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.
On August 3rd, 2024 my 2013 Toyota Prius lost power brakes at INTERSTATE SPEEDS. This put a number of lives, including my own, at risk. The computer program on the car appears to have been programmed to give operators a "death threat" by initiating a PROGRAMMED LOSS of power braking on the vehicle. There were a number of brake warning lights and an Audible Continuous beeping. When I moved over into the exit ramp from the interstate and applied my brakes this is when it was evident that power brakes were no longer available. I drove the car to a parking lot very close by and let it sit and checked my brake fluid but the brake fluid level was good. After this occurrence the power brakes returned to sufficient operation and have been in operation for approximately 2 days now with many display lights about brakes on the dash and the same audible beep is present. The brakes lights on the dash have been on since approximately November 2021 (2013 model car not even 10 years old of usage at that point). This is a safety risk that Toyota appears to have attempted to mitigate financial losses by having the customers that were not covered by their "customer care" program be the ones to pay exorbitantly high prices for the repair of this item in order to better balance and reduce their own financial loss for this mechanical problem. Toyota appears to have conscientiously reduced the number of cars that they offered to help repair financially under their customer care program. Their repair program went to 10 years since the date of first use or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. It is unreasonable to expect that these cars will end their usage life at 150,000 miles and can be reasonably expected to be non-usable at that point. There are many vehicles that go past 150,000 miles of use and also past 10 years of use.
2013 with 128000 miles, brake pump and accumulator for ABS failed, all sensors are on. Pedal is shaking when pressed, called Toyota South Coast in California, have told the extended warranty expired on 28 December 2022, what a joke, right on 10 years it means. But car has been driven less than 12k miles until today. This brake issue is a safety problem, cant use a used part which more likely will have the same issue. Not speaking of the labor of Dealership service, but having the original updated parts for over $1000 is a lame and Toyota USA should be shamed for this. Code C1391, T-SB 0024-19
The brake booster and actuator assembly has failed at 130000 miles, within mileage and outside of time frame of limited recall bulletin. No help from dealership with repair costs exceeding value of the vehicle and vehicle is unsafe to drive.
As I was driving my vehicle, all lights related to ABS system came on and stayed on. This included the traction light, the ABS light, and the brake light. My brake pedal became much less responsive and took more pressure to activate the brakes in the car. If I had needed to brake suddenly, I don't know that my car would have stopped. I took it to the dealer and they said there is an abnormal leak inside the ABS accumulator.
While driving on the highway, ABS, "Brake"/E-Brake, Traction Control Lights lit up all at the same time out of the blue. No prior engine lights/codes before this incident. During that trip, brakes felt more difficult to press, loss all brake regeneration for the hybrid battery but was still about to brake for that entire 100 miles trip. As of now, the car is still able to brake but it looks like it's just primarily using the mechanical brakes all the time now. It still has that different brake feel compared to when before all those engine lights went on. Regenerative braking is no longer working. Brought the car to the shop at was given the error codes C1391 and C2315.
- Santee, CA, USA
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I was driving and suddenly the car started beeping and the brake, e-brake, abs, and traction control lights came on. As soon as I found an opportunity I tried to brake but the car would not stop and the brake pedal became really hard. I had swerve to avoid hitting cars in front of me. It was the scariest moment of my life. I shifted the car from D to B to use the engine braking. I finally was able to slow down enough to turn right on a side Street and pushed on the brake pedal with all my strength and it finally came to a stop. I was lucky I didn't have a collision or strike a pedestrian, that I also drive defensively and leave enough space in front of me, and that I was on a surface street and not on a freeway which I frequently use because if I was I would have surely crashed. This is NOT right. Brakes should NOT suddenly fail! Under any circumstances. It was confirmed by a mechanic that it's the BRAKE BOOSTER AND BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLIES had failed and had the following codes C1252, C1253, and C1256 were found. The same issue and codes reported in tsb pol18-03.
2013 Prius lit up like a Christmas tree last night. Traction control, brake, and abs warning lights all came on at once. The brake feel really weird and luckily I was like 3 miles away from home
Lost brakes on the freeway. Managed to pull over and get the car to a mechanic. He diagnose d the problem as the brake actuator pump.We then took the car to a Toyota dealership that confirmed the Diagnosis. I understand that the NHTSA is revisiting a complaint about the failure of this part. It cost me $3600 to have it repaired. I personally believe that Toyota should cover this as they have known the part was a problem.
Problem 1. Both curtain airbags on the passenger side deployed while no one was sitting in those seats, no injuries sustained to anyone. This happened one time as it happened in a car accident, nothing indicated that the air bags were on or active at the moment. Problem 2. ABS system failure has caused the brakes on the prius to lock and not work while driving, almost causing an incident. The car has not been driven since for the fear of that happening again. The vehicle has been seen by a mechanic to determine it is the abs system. The ABS light has been on as well, it appeared a couple of weeks before the brakes locked up back in March of this year.
Took vehicle for state inspection on 2/13/2024, failed inspection because of brake warning lights. Slip indicator, Electronically controlled brake warning light, Brake warning light, Anti-lock brake system, and Low tire pressure lights are all on. I have looked into it, and it seems the brake actuator/booster used to be under warranty, however since this is a 2013 in 2024 with almost 210k miles on it, it no longer qualifies for the original recall.
