This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Brake ABS and front brakes have completely failed because a software error where the and cannot be calibrated and terminates during calibration. The car only has rear brakes which frequently lock of and cause a safety issue. Front brakes completely disabled due to a software calibration issue
The ABS Actuator failed. It can be inspected. This is dangerous as this has the possibility of causing a brake failure. A retired mechanic plugged in his scan tool and determined that the ABS actuator is leaking. In addition, I can tell audibly that this is the case because the car's pump is starting up every 10-15 seconds trying to fill the air reservoir but is unable to due to the leak. Neither the vehicle nor the component has been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. The brake and ABS lights are lit up on the dashboard. The car's pump is starting up every 10-15 seconds trying to fill the air reservoir but is unable to due to the leak.
The electronic brake actuator failed while driving causing the loss of brakes. Didn't cause accident but still very dangerous situation. Mechanic pulled odb code c1256 from vehicle and says not to drive until it is repaired.
- West Union, SC, USA
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The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the brakes failed when pressed causing the vehicle to crash into the rear end of a second vehicle. During the crash, the air bags did not deploy and the rear driver-side seat belt had sprung outward, although no rear seat passenger was present. The second vehicle's rear driver's side passenger was later treated for an undisclosed injury. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 240,000.
I was shocked to find out that Toyota appears to be falsifying data in order to get out of paying to repair safety problems with their cars. Hiding safety issues may have already led to injuries and death. We bought a 2008 Toyota Prius in 2014. The title with Virginia DMV is dated 08/01/14. On November 4, 2023, after several indicator lights showed up, I found out from my garage that the car's anti-lock braking system was defective and not working. However, according to the garage manager, Toyota had acknowledged a defect with their anti-lock braking system. There had been a recall some years ago for this part on the 2008 Prius, but it was no longer in effect. On November 6, 2023, Brittany at Toyota told me the same thing. Toyota acknowledged in 2016 that there was a problem with the anti-lock braking system with this model of car, and that it would be replaced for free by Toyota. This was a "customer support program" rather than a recall. However, according to Brittany, the notice of this "customer support program" was not mailed to us. It was mailed to the previous owner, who owned it before 2014. We never received it. Of course, the dates do not work. We bought the car in 2014, and the notice went out in 2016. There was no reason to send the notice to someone who didn't own the car. Brittany, pretty innocently, had revealed that Toyota is falsifying records. She said that Toyota is using state DMV records to find car owners and send notices of faulty and dangerous parts. However, this is obviously not true. Virginia DMV issued our title to the car on 08/01/14, well before the recall. The only way I can see this happening is if Toyota is falsifying records so that they have to pay to fix far fewer cars. This practice could easily lead to injury and death. There would appear to be a notification mailing, with a postage bill to prove it, but it could have been at least partly fabricated by using past owners instead of current owners. If Toyota had not falsi
Yes it is available for inspection upon request. My brakes failed going down the road due to a flaw in brake actuator design that had a previous recall. My safety was put at risk as the brakes failed while I was traveling down the road. The problem has not gone away and can be easily reproduced. There are various warning lamps and the car is unable to be driven. Requests for Toyota to repair the vehicle have been fruitless. This is a KNOWN issue on this year and model.
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the messages for the parking brake, tire pressure monitoring system, ABS, and VSC illuminated while driving. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the brake actuator and brake pump were faulty and needed to be replaced. The failure was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed of the Manufacturer's Extended Warranty Coverage for the failure however, the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 129,674.
The inverter water pump failed while I was driving 50mph, it caused the car to stop working and the brakes malfunctioned as well. When I tried to hit the brakes I had to hit them a lot harder and it still acted like it wasn-??t going to stop. I was lucky enough that the light up ahead was still green and the cars in front of me started going forward.
Vehicle braking system faulting because of lack of pressure from failing ABS accumulator. Given the price of the vehicle on the used market, parts and labor drive the cost of repair to a significant portion of the vehicle's value.
Abs system began a high pitch tone every time the brake pedal was pressed. Brakes did not function consistently, stopping either jarringly or not at all at a specific pressure. Brake pedal has high resistance. Toyota system diagnosed ABS codes C1252, C1256, and C1391: indicative of a faulty/broken brake actuator.
