10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 3
Average Mileage:
45,536 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 v brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Toyota Prius v Owner Comments (Page 2 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #81

Apr 272023

Prius v

  • miles

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

Brake light, Trac light, and ABS light came on after brake pedal became squeshy. Took to nearby repair shop and advised that car was not safe to drive. Scanned for codes. Code C1391 (Abnormal leak of ACC pressure) indicated. Recommended that brake booster assembly with the master cylinder be replaced, and replace the Brake Booster Assembly. Total cost of repair was $4,188.02.

- Canton, GA, USA

problem #80

Mar 172023

Prius v

  • miles
The brake had an issue while driving. It was hard to stop the car. It is probably due to the brake booster. I had this issue and I took my car to the dealership and they could not find the problem. I had the same issue again while driving. Luckily, when both problems happened, I drove slowly on the local roads. Toyota had recalled those specific models but the length of the warranty is not long enough to solve the problem. For instance, they gave a second warranty, either 10 years or 150K miles, which hits first. I got this brake problem 6 months later after the warranty expired. But my mileage is low ~118K. For drivers' safety, they should extend the length of the warranty. The two parts are expensive (~4-5K in total) and apparently, that's the problem with the design of the auto parts. Customers should not pay for them and risk their own life.

- Glen Allen, VA, USA

problem #79

Nov 222022

Prius v

  • miles
In September 2022, my car, a 2012 Toyota Prius V with 79, 056 miles, began making noises in the engine area and the brakes became loose, meaning it took more pressure on the brake pedal to engage the brakes. In November 2022 the following warning lamps on the dashboard came on: Master Warning Light, Brake System Warning Light and Warning Buzzer, Brake System Warning Light, ABS Warning Light and SLIP Indicator. I took it to the Toyota Dealership near me: Lipton Toyota in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and they diagnosed car with the trouble code of C1391-Abnormal Leak of Accumulator, Internal ABS Actuator Failure. To fix this problem, Lipton Toyota will charge $3124.29 for the repair. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. issued a customer support program notification that would cover this repair if the malfunctions happened before coverage ended. Primary Coverage was applicable until December 31, 2021 with no year/mileage limitation. Secondary Coverage was applicable for 10 years from the vehicle's date of first use or 150,000 whichever occurs first. Date of first use on my Prius V was 03/01/2012 and my mileage is 79K. So as you can see, I am just out of the coverage window. My private mechanic and myself have appealed our case to Toyota that this problem should be a recall with no limits on coverage. (Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. - case reference # 230206000678) I believe that if I had driven my car more, (which was not done because of the Pandemic 2020-2021) this issue would have come up before the cut off date for repair coverage. I also believe that this problem with the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies on certain 2012-2014 model year Prius V vehicles should be a recall.

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #78

Jan 042023

Prius v

  • 126,000 miles

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

I was driving at night and several brake related dashboard lights suddenly lit up and I wasn-??t able to use my brakes. I managed to coast safely to a stop, called a tow truck, and got my car home. Mechanic found a c1391 code and told me to go to Toyota. Toyota says the accumulator has a leak and it causes the brake up issue, but the service plan free program to fix it expired. They want $5000 to fix it. I want Toyota to extend the plan because I didn-??t drive as much during the pandemic and I would have had the issue earlier had I been driving at normal amounts,

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

problem #77

Nov 242022

Prius v

  • miles
All the lights on my dash lit up. I took it immediately to Toyota of Dallas. I tried numerous times connecting with Dimatrius service manager. No call back. An inspection was done on the vehicle. He stated it would be a $5000 job and I was out of warranty. Their is too many people having this issue if you search many 2012-2014 people are having this issue in a addition to to a google search search for a letter at Capistrano Toyota.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #76

Oct 182021

Prius v

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a stop, there was a rattling sound coming from the brakes while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that the brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because there were no fault codes retrieved. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #75

Oct 032022

Prius v

  • miles

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

The brake booster pump has started to run every 30 seconds while the car is operating. When pressing on the brakes, there is an unusual sound and has begun to feel different. There are no warning lights yet, but after consulting with the local Toyota dealership they informed me of the ZJB Customer Assistance Program which addresses this issue. Unfortunately the offer to repair has expired and the dealership has declined coverage. I contacted Corporate Toyota and they are declining to cover the repair. I don't have the $3500 to replace this brake booster pump at this time. This is a safety concern and I don't understand how this is not a RECALL due to the potential safety concern. PLEASE HOLD TOYOTA ACCOUNTABLE TO THIS SAFETY PROBLEM.

- Granite Bay, CA, USA

problem #74

Oct 052022

Prius v

  • miles
2012 Toyota Prius V, 125k. Sudden loss of braking power accompanied with BRAKE, BRAKE SYSTEM, SLIP INDICATOR, and PCS warning lights. Scan shows codes B2060 (ABS malfunction) and C1931 (Abnormal leak of brake ACC pressure). Brake fluid significantly lower. No signs of external leak. Can hear the brake booster pump running almost constantly. All signs indicate this is the issue identified in Customer Support Program 20TE07. This is a significant safety issue that may lead to loss of braking and serious injury / death. It should be a recall.

