10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
42 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
19 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,306 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2010 Toyota Prius brakes problems

brakes problem

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2010 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 6 of 27)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #433

Mar 142022

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake system fails under normal driving conditions. Dealership diagnostics confirmed this falls under the Customer Support Program ZJB. This program expired in 2020 and Toyota customer care is unwilling to fix or reimburse for the $2200 expense associated with the defective brake booster and brake booster pump assembly. The Toyota case number is #220318001387.

- Lehi, UT, USA

problem #432

Mar 142022

Prius

  • miles
For the past 2 weeks my prius has been acting very strange. When driving I have a hard time coming to a stop when pushing the brake and I realize that that the ABS light is on as well the brake light is on. Sometimes it will work fine with the lights off, and somtimes it messes up again. I heard that it could be a brake booster or module. I believe it was already recalled a few years ago, but seeing a lot more people complain about recently is a bit concerning. The part that was replaced, it should work for many years not less than 10. Its a huge risk for myself and others. I didn't realize what was happening until I needed to stop fast. This needs to be fixed fast and the right way this time before somebody dies

- Lake City, MN, USA

problem #431

Mar 112022

Prius

  • miles
Brake warning lights, traction control, and ABS warning lights all illuminated on the dash. Taken to the dealership and was told brake failure due to actuator or brake boost. Upon further research, it looks like this is a known issue with the Prius but Toyota is only providing service/repair to certain vehicles who already show brake failure instead of issuing a recall for all potentially affected vehicles.

- Northridge, CA, USA

problem #430

Mar 132022

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In Nov 2020 I was informed that my ABS actuator needed to be replaced since all warning systems went off and brakes were disabled. On March 13, 2022 the ABS and traction system warning came on again. On March 14, 2022 I had my car towed to Daves Ultimate Automotive in Austin, Texas because my brakes failed. They told me I needed to replace the Brake Booster which is going to coat me $2500. I have looked at car complaints and this seems to be a faulty system that Toyota is aware of because they extended a warranty to Dec 2019. It is my belief that this should be a recall because of the dangerous potential of no brakes when this system fails.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #429

Mar 062022

Prius

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started making a beeping noise. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled into an apartment complex and while depressing the brake pedal the failed to respond. After driving over several speed bumps and using extra energy to depress the brake pedal the vehicle responded and slowed to a stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it remained. The contact stated the dealer informed her that the brake master cylinder and brake booster pump needed to be replaced. After researching the cause of the failure, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was then informed that the vehicle warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

- Tamarac, FL, USA

problem #428

Feb 252022

Prius

  • 182,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while exiting the highway and getting into the right lane at 60 MPH, the ABS warning light, brake light, and the traction control warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost braking functionality. The contact depressed the brake pedal with added force to get the vehicle to slow enough that he was able to get off of the highway ramp and pull over. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the warning lights were still illuminated. The contact stated that extra force was needed to stop the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence. The contact has not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 182,000.

- El Monte, CA, USA

problem #427

Feb 242022

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The Brake booster and master cylinder failed causing the braking system to fail while driving

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #426

Feb 032022

Prius

  • miles
My prius appears to have the same problem that an excessive number of other 2010 priuses have with it's regenerative braking. This is a common and well known issue among these cars. Despite the fact that I am at 132k miles, under the 150k limit for the extended warranty, I am going to be stuck spending thousands and thousands of dollars to get my vehicle fixed because it is about 2 years past the 10 year limit.

- Millersville, MD, USA

problem #425

Jan 282022

Prius

  • miles
While driving, my traction lights, ABS light, and Brake light came on the dash with no noises or other messages. I noticed my brakes took significantly more distance to stop and then stopped working altogether. I had to use my emergency brake to get stopped safely.

- Franklin, KY, USA

problem #424

Jan 142022

Prius

  • 88,500 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS, traction control, and parking brake warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal was difficult to depress. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with brake booster pump assembly failure. The brake booster pump assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 88,500.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #423

Dec 012021

Prius

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The brake assembly is noisy while stopped at lights. The brake pedal continues slowly downward when pressed as if there is a leak in the brake master cylinder. Toyota has issued a warranty extension for a problem of fluid leaking in the brake booster, but did not notify me. Toyota's code for the warranty extension is Customer Support Program ZJB. Two local dealerships have refused to perform the repair because the warranty extension expired before I became aware of the issue.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #422

Dec 262021

Prius

  • miles
2010 toyota prius brake booster failure. according to multiple resources online, there have been known issues with this part from Toyota across multiple models. After recalling only a small portion of vehicles due to this failure, complaints have been filed with nhtsa to address toyota's lack of corrective action regarding the vast amount of vehicles utilizing this technology. this is a dangerous defect that caused my brakes to malfunction during a cross-country trip. my brake and ABS lights suddenly came on, and i could tell my prius handled differently. the brake pedal became hard to depress and stop time increased drastically. i am having a mechanic diagnose and repair this issue costing no less than $1200 in austin, TX. i would like to make a complaint to toyota for not recalling all the models with this issue and instead choosing to recall a minute fraction of potentially defective vehicles.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #421

