10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
13 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,113 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.

2012 Toyota Prius brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Toyota Prius Owner Comments (Page 4 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Dec 042021

Prius

  • miles

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

I have a ABS alarm on my car. Toyota ABS C1391 (1/1) Current Abnormal Leak of ACC Press I tried to Talk to the Toyota I left a message with the service writer At Avondale Toyota In Arizona and left a message about my car problem They never returned a call to me! I have bought 4 new cars from Avondale Toyota. You would think they should return my call to talk about my cars brake problems I haven't received any return calls

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #69

Dec 082021

Prius

  • miles
Toyota did not inform us about a half recall on our family's Prius car. My wife driving yesterday with kids Christmas shopping and the brake pedal stopped working. She was able to thankfully to have space to let car slow down and pull off to side of road. People with a Toyota Prius need to know the brake pedal could stop working at any moment. The Toyota dealership says the repair is $2900 and they will not cover it. They advised I call Toyota so I did and spoke to 3 people advised and they said they would not. The half recall states online, which I dug and found after the dealership advisor told me about it, states that cars up until 8/31/2021 with unlimited milage are covered. After, then its 10 years from purchase and drops from unlimited milage to 150K. We are a few months from Sept and they would not make an exception and do the right thing. The cars is past the 150K milage BARELY, but still under 10 years. If the breaks had gone out in August 31st and a major accident happened would Toyota been liable" HAs this happened and people don't know" It's not right, not ethical, we were not informed of this at any point or even the last time I took the car into the dealership. The idea that others could have this happen to them or even get hurt out there is insane to imagine as a possibility actually a reality as it happened to us. Toyota headquarters brand representative (Monica supervisor) on phone told me that if my wife had the break pedal and system go out in August and died Toyota would have covered it. I almost dropped the phone. Others need to know about this. Do you know anyone with a Toyota Prius" or a Toyota" Please tell them the brake pedal could stop working at any moment and cause an accident. Please help us and together help others know about this. Toyota should have done the right thing, but they didn't. Toyota needs to alert others of this before someone gets hurt. The National Safety board needs to force to a full recall to REPLACE THEM

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #68

Nov 162021

Prius

  • miles
ABS/Brake Actuators on these cars are faulty! Not able to apply adequate pressure on the brakes to stop the car confidently. Brake actuator hissing notating that pressure is being lost. Brakes feel like they are skipping, and also making a loud "quack/screeching" noise. Brakes were inspected on my vehicle, and the pads had over 60% life left, and no damage to the rotots, so its the brake actuator at fault. A very common issue on 3rd generation prius models, and a $3000+ repair through toyota. Customer support program ZJB issued. Its not a recall, but instead an "extended warranty". Toyota will not fix the problem without dash warning lights on, so my car is just waiting to break down or cause an accident. I worry about my life and the brakes failing at some point. Ive taken it to two different mechanics and they both noted its a well known problem that toyota is trying not to pay out for.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #67

Aug 192021

Prius

  • miles

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

I write to report that I asked for help at TOYOTA on the repair of the brake booster pump program. On August 19th, 2021 I took my Toyota Prius 2012 to my nearest dealer, in this case, Toyota of Homestead in Florida, US (I have a screen capture of the appointment); because the brake pump was pumping continuedly every 15 seconds regardless of the vehicle was in motion or stop parked; also the breaking felt like spongy and hesitant. I explained that to the Toyota dealer employee and he told me that the pump running every 15 seconds is not normal and agree that something was not right with my car's brake, but if there is not a MIL light ON, they can not replace my brake booster under the Toyota Program, and I have to pay $170.-first to "scan" the vehicle and make a diagnostic, well I told him that was too much money just to scan the vehicle since there was no light on in the dash the Toyota employee told me I will need to pay for the full brake pump replacement. That was unfair because the Toyota employee agree that definitely the brake was bad, but can not do anything. Took my car home and a few days later September 2nd, the brake lights came on. Well, my wife uses this car daily to transport our kids to school and to do the shopping necessary for food and supplies, and definitely, the cars do NOT break AS IT SHOULD. Toyota employee told me the repair will cost between $3000.- to $4000.-, I took the car to the Dealer when was covered under the Customer Support Program, but the light on the dash should NOT be the main factor to determine that the brake booster needs to be replaced. To be fair TOYOTA should recall all those vehicles. The Toyota dealer employee witness that there was a problem with the pump, and anybody with common sense that know this cars should immediately notice that the sound of the pump going on every 15 seconds is NOT NORMAL. This is my second Prius (My first one was a Toyota Prius C 2014) and I detect almost immediately with something is WRONG.

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #66

Oct 112021

Prius

  • miles
ABS Actuator and Booster Assembly failing. No recall was issued but a safety bulletin to the dealer with a cutoff date and nothing issued to consumer to know it needs to be replaced. Now I am outside their service bulleting window with a 3,000 repair that should be covered indefinitely by toyota

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #65

Jun 012021

Prius

  • miles
Brake Booster assembly has failed on my car preventing the regenerative braking to function normally and it could potentially lead to the brakes failing all together. Upon further research it seems to be a common issues with these vehicles and Toyota has a "Customer Support Program" under the code "ZJB" that will replace the faulty brake booster assembly. My car is still technically covered under the service bulletin that Toyota sent out but when I called several dealers and Toyota corporate, they notified me that my car was ineligible due to mileage. I was quoted over $3,000 at various dealers to replace the part to what amounts to a basically very expensive brake job. I am concerned for my safety in terms of the brakes failing while driving. This is my only vehicle and I have started to resort to driving on the city streets as opposed to the freeway.

