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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
16 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,273 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.

2011 Toyota Prius brakes problems

brakes problem

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2011 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 9 of 12)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #71

Mar 282018

Prius

  • 98,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. While driving various low speeds, the ABS and traction indicators illuminated without warning. In addition, when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle lunged forward. The dealer (universal Toyota in san antonio, Texas) diagnosed that the brake booster and the pump for the booster/accumulator were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with case number: 180-4162-158. The failure mileage was 98,000.

- Converse, TX, USA

problem #70

Apr 052018

Prius

  • 165,000 miles
I was getting on the interstate and all of a sudden I lost power and my dash lite up check hybrid system /ABS/ breaks. I can not drive my car because it has no power please help thank you

- Eureka, SD, USA

problem #69

Mar 192018

Prius

  • 5 miles
I was driving at about 35 mph and all of a sudden my brakes stopped working. The brake, ABS and traction lights came on all at once. I somehow made it home but I could have easily crashed. I had my 9 year old in the back seat and he also got very scared. Now I cannot drive my car and the brakes feel as they as stuck and very hard. I took my car to a reputable mechanic and he told me it is giving him code C1391. This is the same problem that the 2010 Prius had under the recall. My Prius is 2011 and not under the recall. I feel that the 2011 should be under recall because many thousands of lives are in danger now.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #68

May 182017

Prius

  • miles

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

ABS brake light and traction lights are on. C1391 internal failure in brake actuator assembly.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #67

Jan 182018

Prius

  • 111,000 miles
Brake actuator

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #66

Jan 092018

Prius

  • 89,000 miles
I was at an automatic car wash yesterday and after the wash finished I pulled out of stall with hardly any brakes.I was not able to pump them and had to take my car into a mechanic the brake actuator was out and the car is undrivable.the price for the part alone is over $2500 I was informed by the dealership that is was a recalled item but not for the yr of my car. If this would have happened in traffic or at a high rate of speed I know I would have been in a serious accident and I could have killed someone.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #65

Oct 012017

Prius

  • 61,000 miles

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

When I go over a bump or pothole and put on the brakes the car accelerates. Toyota claims it is just how the ABS brakes feel, but the car actually speeds up when I brake. Happened multiple times since I bought the car. So far no accidents.

- Closter, NJ, USA

problem #64

Apr 182017

Prius

  • 108,000 miles
While in motion when I pressed the brakes the pedal went to the floor. Brakes failed. Rapid beeping with brake light on. I pushed on the brakes and there was nothing. I did some research and this vehicles are having a problem with the brake booster assy. There is a recall for the same parts for the 2010 Prius, not 2011 - 2015

- Vega Baja, PR, USA

problem #63

Mar 022017

Prius

  • 82,925 miles
Three weeks ago the brakes failed at a stop light on a city street and the ABS and brake lights came on in the dash. The brake fluid appeared to be low so we opened a new bottle of fluid and filled the reservoir which seemed to temporarily remedy problem and nothing could be diagnosed because no lights were on in dash. The exact same thing happened again with the brakes failing and the dash lights coming on while at a red light on a city street. We had to have vehicle towed and were told it was the master cylinder assembly, booster pump etc. And wasn't covered under warranty at $6400. The car has 82,925 miles and has been maintained.

- Mesquite, TX, USA

problem #62

Dec 012016

Prius

  • miles
I've had my Prius from 4-14 to the present 2016. I keep having issues with the dealership I take it to for repairs. [xxx] in la crescenta ca. After mentioning and describing issues, the staff there says that unless the dash lights up with a message and gives a code, they cant fix it. So in order for them to look into it any further than me telling them dash light is nec. I've told them about the ac noise from the first say I took the car in to get services at 33K. They say they don't hear or see anything. My ac compressor sounds like its going to explode when ac is on. Brakes have been extremely diff. To explain because of terminology. They seem to lose their power when being pressed and ABS seems to malfunction?? so they drive it and tell me its nothing I need to worry about and will be fixed when changed. Change brakes and the prob persists. Not only ABS but Firestone says my hardware has issues as well. I bring it to the attention of the staff and nothing seems to get done about it... my odo. Speedom is/was off +2 mph. My weather seals have been stripped and ripped off the vehicle which now causes water leaks from every crevice.. and the biggest two of all my complaints are 1- hybrid batt. Fan never worked and I wasn't told...hyb batt has never worked properly (drains way too fast when stopped at a light or in traff) along with the heat created by the batt and the engine that fill up the cabin and will have the temp raised upwards of 90+ on a 75 deg day. 2- the ECU's ipm's (or something like that) has not been calib. Or updated. Even received coverage stickers from toy headquarters stating full coverage if a.B.C. (listing of problems or malfunctions) I describe the exact same symptoms to them and get the same response"no code, no fix" help and ps I just checked the VIN online 4my veh & it says a diff package w/a bunch of extras that I never got upon purchase"??_hmmm?" information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- South Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #61

