10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 3
Average Mileage:
40,701 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 5 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #33

Apr 242019

Prius v

  • 118,515 miles

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

Car experienced greatly diminished braking power on interstate 75 prior to approaching heavy traffic backed up to exit. Many warning lights illuminated on the dash: Brake, ABS, etc. Toyota has already issued a warranty extension for this issue for the standard model prius, and I believe this is a safety hazard on the Prius V wagon as well.

- Apollo Beach, FL, USA

problem #32

Feb 092019

Prius v

  • miles
Takata recall. Right after recall no 18V-684 update system on my prius at local Toyota dealer my car brakes pedal become veird. When I just start on the engine thn start moving and stoping, the brake pedal is really up and not moving down and brakes car really quick. At the same time when I start driving I hear that rear writing brakes for about 1-2 miles. Then it come off and brake pedal goes down little bit to normal position and works great. This is happen every time when shot down engine and start again to go somewhere. Its really dangerous bacous the position of brake pedal sometime up sometimes down, can not predict how soon you can stop when its needed. It always happen now when I drive in my city roads. I came back to dealer that did update system on my car, they said that I need to pay to find out what is going on with my car, they will charge me even if this happen after theire recall update system on my car. This is horrable.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #31

Nov 012018

Prius v

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius V. while driving at any speed, the brakes made noise and the ABS failed. The vehicle was taken to venice Toyota (941-451-5150, located at 900 U.S. 41 bypass, venice, fl 34285) where it was determined that there was no recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Venice, FL, USA

problem #30

Sep 182018

Prius v

  • 10 miles

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

ABS brake is not working. While I was driving on a city traffic and come to a complete stop at the traffic light, the brake pedal went deep when I step on it and it took me more time to stop than I expected it. I went and got it red the code C1391 abnormal leak in accumulator.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #29

Jun 162018

Prius v

  • 60,530 miles
While pulling into a parking space (speed less than 5 mph) and applying the brakes the pedal went to the floor and the car seemed to speed up. The car jumped the curb and struck a tree. A good samaritan assisted and actually got in the car and found the brake pedal went to the floor. Shortly after the accident the brakes returned to normal operation. This is the second time that the car has experienced similar problems. In 2014 while pulling into the driveway the brake pedal went to the floor and struck the house. Shortly after the brakes returned to normal operations. Toyota was notified and inspected the car's computer and braking system per case number 1410012557. After the inspection Toyota said that there were no brake issues found with the car and stated that it was safe to drive. Obviously there is an issue with the braking system in these cars.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #28

Apr 252018

Prius v

  • 69,347 miles
Brake activator unit failed after 4 months of reporting the issue to Toyota. It follows the conditions indicated on Toyota wen ZG1. Vehicle was in motion at highway speed when braking malfunction occurred. Vehicle was controllable and allow for secure stop. Brake response was sluggish and hard on the foot.

- San Juan, PR, USA

problem #27

Jan 032018

Prius v

  • 84,000 miles

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

On Jan. 3, 2018 while moving at a minimum speed (less than 15 mph) I applied the brakes and several warning lights illuminated (brakes, ABS, traction control) along with a warning sound. This was on a city street, driving in a straight line. I was able to brake to a stop. I then attempted to continue to drive at a very low speed but soon lost all ability to brake the vehicle and I coasted to a stop. I had the vehicle towed to a local Toyota dealer. I was told the brake actuator had failed and was charged $3288 plus tax for the repair. I received the car on Jan. 9, 2018 from the dealer. On Jan. 12, 2018 the car failed once again in the exact same manner. The dealer kept the car until Feb. 1, 2018 at which time they returned the car to me at no charge, stating they had changed the same exact part as before. The car has 84,000 miles and I purchased it new. I understand Toyota has issued recalls for this issue on other models but not on my vehicle. I have retained my repair invoices but am unable to upload them at this time.

