no brake code noted in computer and diagnosed problem as faulty starter battery, which I had replaced. OK for few days, then suddenly, same problem including warning buzzer, lights, and no brakes. Repair shop has had for more than a week and they cannot replicate code.
They said problem could be either hybrid battery or brake computer system, but without knowing, even if I get these fixed, I am terrified it could happen again while driving.
Toyota part # 4450047141 has a reputation of failing and costing $3000 to $6000 to replace. This part is called the brake activator. Technicians claim that it is no fun to replace and takes about a day. This part failed causing a collision with a FED-EX truck causing over $3000 of damage as claimed by the local Toyota body shop. The person I talked to at NHTSA claimed that no help would be coming from them. The insurance is yet to be resolved 32 days after the wreck. I believe that this is a serious safety concern and this part should be tested on a regular basis. I have yet to learn how. Everyone on the internet seems to consider the Toyota Automobile Company to be unresponsive. I hope that they are wrong.
If I drive my Prius for over 20 mins or on the highway for more than a half hour, my car lights all go on in the dash board and my car makes a loud noise and I lose my brakes! Very scary to say the least! When I park the car every thing goes back to normal until I drive the car again for a period of time. Short trips okay but longer trips not alright! So I have parked my car.
- Rose K.,
Taylor, MI, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Out of nowhere one month ago, suddenly BRAKE, ABS, and few other lights suddenly lit and a loud buzzer warning came on; and when I stopped and restarted are, did not occur again. A few feet later same thing happened; I drove home slowly with flashers on but had no brakes, and I was only able to coast to a stop. Took it to hybrid repair, who said no brake code noted in computer and diagnosed problem as faulty starter battery, which I had replaced. OK for few days, then suddenly, same problem including warning buzzer, lights, and no brakes. Repair shop has had for more than a week and they cannot replicate code.
They said problem could be either hybrid battery or brake computer system, but without knowing, even if I get these fixed, I am terrified it could happen again while driving.
- Lois E., Longmont, US