- Dupont, WA, USA

problem #73

Oct 032022

Prius v

  • miles
Small internal brake fluid leak inside the break booster assembly with master cilinder. Code c1391

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #72

Aug 242022

Prius v

  • miles
The ABS system has malfunctioned. It shows "ABS", "Brake" and "Hillside assistance" lights on the dashboard. Have to push the brake pedal till the end for applying the brakes. This is causing a safety issue. Toyota knew about these brake issues as they have a Support program to replace these faulty parts with another part. The Support program is 20TE07 which is expired. Instead of considering this as a support program, they should be considering this as a recall. This is a safety issue as the ABS stops working at anytime.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #71

Sep 202022

Prius v 4-cyl

  • 235,000 miles

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

My 2012 Toyota Prius V went out and had no control crashing into the curb on the passenger side. Scraping the side of my car. My ABS break system went out on my car going 40 miles per hour at 5:30 on a major street in Los Angeles called Wilshire Blvd. I almost died if I had not crashed into the curb I would have been hurt and hurt others Toyota issues a wait and see -??courtesy program of a certain window to fix the break booster system and I ran out 1 month ago. My car is at Toyota Culver City and they are refusing to fix the break system due to the time limit. I was not notified of break system faulty system. My number is [XXX] if you would like to know INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #70

Aug 272022

Prius v

  • 62,000 miles
Master cylinder failure that Toyota is aware of and should RECALL!!! I lost braking with my 10 year old son in the car and could have DIED!!!! Car has 62,000 miles on it! Ridiculous. Over 4,000$ to repair I-??m being told. This is a significant Safety issue and you should make Toyota recall it!

- Fairhaven, MA, USA

problem #69

Mar 162022

Prius v

  • miles
The brake booster started to make some noise every 5 seconds for about a week and one day when I was driving on the highway, all brake related warnings lights came on my dashboard. I want to brake and the brake did not hold correctly, once I touched it the car actually sped up then, I had to push hard to brake since that time the brake pedal is very hard to push and the car doesn't slow down at it should. I called Toyota many times for the extended warranty they had for this issue, but every time they apologize to me and they say it has expired. Although, I bought the car in March 2022 and the extended warranty expired on February 2022.( as they said). It is not fair that they have an extended warranty for brake booster for 10 years and when I get this same issue outside 10 years by one month, I'm not qualified. This is a safety issue and they are at fault. It should be for life to prevent disaster from happening and save innocent lives. Thank you. I have included some photos

- Lake Ridge, VA, USA

problem #68

Jul 222022

Prius v

  • miles
Running errands and when I got back to my Toyota prius v many lights were illuminated including my brakes abs tire pressure traction lights were all on. Tool my car to dealer for them to gladly request $5,000 to repair this. Dealership told me "the repairs are going to be a new master cylinder + new brake booster pump + fluids as needed for repairs". This is a known issue for 2012 to I believe 2014 prius model V. This is a huge safety issue and a manufacture error This should be recalled and covered by Toyota as shouldn't be any fault of my own. On today's world 5k is a crazy amount of money to fix a known issue thay could arise again. Toyota needs to do better to protect their customers. Shame on them.

- El Cajon, CA, USA

problem #67

Jul 152022

Prius v

  • miles
2012 priusV has intermittent vsc and traction control when cornering left or right at slow speeds, as less than about 20mph, 5-20. This is happening on dry road conditions at unpredictable times. The vehicle may deceleration and have a lungeing behavior with traction and or bracking interrupted momentarily. On accelerating from stop sign turning left or right the vehicle may pause accelerating briefly and pull with the abs brake auto/ intermittently applied.The traction control light may or may not illuminate at the short time interval of these events, but traction control light does not stay illuminated after the event is over. No error code is read from the vehicle with error code reader. These events are very startling and cause sometimes cause the vehicle to speed up or slow down abruptly. These events are happening at low speeds, however with the car surging forward or abruptly slowing on corning and lane changes there is potential issues of keeping the vehicle under proper control at these times. I believe Toyota should correct this problem so that it never occurs. Toyota to Find a solution an implement a recall to update vehicle.