Oct 272016

Prius

  • 80,000 miles

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

Hard knocking when turning on engine until I compress and decompress my break. Has happened 3 times, only during the cold months

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #60

Oct 252016

Prius 4-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
When I'm braking and slowing down gradually, as when approaching a red light, the brakes momentarily stop working and the car feels like it surges forward if it hits a low-traction surface like a pothole or manhole cover or wet spot. I saw there was a recall for this in 2010, but 2011 model consistently does it and has caused me and my friend to nearly rear-end other cars when driving my car. Apparently, it pertains to the regenerative braking system being turned off when the ABS engages, leaving only friction brakes. This happens several times a week on the wet roads where I live (near seattle, Washington). This has happened since I bought the car new in 2011 but I'm complaining now because my friend borrowed it and almost rear-ended someone and pushed me to report it.

- University Place, WA, USA

problem #59

Apr 012013

Prius

  • 40,000 miles
When the brakes are pressed, if you hit a bump or pothole, the brakes lock and the car hydroplanes forward. I hit the back of someone because of this defect.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

problem #58

Jul 202016

Prius

  • 78,000 miles
Car was in motion about 20mph. When brakes was applied, the car failed to slow down but instead quickly accelerated. Continuously applying the brakes did nothing. Car came to a stop apply running into another car.

- Nokesville, VA, USA

problem #57

Jul 042016

Prius

  • miles
Brakes failing when applied hard or while driving over bumps.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #56

Jun 222016

Prius

  • 77,500 miles
The Prius has a problem when braking over broken pavement or potholes. This happens when the brakes are applied to slow the vehicle and the car enters an area of the road where there is uneven ground. The brakes seem to not work for a second even if there is steady pressure applied to the brake pedal. This problem causes quite a startle to the car's driver. This is especially a concern to us when this happens at a crosswalk. This is an ongoing problem. Toyota of America has been contacted twice, I have taken the vehicle in to my local dealership but no fix is available.

- Old Town, ME, USA

problem #55

Jun 152012

Prius

  • 50 miles
When braking while the vehicle is going over a bump or depression in the ground, the vehicle lurches forward. Instead of stopping the vehicle seems to accelerate forward. This happens consistently in this setting.

- Niles, MI, USA

problem #54

May 192016

Prius

  • 81,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. While the vehicle was stationary, all of the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake master assembly and the brake booster needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 81,000.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #53

May 012016

Prius

  • 40,000 miles
Brakes disengage momentarily when braking on a bumpy roadway. I have had this happen multiple times. It feels like the ABS system releases the brakes and then reapplies braking. Luckily, I have not had vehicles in front of me.

- Saint Albans, WV, USA

problem #52

Apr 292016

Prius

  • 75,000 miles
Every once in a while - it can be months between events - our Prius momentarily slams on the brakes when driving at highway speeds while nothing else is going on. We know it's not operator error. It's happened to my wife several times and me once. When it happened to me I was driving straight ahead on a dry, lightly traveled divided highway during the day. Everything on the dashboard lights up, alarms go off, the car decelerates like I suddenly stomped on the brake pedal though my foot never moved off of the gas, it lasts for maybe a second and then the car is back to normal. It's the same each time it's happened. Luckily each time this has happened we haven't had anyone tailgating us. We've taken it to the dealer multiple times. The first couple of times they looked at us like we were loony. They checked it out and we got it back with a message that said the technician checked the computer and test drove it for 20 miles and the car was operating as designed. Except it happened again. We finally convinced them that this was maybe a legitimate issue and they said they brought in a Toyota field specialist who checked the car out and they said that the issue was the pcs wave radar sensor that was slightly out of alignment due to body damage (my wife had hit a small deer about a year prior to that - damage was minor and repaired at a local body shop). After they realigned the sensor, the car behaved itself for about five months. Until yesterday when it happened again.

- Woodstock, MD, USA

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