I was driving my 2013 Toyota Prius last week when my my dashboard lit up with the Brake, ABS, and Traction Control lights all going on simultaneously. Shortly thereafter, I attempted to brake, as a car stopped in my lane to make a left hand turn, and the brakes did not engage as they should. I had to press twice as hard for very limited braking; my braking distance increased substantially and I narrowly avoided hitting the turning car in front of me. I drove it directly to the dealership and they diagnosed it as a failure of the Brake Master Cylinder Assembly and Brake Booster Pump Assembly (code C1391). Upon further research, I found that Toyota had previously acknowledged the problem and issued a warranty extension (Customer Support Program ZJB) that covered up to 150,000 miles or 10 years. While my Prius is well below the mileage requirement, I am beyond the 10 year limitation by less than 6 months. By Toyota's own admission, the Customer Support Program covered approximately 946,100 vehicles. This part failure put the safety of those on the road in front of me-?"and me-?"at risk.
The 2013 pruis has developed the notorious brake booster fault triggering the brake light abs light and traction control light to stay illuminated. Toyota has many complaints about this brake booster issue and needs to recall and fix this issue as they have done on other Toyotas. This is leaving owners with a $2500 repair or having to take a big risk driving these cars with a big prevalent brake issue that Toyota needs to be held accountable for.
While driving on a highway overpass, the brake booster system suddenly failed in my 2013 Prius on March 12, 2024. The vehicle displayed Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) 1391, which is a known issue with Toyota Prius vehicles. Toyota offered an extended warranty for this repair that expired in August of 2023, admitting that their vehicles contained faulty parts. There have been several complaints about this known issue and an investigation needs to be reopened regarding this ongoing issue. Will someone from the NHTSA please start an investigation or facilitate in any way to get an investigation into to this reoccurring issue. Brakes matter and society is depending on government and corporations to be transparent and ethical. The FTC, BBB and Attorney General-??s need to act on behalf of everyone in keeping our roads safe and holding Toyota accountable again. This is absolutely a major safety issue that should be covered by Toyota regardless of when it manifests.
- The Hydraulic Brakes, or brake actuator, failed. I have taken it to my local mechanic and they confirmed. - My brakes are operating at a substantially reduced capacity - an emergency mode that only allows for the front brakes to work - Yes, my local mechanic confirmed the problem - It has only been inspected by my local mechanic - yes, several warning lights came on while I was driving.
The brake pump which pressurizes the nitrogen accumulator kept cycling on more and more frequently until it was cycling on every 8 seconds after stopping while trying to maintain pressure in the automated brake system. Brake pressure began pulsating when applying brakes and was slowly becoming noticeably more unstable as time progressed. I could also hear a steady flow of fluid through the booster/master cylinder unit. This seems to be a common issue often being discussed online in forums like -??Prius Chat-??, an online car community describing the characteristics of the power brake system in this vehicle before it fails as well as with a number of online youtube mechanics replacing these units. It seems as though the solution is for dealerships to charge in many cases more than 4000 dollars to replace both the entire -??Brake Booster Assy, w/Master Cylinder-?? and the -?? Pump Assy, Brake Booster-?? as standard procedure. I believe it-??s the -??Brake Booster Assy, w/Master Cylinder-?? unit causing the issue, I do all my own repair work on my vehicles and I partially disassembled the booster/master cylinder unit, upon removing the cover for the circuit board control unit integrated into the assembly I discovered evidence of an overheated or corroded circuit board. The soldered pins for the main bus connecting the wiring harness to the circuit board showed possible charing and discoloration as well as very dull colored soldered joints. This was also observed at the bottom of the circuit board as well. After replacing both assembly units in the vehicle the brakes work flawlessly again. I was told by the parts salesman at the local Toyota dealership that he had been selling a lot of these replacement units lately.
Power brake, electronic systems around braking, brake actuator and assembly. Gradual degradation of brake power and resistance resulting in complete loss of power brakes system. Vehicle's brake system no longer works as designed. Vehicle has been inspected by technician. No warning lights or lamps in advance of total brake system shut down.
Loss of brake function coming to a red light. 5 warning lights illuminated. Also noticed a noise that appears to be coming from the brake pump that is cycling every 3-4 seconds. 1) Masterv Warning Light. 2) Brake System Warning Light 3) Brake System Warning Light 4) ABS Warning Light 5) SLIP Indicator I have called the Toyota service advisor and will be getting a quote for repair. Apparently, I have found out that there is a class action inquiry that I would like to be included in.
Several dashboard lights came on suddenly when braking. Upon speaking with the dealership it was determined that I experienced sudden brake actuator failure resulting in loss of braking power. Fortunately, it was not complete loss of braking or it could have been dangerous to myself and others on the road. Upon researching this issue, I have discovered that brake actuator failures are not uncommon in Toyota Prius models, and there have been numerous reports and complaints from other owners facing similar problems. This raises serious questions about the integrity of the brake system in these vehicles and the potential for widespread safety hazards.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Marietta, GA, USA