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #64

Jun 142021

Prius

  • miles

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

The brake, abs, and stability control light come on and the brakes require more pressure to function. The problem is intermittent, but has been happening more often and for longer. The rotors, pads, and brake fluid were looked at within the last month and have no issues. I am getting a code C1391 Abnormal Leak in the Accumulator. The symptoms, as well as my car year and make match this recall, but I was never informed of this recall and there are no open recalls associated with my VIN. https://toyotatalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ZJB-Phase-2-.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1I91f2ohQk73kYnbBYOlOi-yYlpgVNQ0leI3N8uWbg7V4IMKgULdG7F10

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #63

May 192021

Prius

  • miles
The brakes felt very spongy and the car was having a difficult time coming to a complete stop. The ABS, brake, and stability control lights turned on at the same time. Also, a whirring noise close to the passenger side started happening every 2-3 seconds. After some research I later learned that the noise is most probably coming from a brake pump assembly that has failed and is not able to keep pressure. The car is currently parked since I don-??t feel safe to drive it. I contacted a local dealer to see if this part can be changed for free since this is not normal wear and is unsafe. I also learned in online Prius owner forums that there is a large group of Toyota Prius owners with the exact same issue.

- Winter Park, FL, USA

problem #62

May 152021

Prius

  • miles
Lights came on and code are C1252 and C1253, beeping sounded and brakes when to floor and wouldn't stop.

- Summerfield, FL, USA

problem #61

Mar 302021

Prius

  • 95,755 miles
My Toyota Prius 2012 with 95K mil. ABS, traction and brake lights came on while driving on highway, the breaking wasn't like used to be, it was mushy after the warning lights, took it to Toyota dealership they estimated $3500 for the brake replacement the fault codes C1241, C1247, C1391 found break booster and pump assy, needed. This should be recalled by Toyota, its safety issue, I have owned the car since it had 41K miles and regularly maintained the car throughout my ownership period.

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

problem #60

Jan 232021

Prius

  • 190,000 miles

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

Brake master cylinder and brake booster failed and needed to be replaced.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #59

Nov 112020

Prius

  • 170,000 miles
ABS, traction control, brake lights on. No power assist brake, no ABS, no traction control

- Orange City, FL, USA

problem #58

Jul 272020

Prius

  • 154,000 miles
My 2012 Prius was diagnosed at our Toyota dealership. They said it needs a brake booster/solenoid. When I looked into it, it seems that this has happened to hundreds of consumers with Prius cars from the same era. It is a devastating $3,000 repair. Total injustice if it is a manufacturer issue as it seems.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #57

Mar 162020

Prius

  • 61,900 miles
ABS warning light indicating trouble with the braking system, I took the car to an independent auto repair store and the mechanic checked the codes on his computer and received 2 codes that indicating that the ABS pump needs to be replaced. The total cost would be between $3000 to $5000. The ABS light goes on when I start the car

- Vero Beach, FL, USA

problem #56

Feb 172020

Prius

  • miles
I have never received a recall mail regarding the car. I used an insurance tracking plugin, and all the problems started.pcs error message on my dashboard, due to a leak in brake booster they said. My dealership will not tell me it's a recall, made it seem like they helped me instead of charging as high as $4000. I was not given a loaner car for the 4days they had my car, and did not get any refunds for the rental car I got

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #55

Dec 222019

Prius

  • 98,000 miles
The problem started with a chirping noise when the brake pedal is depressed. Today the car appears to lose regenerative braking charging. The vehicle stability control and ABS light and brake light came on. The brake appeared to be mushied.

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #54

Oct 232019

Prius

  • miles
I replaced my brake booster three times in two months.still I have big issues with toyata company.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #53

Oct 012019

Prius

  • 75,300 miles
More than once I was driving about 40/45mph, once on a curve, anyhow as I was going through the curve it felt as though the brakes engaged, without me touching them. I understand the safety thing, however at both instances it was not necessary. It caused the car to pull to the left. Almost causing me to loose control.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #52

Sep 302019

Prius

  • 151,000 miles
I started my car and my dash lights for brakes, anti-lock, anti-skid came on and brakes became spongy. This happens intermittently. I parked the car and later checked the lights and the car was operating normal. I drove the car around the neighborhood to try to duplicate the issue. Could not duplicate. The next day I started the car the lights came on again and brakes were not operating normally. Spongy and no anti-lock. I checked recalls and found the issue was recalled in 2010. I also found numerous complaints on Prius forums for this issue covering 2012 Prius. I think this is a safety issue Toyota should recall for 2012 as well.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #51

Jun 272019

Prius

  • 212,566 miles
Car was in motion and brake pedal went half way to floor and ABS, brake, traction control and tire sensor lights came on. Master cylinder or brake booster seem to have failed. Dealer didn't recognize codes and could only recommend changing spark plugs when I just had them replace 6-8 months prior. Explained that did think that had anything to do with brakes giving out. They reset codes and sure enough happened again within the next 30 days. Toyota admitted to since receiving many reports of certain internal malfunctions of brake booster assemblies. 4 trips later to dealer the response is the codes are not coming up (dtcs) C1391, C1252, C1256 or C1253 in order to be covered it's voluntary customer support program which has brake booster and brake booster pump coverage. Very frustrating!

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

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