- Hadtings, MN, USA

problem #66

Jun 132022

Prius v

  • miles
TCS, ABS, Check Engine, and Warning lights all came on at once. Brake pressure immediately decreased. After the following diagnosis, Toyota said the brakes will continue to worsen and fail completely. Error codes C1249 and C1391 were presented. Toyota dealership diagnosed a leak within the brake pump actuator and said these parts needed replaced: 04009-79147 Brake cylinder kit 04006-22212 Brake pump assembly

- Cleveland, TN, USA

problem #65

Jun 082022

Prius v 4-cyl

  • miles
I have a 2012 Prius V with just under 65k miles. This morning I woke up to go to work, drove about 5 minutes down the road when suddenly the ABS, PCS, brake and traction control lights illuminated. My brakes felt much more stiff, the car took longer to brake, and I had to depress the brake pedal down much further than normal to get any braking response at all. I quickly scheduled an appointment to bring my vehicle to my local Toyota dealership for inspection. I was told by the service department that it will cost me $4.5K to replace the ABS actuator pump (47070-12020) and brake booster & master cylinder (47050-47110) because the system malfunctioned/failed. I was in shock! I quickly ask if Toyota had an open recall for the ABS brake malfunction/failure issue and was told no. That answer did not sit well with me because this is a serious problem. Plus, this should not happen to a vehicle with under 65K miles. I've owned several Toyota vehicles in the past and I-??ve never had anything like this happen to me. Today, I searched -??2012 Prius ABS Brake Issue-?? online, and found multiple stories similar to mine on blogs, posting, etc... about the Toyota Prius ABS brake problem. I even heard that Toyota had a program in place to address this issue but it expired in 2019. Vehicle owners had to fight to bring the issue to Toyota's attention in order to get their vehicle repaired before the end of the program. Can you tell me why the NHTSA haven't forced Toyota to issue a mandatory recall to address this serious and know safety issue? Toyota knows about this issue and should be held accountable to fix the problem. I don-??t want anyone to lose their life due to this known issue. Please help force Toyota to keep the road safe for all of us. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #64

Feb 232022

Prius v

  • miles
ABS dashboard light and loss of brake efficiency originally occurred on 2/23/22 and it has stayed lit every time vehicle is driven since then - and brake efficiency is affected since then. The ability to brake on demand is of paramount safety concern to the driver and passengers of our vehicle and also to those around our vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle was confirmed to have the same issue called out in the Toyota Customer Support Program (CSP) (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10181800-9999.pdf): replace Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies. The vehicle had some of the same DTC codes mentioned in the CSP and a few more. I have a photo from 2/24/22 proving ABS lights came on. This falls within the CSP by date (10 year from being put in service for this vehicle would be on 3/2/22) and just 3k over by miles. We are a loyal Toyota household - this is one of 3 Toyota vehicles we have owned (two Prius and Sienna) - and are in the market for an EV, and are excited about Toyota's new entry BZ4X in EV market. Toyota looking other way is an insult to brand loyalty and also violates the "spirit" of such CSPs (as opposed to Recalls, where I would have gotten this repair done timely before this failure happened). Also, equivalent CSP for a different Prius model (Prius C) (announced in May 2021 - 8 months after Prius V program was announced in Sep 2020) allows for the same Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assembly issue to be covered up to Nov 30, 2022 and unlimited miles. How does it make sense that a 2012 Prius C owner experiencing the exact same problem on the exact same components on the exact same date would be covered while a 2012 Prius V owner would be denied the benefit? I would like NHTSA to work with Toyota to extend the CSP program officially to cover more vehicle owners like us and not live them stranded. That is not we expect from a company that prides in quality workmanship, customer-centricity.

- Harrisburg, NC, USA

problem #63

Apr 272022

Prius v

  • miles
Faulty brake and ECU assembly failure. A safety issue when driving. Was told by mechanic NOT to drive car as it could suddenly stop. Took car in 9/11/15 for software update for motor generator ECU and power management ECU as recall letter suggested. This is apparently common and needs to be corrected without cost to driver.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #62

Mar 012022

Prius v

  • miles
Bought the car from a dealership in january 2022 with 158,000 miles and heard buzzing noise that I was told was normal with hybrid cars.no codes showing on car and passed dealer inspection.Driving down a highway and heading to a stop brakes are hard to mash and caused skidding. No brake lights or abs lights are on. Couple days later brake lights and traction lights come on and then went back off. Take to Tires Plus and I am told I have to schedule appointment with toyota dealer as they do not have the software to diagnose. Take to toyota dealership to see codes 1391c for brake system. After searching issue there was a recall/customer warranty extension for replacement of this part for 150,000 miles /march 19,2022 whichever comes first. This did not show up on a report for dealer to inspect before selling vehicle and causes a huge safety concern to people that did not own this car before 150,000 miles. If a less experienced driver would not have known to reduce brake pressure applied it could have slid and caused collision or if brakes would have been needed during an emergency situation. Car is now sitting at toyota dealership and advised not to drive as brake pressure was lowered while being diagnosed. After talking with toyota they cannot provide assistance due to car being slightly over the 150,000 mile mark. Also if the brake pedal is mashed for an extended period of time the dash lights for brake system and traction control go off and will not come back on until it is driven for awhile

- Elberton, GA, USA

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