I was driving at a speed of 30mph on a road with a slight incline. As I descended that slight incline, I began my descent at a speed of 30mph. There was about 250 ft between the descent of the incline, and the red light at the bottom. As soon as I began my descent I lost all brake pressure. Fortunately there was an entrance to a parking lot to my right, just before the stop light. When friction had slowed my car down I was able to find a parking spot to pull over. Accompanied with my failing brakes were all of my brake associated lights on the dash, and the red triangle light. There was also a steady high pitch buzzing noise. Still, without brake pressure I get out to inspect the car. There were no signs of leaking brake fluid and the rotors and pads were in great condition. The drum brakes in the back were also in great working order. After finding nothing of suspicion, I turn the far off and back on. To my surprise all the warning lights were off, and my brakes were once again functioning properly. The only thing changed was a buzzing noise from the brake actuator as it built up pressure. It has now been over a month with no issues from the brakes expect for the lingering unusual noise from the actuator, which I suspect it to mean that the actuator is close to failing. I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I took the car to my nearest Toyota dealer the day after the incident. They were not able to read any codes because the codes did not store. They told me they would have to see the car with all the lights on for it to read. Basically meaning, "we can't do anything about it until you're life is at great risk". This problem should absolutely be recalled as I am not the only one to have this issue. Toyota says there top priority is consumer safety, yet they blatantly disregard the issue, and instead do very little to resolve it.
To whom it my concern, I-??m the original owner of a 2008 Toyota Prius. The car has 93,000 miles on it. I encountered a braking problem one day after starting the car and backing up. The brakes felt spongy and car started to roll backwards with the brakes applied. Had to push harder for the car to stop. The VSC, ABS and brake lights were on, on the dash with a tone I could hear indicating something is wrong. I shut the car down and restarted and problem still existed. I called the dealer and did a little research online and found out the brake actuator had malfunctioned and will need to be replaced. Dealer said there was a program offering an extended warranty, but that has expired in 2018. I never received any letter from dealer or Toyota themselves indicating there was a problem. I called Toyota corporate office and they indicated a letter was sent out in 2016, but I never received any letter. The car now sits and I-??m trying to figure out if it-??s worth fixing. This car has meticulously been taken car of and ran great when I was driving it. I will try reaching out to Toyota again to see if there any exceptions to this case. Over 700,000 cars were affected by this problem and was wondering why a recalled was not issued.
There are no lights on in the dashboard. Everything seem normal and working fine. I was trying to park going like 5 mph, I had to stop because some people were crossing and the breaks failed, car kept going for like 5 seconds, there was a beep and a few lights turned on (break, abs, !). Finally the car came to a sudden and abrupt stop, after that the lights turned back off. It was horrible, lucky I didn't hurt anyone. I drove back home immediately very slow. It happened 3 more times, specially when going in reverse and after a turn. Mechanic said there are no codes and he wasn't able to figure it out. This is a huge safety problem. A recall definitely needs to be done.
Brake actuator has failed. The brakes no longer are getting pressure, and require a lot of force on the pedal to stop. The brake light is on, as well as ABS, vsc, and ! lights. Apparently this is a known issue, and Toyota was fixing these under warranty up to 10 years / 150,000 miles, whichever came first. My car has 128K miles, but it's more than 10 years old, and thus, the faulty part is no longer covered under the warranty.
My VIN number says its a 2008, it is a 2011, Prius my brake booster pump went out and locked my breaks. I ended up on side walk. Called dealer said it was dangerous to drive. It appears that there is a recall/class action. Costing me $1400 for a new system. It was in motion.
While driving normally down the highway, a buzzing pitch suddenly came up at the same time that a red triangle, ABS, brake, and brake system warnings lighted up. The brakes felt unresponsive, but fortunately, there was low traffic and I was able to get home safely. When I started the car the next day and changed the gear from parking to reverse, the brakes again were unresponsive, and I had to press them completely down to avoid a collision. I was able to get the car to the dealer, and they diagnosed a failed brake actuator. The dealer informed me that there was an enhanced warranty for this part and although the car qualified under the mileage requirements (it had only 76,500 miles), they told me that I was out of that warranty because the car was more than 10 years old. I inquired them about how it was possible that if they knew about this part failure, I was never notified about it as an owner. Then, they explained to me that it was not a recall, that they only informed a customer if his/her car presented that specific problem. The cost of the repair was around $2,750 with parts and labor. From what I have read online, this has been a continuing issue affecting many Toyota Prius as well as other Toyota models, and it seems that Toyota has tried to avoid a recall on it. At least, they should have implemented that enhanced warranty for the vehicle's lifetime if they do not proactively notify about it. I personally was lucky that I did not get hurt, but clearly, this malfunctioning part is a safety hazard for drivers out there and a recall should have been issued to prevent accidents; we are talking about people's lives.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Aurora, CO, USA