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.
My car had the ABS warning light on and I heard a strange noise in the engine compartment. Last year. On October 7, 2017, I was driving on the highway and another driver cut me off, so I had to break hard. The car pulled hard to one side and I hit the retaining wall. Fortunately, the damage to the car was on the bumper cover only, and I was not injured, so I was able to continue driving. The dealer ran diagnostics on my car after the crash and reported I needed to have certain parts replaced. Toyota safety recall 13V-235 describes exactly the symptoms my car shows and requires replacement of exactly the same parts. The only problem is that my car's VIN does not fall in the range Toyota reported in the recall. Apart from that, the problem is the same. My accident could have been very serious had the retaining wall that stopped me not been there. I could have been in the center lanes and the story would have been very different, even with me surviving the accident.
I noticed a 'clicking' in my brakes and loss of pressure in Nov. 2017. I took it to a mechanic friend to look it over and I was advised that it was the brake booster leaking and I should take it to the dealership because there had been a 'recall' sent on certain VIN #S but mine wasn't listed on it. When I took it to the dealership they wanted to charge me $700+ to diagnose and 'fix' the issue. It was not on the recall list because of the production date of my car. I fought with Toyota Corp and they decided to cover the cost as a 'courtesy'. the clicking stopped for about 3 weeks then came back much louder and more frequently. Still losing pressure, enough so that when I was sitting at a stop light I would put the car in 'park' to keep it from moving forward. Again the dealership said this was not covered by the recall and this time the cost would be $4700+ to 'fix' the issue. This time they told me they confirmed the nitrogen leak with the 'bubble test' so it was, in fact, the brake booster, but it was still not covered. This time Toyota said they would only pay $2000 for the total cost, again as a 'courtesy', but I would be responsible for the remaining amount. I asked the dealership if there was something I had done to cause this issue and I was told 'no'. to me then that is a defect from the manufacturer and I should not be responsible. I have maintained this vehicle with the dealership on a consistent basis, always taking it to them for oil changes, rotations, etc. Always on the suggested time schedule.
My car had the ABS warning light on and I heard a strange noise in the engine compartment. Last year. On October 7, 2017, I was driving on the highway and another driver cut me off, so I had to break hard. The car pulled hard to one side and I hit the retaining wall. Fortunately, the damage to the car was on the bumper cover only, and I was not injured, so I was able to continue driving. The dealer ran diagnostics on my car after the crash and reported I needed to have certain parts replaced. Toyota safety recall 13V-235 describes exactly the symptoms my car shows and requires replacement of exactly the same parts. The only problem is that my car's VIN does not fall in the range Toyota reported in the recall. Apart from that, the problem is the same. My accident could have been very serious had the retaining wall that stopped me not been there. I could have been in the center lanes and the story would have been very different, even with me surviving the accident.
On October 7, 2017 a driver cut me off on the highway, I pressed my brakes hard and the vehicle pulled to the side and I hit the retaining wall. The impact was not too hard and I was able to continue travelling. The ABS warning light is on and I hear a strange humming noise under the hood. The dealer ran diagnostics and said I needed to replace two main parts in the brake system. I found a Toyota safety recall 13V-235 affecting other Prius 2010 that describes exactly the same problem and requires replacement of exactly the same parts indicated in the safety recall. The only problem is that Toyota reported this problem in vehicles of the same year and model, but my car's VIN was not included in their indicated range. Thank you for your help
Turning left after a stop sign on a single lane street (30 mph), suddenly the dash board started flashing 'stop car' warning and continues beeping. Also, realized that applying break paddle did not help a bit. It was hard to press the paddle that moved a little bit. Going straight about 300 ft. Car reduced to idling speed. Turning left into a parking lot of a school, I tried stopping it into a parking space. Break did not work again. So, car stopped after hitting the curb. Toyota dealership was called and arrangements were made to tow away car from school's parking lot. The car did not stop when towing person tried to reverse drive. Somehow he managed to maneuver it on a tow truck. I was informed by dealership that break assist system (bas), built into Prius hybrid model, failed. The system comprises of accumulator & pump that assists to stop the car when break paddle is pressed. Though car was covered under warranty, break system and associated components were not covered. Repair cost over $1900 to replace bas. Purpose of this complaint to highlight NHTSA of the critical failure of Prius design to allow break system to fail in such a colossal way. The car could not be stopped. This is a serious driving safety concern. Any failure of break assist component should never ever take away this critical control. Intent of this complaint is for the public safety, having Toyota informed of the incident. It has been very disappointing that Toyota has not given any response except giving a case number by a customer service center. Request NHTSA to look into the incident and most importantly review design of break assist system for Prius in the interest of public safety and defensive driving. Please advise should NHTSA require further details or incident narrative.