- Maurice, LA, USA

problem #26

Dec 172017

Prius v

  • 106,451 miles
On Sunday December 17, 2017 at about 3:00 pm I was driving with my family (wife and two kids) in South Florida on us highway 1. the weather was clear and I was traveling about 55 mph. Then without any warning a number of trouble indicator light illuminated on the dash. When the lights came on I was driving in a straight line with just enough gas pedal input to maintain my 55 mph speed. Startled by the lights I lifted my foot off the throttle and attempted to apply the brakes. When I attempted to apply the brake pedal I had little to no brakes and I had to 'stand on the brake pedal' (press it as hard as I could) to get the car to slow and eventually stop while pulling onto the shoulder of the road. I was scared and shocked at the same time. I turned the car off and back on thinking it might fix the problem. It did not. I was able to get the car home and the very next morning took it to South dade Toyota. I was able to get it home and to the dealer by driving very slow keeping a very large space cushion and standing on the brake pedal when I needed to stop. While I did not crash understandably I was scared because you should not just lose brakes out of the blue. At the dealer they informed me that the brake actuator failed and needed replacement costing $5734.94. I did research and found that Toyota issued a warranty extension ZG1 for this exact problem but was told by the dealer that my VIN was not part of the program even though my vehicle experienced the exact problem. I reached out to Toyota cooperate and while they agreed that yes I had the same problem my VIN was not part of the program (they gave me a case # 1712180647). However they did offer $2207.57 as a good will gesture towards the repair. I paid $3527.37. Toyota knows of a life safety problem and has chosen to limit the program. My mileage was 106,451 and under the program would have been covered.

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #25

Aug 012017

Prius v

  • 5,000 miles
Since I first bought the car in 2012 I noticed that every now and then when I pushed down the brake pedal to slow down for a stop, if the car hit a slight bump in the road, the car would momentarily accelerate instead of braking. It felt like I was losing control of the car. (note: Since I did not record the dates, please note that I have chosen August 1, 2017 as a random date just so I could continue on to the next step but this has happened from time to time since 2012.)

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #24

Nov 042017

Prius v

  • 57,000 miles
November 4, 2017 - car was parked in our driveway. Put the car in reverse to back out of our driveway. The brakes failed. No matter how many times the brake pedal was repeatedly pushed down, the car just would not stop. It actually felt like the car was accelerating! the car ran over our mailbox at the end of our driveway. The mailbox got dragged under the car and the car rolled out onto the street. Finally, we pushed in the power button and that was how we were able to get the car to stop. Our mailbox got totaled and damage was done to the undercarriage of our car, as there is twisted metal hanging down scraping the ground. The brakes started to work again a few minutes later, as I was able to pull it back into the driveway off of the street. On September 19, 2017 ' car was parked in a parking lot. When reversing out of the parking space, the brakes did not work. After repeatedly pumping the brakes, they finally engaged just before it hit a car parked behind us. We thought this was a freak one-type event, so we didn't report it.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #23

May 092015

Prius v

  • miles

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

NHTSA recall number 15V449 manufacturer recall: For / hybrid inverter/power module (ipm) crash involving Prius V (owned by another person - my mother was hit and killed by Prius V) occurred on sr 105. Prius V traveling N on outside lane crossed inside lane and 11' grass median bordered by concrete into S bound inside lane and collided my mother driving oncoming vehicle on inside S bound lane. Woman driving Prius V was killed on impact, and my mother died later that day at uf hospital jacksonville. Two witnesses driving behind my mother saw crash and said the Prius V appeared to be accelerating across median. Crash occurred approx. 2 months before Toyota's recall on July 15, 2015 of 109,000 Prius V hybrids. The Prius V that killed my mother was part of this recall. In Feb 2014, there was a recall on the prius ECU. The pruis V had the same ECU, but Toyota chose not to recall the Prius V until almost a year and a half later, 2 and a half months after my mother's fatal crash. If they had recalled the Prius V in 2014, would my mother still be alive?

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #22

May 012017

Prius v

  • 20 miles
When driving on uneven ground, like pot holes, the brakes fail. Literally if you have your foot on brake when driving over a pot hole, you can feel the brakes release and the car won't stop. I've had similar issues on bumpy ground. The car has always had the problem since I purchased it, probably on a weekly basis, and I've wondered about the safety and whether it's just related to ABS. I've also inquired at the dealership. Luckily, I've never been in an accident because of the problem. But, this weekend my friend with a prius had an accident because of the problem, so I decided to report my complaint.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #21

Feb 012017

Prius v

  • 55,155 miles
My 2012 Toyota Prius V (mileage: 55155) has had a failure of the rear brake pads and rotors due to excessive rusting. Please note the front brakes are in great shape and show very little wear. The service manager was quick to point out that he was only a franchise store and was not responsible for the design of the rear brakes. He stated that this happens occasionally on the hybrid cars they service and if the manufacturer had coated the brake (I believe he was referring to the slide area of the caliper where the brake pads rides) that the brake pad would not have hung up and worn out along with destroying the rotors. I am a former licensed aircraft mechanic and a licensed engineer with the state of Illinois. Clearly there is no reason for the rear brakes to fail before the front brakes and certainly not the rotors. This car has been serviced by the dealer every 5000 miles, which demonstrates the failure was not due to neglect. This failure mechanism needs to be addressed before it causes an accident.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #20

Aug 212015

Prius v

  • 75,000 miles
Brakes sometimes grab very sharply when touched while in motion, causing forward momentum of body to slam on brakes. Almost caused accident when I touched brakes with someone tailgating too closely. Also traction is interrupted when hitting the metal abutment to bridges.