Dec 012021

Prius

  • miles
Brake Booster Failure; has been inspected and confirmed. Warning lamps for traction control, ABS, Brake System Lights, Master Warning Light all came on during normal city driving. Immediate loss of Brake Assist causing sudden need for much more distance while stopping the vehicle. Clearly, sudden changes in brake behavior is a safety concern and this problem seems to be well documented as common issue in this era of Toyota vehicles. I believe Toyota has fallen short in its efforts to remmedy the situation. An extended warranty was issued but it was for a brief period of time that required this problem to occur within a narrow window. It's a wildly expensive repair to a critical system and it seems to be a common problem in these cars.

- Manchester, MO, USA

problem #420

Nov 102021

Prius

  • miles
We have a 2010 Prius Purchased March 2010. Toyota issued a "Customer Support Program" (free extended warranty) for the brake booster and brakebooster pump assemblies in 2019. The Primary Coverage was offered until 11-30-19 regardless of milage. After that the secondary coverage applied for 10 years or up to 150,000 miles. The information mailed to us states; "If you have not experienced the condition described above, there is no action necessary at this time." We did not experience any brake problems until 11-10-21, when the dash display lit up with the BRAKE LITE, ABS LITE, SLIP INDICATOR LITE, AND THE ! LITE, ALL CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. ALSO THE BRAKE PEDDLE BECAME SPONGY AND AT TIMES VERY HARD TO DEPRESS. We had our Toyota dealer run a diagnostic scan of the vehicle and they determined the brake booster and brakebooster pump were defected. The car has 70,000 miles on it at this time, and we have owned the car for 10 years and 8 months. Toyota will not honor this Customer Support Program since we are 8 months beyond the expiration date. There was a RECALL number 13V235000 issued 06-05-13 for the same exact problem, with NO EXPIRATION DATE. However, Toyota says it does not apply to our car. This problem causes the power brakes to not work as power, only manual brakes (Hard to Push). They also become very soft and not responsive if the engine has not run since the last time the brakes were pushed. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE! ! ! My question is, the problem was a big enough to have Toyota issue this 10 year "Customer Support Program" to prevent a hazardous situation from being on the road for 10 years, why is it not hazardous NOW 8 months later? We welcome any help you can provide.

- San Angelo, TX, USA

problem #419

Oct 232021

Prius

  • miles
I have a 2010 Toyota Prius. The ABS pump unit broke down while driving on the road. Suddenly the breaks were not functioning correctly. Breaks got squeeze. Apparently it's a common issue and Toyota had a program around it to fix it till Jan 2021. But I couldn't go fix it before coz the lights didn't show up. Now in Oct 2021 it's broken and is not covered. I don't know how a company gets to call such a safety issue as option and not a recall and get away with it. The vehicle has already been identified as having a bad part. How come the company does own up to it considering it's an important part of the breaking system.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #418

Oct 182021

Prius

  • miles
while driving traction, abs and brake light came on. braking feels forced by driver.

- Mountain View, CA, USA

problem #417

Sep 292021

Prius

  • miles
The brakes, ABS, and traction light came on car but it does not stay on. Took it to the dealership and the advisor said it would be $2,500. If this gas been a recall in the past then it should still be a recall. I am extremely disappointed in Toyota as a whole to bail out on something that is as crucial as the safety of brake failure.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #416

Sep 242021

Prius

  • miles
The Brake Booster assembly for nearly all 2010 Toyota Prius has innate failure over time. It is a faulty, known-issue part. Toyota offered some limited-time warranty extension fixes instead of a full recall. My Toyota dealership informed my that my part needs the fix, as would be expected, but that I am not within the limited warranty. As this is a safety issue and the part has given out, I am stuck. I contacted Toyota directly and via email as well and they refused to do anything while acknowledging the part was their fault. They were very snooty about the fact that a full recall had not happened yet, and gleeful to deny me service.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #415

Sep 132021

Prius

  • miles
I have recently bought a 2010 Prius. The ABS (!), traction control, and emergency brake light all illuminated three days after I transferred title with the dmv. This apparently is a very common problem with this car. I am told that these lights lead to a very expensive repair. My primary concern is my safety and of course the safety of others. A car that has brakes that suddenly fail is lethal. I was advised by a helpful agent that these repairs would come out of my pocket. My complaint is that Toyota should be responsible for this. I cannot drive this vehicle at the moment because I refuse to endanger anyone.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #414

Sep 072021

Prius

  • miles
Hazards lights came on and would not go off, with increased speed hazards flashed faster. Toyota stated that ABS actuator and relay needed to be replaced.

- Mount Sinai, NY, USA

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