- Pearland, TX, USA
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Approaching a stop the brake pedal in the Prius will suddenly lose resistance and will need to be pushed to the floor where the brakes will finally engage and the auto will come to a hard stop. This happens randomly and is difficult for a mechanic to duplicate. I took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic (not the Toyota dealership) and he confirmed it is an hydraulic problem and that pads/drums/etc. Are ok. A recall was issued for 2010 Prius's describing this exact situation but my VIN number was not included in this recall. Recall details the brake booster pump contains a compartment filled with nitrogen gas. This nitrogen gas can leak into the brake fluid causing reduced hydraulic pressure during application of the brakes. Reduced braking efficiency can increase the risk of a crash. Dealers will replace the brake booster pump assembly as necessary to correct this concern. Our quick take reduced braking performance may be experienced due to a brake booster system issue. What should you do? Toyota will begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles during July, 2013. If you notice problems with the braking system, or you don't receive notification and you feel you should have, please contact your dealer for further instruction. They may ask for your vehicle identification number (VIN), so please have it handy when you call. On Jan 16, 2018 I called my local Toyota service department and was told nothing could be done as I have no outstanding recalls on the vehicle. I then called Toyota on Jan 17 and they told me much the same and opened a case number for the issue. This issue seems to be covered on NHTSA number 13V235000. I am requesting NHTSA advice as to how to proceed.
Brake lights came on while driving on freeway. Power brakes seemed to fail and a large amount of pressure was required to stop vehicle. Toyota of fort worth dealership diagnosed that the actuator needed to be replaced. We performed repair (at a cost of roughly $2,000.) a few days later on a longer drive the brake lights turned back on. We returned it to the dealership and were told that the brake booster/master cylinder assembly needed to be replaced at an additional cost of $2,900. I notice that Toyota had a recall for this part on other 2010 Prius vehicles but my vehicle is not included in that recall.
Reference: Toyota Prius brake booster pump assembly recall 2013 the 2013 recall was issued for approximately 82,000 Prius vehicles manufactured from March 2009 to October 2009. The car I own and operate, according to a Toyota representative, was built in December 2009 -- thus, I presume, did not fit within parameters of this particular recall. A Toyota customer service representative said that the vehicle matching my VIN number has no safety recalls associated with it. However, the same issue referenced in the recall -- a faulty brake pressure accumulator that compromises the brake booster pump assembly system -- appears to have surfaced in my 2010 Prius. No accident has occurred. The vehicle is indicating a problem via its dashboard warning lights. A Toyota maintenance technician, on Sept 21, 2017, diagnosed that the car's brake accumulator pump is malfunctioning -- and that it needed to be replaced. I am petitioning for consideration to expand the 2013 recall, which was ordered to correct a design/manufacturing defect. The same flaw is present in my vehicle (even though my vehicle was not covered by the original recall).
Leak of nitrogen is released into the brake fluid, the brake pedal may have reduced hydraulic pressure. Under certain circumstances, this condition could affect stopping distance and increase the risk of a crash.
My 2010 Prius has had lights come up on the dashboard. Vsc, brake, traction & ABS. After the local Toyota dealership ran diagnostics, it came to light that the brake assembly with accumulator will need to be replaced for near $5,000. It would seem that this is a common problem that has resulted in a recall for only some of the 2010 Prius models. Mine was not one of these recalled. I would like to request recognition that this should be covered under the same recall. Toyota is a good product, and I understand that recalls are just a part of life. As it stands, my regenerative braking no longer works and I have been informed that I will lose all braking eventually.