- Norwalk, CT, USA

problem #19

Oct 122013

Prius v

  • 14,000 miles
Brakes release and car accelerates when braking over potholes or uneven pavement at low speeds.

- Bracebridge, MI, USA

problem #18

Mar 172015

Prius v

  • 40,251 miles
Took car in for service at 40,251. Was told brake pads are at 1mm for both rear brake pads, and that rotors were rusted. Told for safety it should be replaced at this time. There had been no indication that brakes were faulty. No warning lights, no noise, no change in braking sensation. Prior service at 35,397 indicates brakes in good condition with both rear pads at 7mm. Also, no mention of rotor rust. Service done at 30,109 also indicates brakes in good condition with rear pads at 7mm. Multipoint inspection paper for 40K service was not attached to bill. Requested inspection paper for 40,251 service, and all other inspection papers. Car was bought at Warren Ohio Toyota, and was always taken there for service. Was told no inspection papers are kept longer than 6 months, and they could not provide any information about this cars previous inspections results. The most recent inspection paper was mailed to me. It indicates the rear brake pads were at 0mm and 1mm. A 0mm pad. There was nothing that occurred during driving to indicate the pad was down to metal. I have contacted the Warren Ohio Toyota general manager and service manager with my concerns over this rapid decline in the braking system with no warning in less than 5,000 miles of driving. Most of the driving I do weekly is highway miles. I have not received any response from the general manager or service manger despite repeated calls and emails. This rapid decline in my braking system with no warning is a serious safety concern. Either my 2012 Prius V has a faulty braking system, or the brakes were fine and Toyota of Warren Ohio lied about the condition of the brakes.

- Austintown, OH, USA

problem #17

Dec 052014

Prius v

  • 4,500 miles
I owned this vehicle since brand new. It had happened more than a dozen times. When going over bumps or uneven surfaces, with the same pressure applied to the break, the 2012 privus failed to stop and lurched several feet before stopping. We had an incident that we almost ran into pedestrian yesterday when this issue occurs. This is very concerned to my family. We bought this vehical back to the dealer ship where we purchsed it.(expressway dorchester Toyota in masschusettes) they said they could not fix it because they could not reproduced at the dealship. The service of manager claimed this is working as designed from the (tracking control). I feel this is a false statement, this does not happened to my other cars that has traction control. Toyota should really starting fixing it before someone gets killed!

- Quincy, MA, USA

problem #16

Jul 092013

Prius v 4-cyl

  • 15,000 miles
There are two things that occur with my brakes. One is a consistent and very loud groan with braking after any length of time sitting idle. The other is when the brakes are applied and I may be over a bump in the road or a pot hole or rocks the car lurches forward quickly as if I have lost control of breaking. Almost like hydroplaning without water present. I have taking the car to the deal consistently since the noise began and yet to have a fix for it. They say there is nothing wrong with the brakes. However I specifically had someone sit in my car to hear the groan because they said they were unable to duplicate it. They heard the noise and again could do nothing to make it stop.

- Santa Rosa , CA, USA

problem #15

Oct 012012

Prius v 4-cyl

  • 1,000 miles
On multiple occasions when braking if I hit a bump in the road or pothole the cars speeds forward for a few feet. It feels like the brakes release causing the car to stop slowing down. This is very discomforting. So far I have not been in any accident though I fear that this could contribute to an accident if I had to stop suddenly.

- Revere, MA, USA

problem #14

Jun 222013

Prius v 4-cyl

  • 22,961 miles
I stated to the dealership on june24,2013 that the car feels like it runaway when I brake and hit a pothole in the road. They road tested my car and couldn't duplicate any abnormal issues with the braking. They visually inspected the brakes and they found nothing. There have been incidents where I brake and hit a pothole and jut forward either almost passing a red light or almost hitting a car in front of me. It is a very scary situation. I would have done this complaint sooner, but I was not aware of this website. I just happen to search to see if anyone else has the same issue with their 2012 Prius V. this scary dangerous situation still continues till this day.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

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