Car in two accidents over two years body was not properly welded back to the frame! brakes were not properly realigned neither was the steering column transmission bands were not operating and would not shift and numerous other parts for leakage from brake lines to transmission lines all lines were broken and so are the seals on them!
I was driving to my house and the brake pedal went to the bottom. Several lights appeared on the dashboard. I was driving in the highway and fortunately there was an exit and I could get out of the highway and I manage how to stop and I did not crash. The story could be another if I was driving faster. The next day I took it to the Toyota dealer and they told me that the problem was the booster pump (attached you can find the estimate). I was shocked when I found how much was going to cost me. My car has never had a problem and all oil changes had been at the same Toyota dealer. I have never taken the car anywhere else. Investigating I found that this model Prius 2010 in 2013 had a recall for this same problem affecting 82000 people. Unfortunately, the VIN number of my vehicle is not in this range that reaches A0067875 and mine is A0205005. I need for Toyota to extend the recall range because the problem is exactly the same and also help me to cover the cost of the repair. At this moment, my car is parked at home because is not drivable. I already spoke with Toyota headquarters and they said that they will not help me with the cost of the repair, it is really expensive and it is not my fault. Does Toyota have to wait until there is an accident" or injury or dead people"
Driving down the road when the brakes went out. Warranty coverage from Toyota on the same model, make, and year for this problem. My VIN not included in this coverage. The brake accuator assy is the issue. High dollar repair!!
I took my 2010 Prius in for airbag work & they asked how long I had been driving w/ my brake warning lights on. They had not been on prior to then. They hooked up a computer & showed me that the vehicle had been started 31 times since the warning was 1st detected. They said there was most likely a leak in the brake booster system. They reset the warning, I drove for a day & it came back on again while driving after about 10 starts. After the warning lights came on again, I noted an immediate & significant change in braking responsiveness & vehicle control...started pulling to the right. This was on the highway while driving straight. I took the car in to a local Toyota dealer for full diagnostic & they said that they're were unable to locate the exact leak location, but that their tech order shows to just replace the booster which will cost about $3,300 O replace.
Brake actuator failure. Complete loss of power brake function while driving vehicle on the highway. Currently a warranty enhancement letter covering this issue, but only up to 2009 model Prius, I have a 2010, not covered. This is a huge safety concern as it happened while driving with no indication of trouble beforehand.
No brakes. Brake pedal hard to press. C1256 code found. Several different lights on dashboard light up plus buzzer sound. Brake booster has gone bad. Recall on same model/make of vehicle. Believe part to be defective. Went from having brakes to little braking capability.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. While driving 65 mph, the brake, air bag, and traction control warning indicators illuminated continuously. The contact mentioned that the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. When the contact depressed the brake pedal slowly, the vehicle engaged. The contact called roadside assistance and was informed that there was no failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact about a recall for the brakes. The contact called al hendrickson Toyota at 954-972-1100 and they stated that there was no recall for the brakes. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V235000 (service brakes). The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Several brake lights came on the dash while my wife was driving and the brake pedal had a different sensation. She said it still worked, but felt very different - enough that she would have thought something was wrong even if the lights hadn't come on. I took it to a local shop who said it had to go to dealership. Dealer wanted $3983 to repair saying that ABS accumulator was bad. In doing research I discovered that many Prius' were recalled, but unfortunately my VIN was not included in the recall. Also discovered that Toyota issued an "enhanced warranty program (ZG1) for models 2004-2009. But my newer model (2010) is not included in the enhanced warranty program. It feels like Toyota knows they have a problem, but are not standing behind their vehicles. I contacted Toyota corporate customer service and spoke with two different individuals who confirmed that because my VIN number did not match the recalls, there was nothing Toyota would do for me.
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. While driving 5 mph, the brake, anti-skid, and ABS warning indicators illuminated. The contact kept driving, but the brakes locked when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a leak in the brake accumulator, and the brake booster pump assembly needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called his insurance company and was informed of NHTSA campaign number: 13V235000 (service brakes). The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a Toyota dealer. The vehicle was taken to tejas Toyota (19011 highway 59 N humble, tx 77338 (281) 446-0271) where it was also diagnosed with a leak in the brake accumulator and the brake booster needed replacement. The VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 165,600.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ft Lauderdale, FL, USA