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.
We purchased our 2005 Prius in 2014, and after 7 years of learning to drive with the bizarre behavior of this Gen 3 Prius, and reporting it to the dealer (who said that's just how they are designed), I just read dozens of reports on NHTSA, all from Gen3 Prius owners, all reporting identical issues with the antilock braking and traction control systems. It is as if Toyota intentionally designed them to operate exactly the opposite of how they should. With traction control, anytime the front drive wheels loose traction - gravel, railroad tracks, even as simple as painted road stripes or damp surfaces - traction control kicks in; however, on this car, traction control immediately cuts all motive power to the drive wheels, leaving the driver vulnerable to getting hit from behind; it cuts in and out until the car decides it has enough traction to proceed. It's dangerous and idiotic. The anti-lock brakes do much the same; if one encounters a situation requiring emergency braking, when the anti-lock system initiates, the brakes simply cut out, and the car jumps ahead, until they grab, then loose again immediately, with multiple lurches, and sometimes just no brakes at all available. It is dangerous and, from the Toyota dealer where we get it serviced regularly, a constant complaint from owners. And, Toyota does nothing. There needs to be a class action addressing both of these dangerous propensities. It's an awful design. Just awful.
When driving the vehicle multiple lights came on (ABS, VSC, & brake)! Brakes became hard to push at times and didn-€™t feel normal. Took it to shop and had both ABS speed sensors replaced. Warning lights went away and brakes were normal again. After a day, the lights came back on and a constant alarm started sounding! The brake system failed and the vehicle was super hard to stop! Came very close to having a major accident on the interstate when this happened!!! It took pumping of the brakes and full force on the pedal to bring it to a stop!! Went back to the shop and was told that the ABS control module/actuator went bad and needs to be replaced. Was also told that this system is a known problem in Toyota Prius-€™s for a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never received any notification of need to change out the actuator on my brake system. My car has been maintained meticulously. Yesterday while driving on interstate, the ABS, brake, and vsc lights illuminated. My mechanic says $2500 repair. I was never notified of this life threatening issue by Toyota. The 'extended warranty' of course was time limited, expiring in 2017. Should have been a recall
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed in anticipation to stop the vehicle. The contact stated the brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to mike calvert Toyota (2333 S loop w, houston, tx 77054) where it was diagnosed with the brake actuator needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the recall had ended in 2017. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Vehicle in motion at lower speeds usually below 10 miles per hour, which is when the friction brakes kick in as you coming to a stop. The issue is that the friction brakes come in and lock up way too hard even though the pressure on the pedal has not changed. This causes the car to skid and/or buck, not stopping as effectively, making it more likely to cause an accident. The issue seems to be more prevalent with the rear drum brakes but the front disk brakes also contribute to it.
- Gainesville, FL, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
2005 Toyota Prius, base model, 136,600 miles, meticulous service history, recalls serviced, safe driver. At 45mph ABS, (!), and brake lights came on dashboard. Parked, turned off car, and checked 12V battery and brake fluid levels'fine upon inspection. Brakes became spongy upon startup. Limped car to dealership and was told ABS actuator had failed, destroying front brake pads and rotors at same time. Quoted $3,600 repair estimate; car worth $4,000. Recognized Toyota issue'tsb with a warranty extension offered (ZG1). This also occurs on gen 3 Prius models (2010'2014, ZJ1 extension). Fortunate to have not wrecked, but the repair cost has totaled the vehicle.
When I go to hit the brakes the car won't stop and the rear end makes noise and raises up. The ABS and brake lights are one as well as maintenance required and SRS airbag light. The master alarm buzzer is on and won't go off. Brakes engaged without hitting the brake causes rim to overheat and brake fluid gets extremely hot. Also sometimes when tap on the brakes they will lock up and you will go sliding sideways or tap the brakes and they straight to the floor. Also the brake actuator starts whining noise and won't go off even if the car is turned off. Don't have documentation from a mechanic but can send video of driving it.
2005 Toyota Prius brake actuator/ fluid accumulator. Toyota has only issued an extended warranty on this issue, which expired in Dec 2017. Complete carelessness on their part! this issue seems to be prevalent in many of their vehicles. It should not have been an extended warranty but a full-on recall. This faulty part is very dangerous as it can lead to a total loss of braking on the vehicle. I bought this car used just a month ago and am now dealing with an extremely costly repair bill to correct this problem. The previous owner apparently did not bring the car in for repair during the so called 'warranty' time frame and now I am dealing with it. Toyota has said if the component didn't fail during the warranty timeframe, then they were not responsible for the repair cost. I feel Toyota was trying to avoid the repair costs and now want me, the consumer, to cover it out of pocket. Needs to be an immediate recall on this!
I was driving on the highway at 70 mph and suddenly my braking system failed. I had no braking and had to use the manual foot brake to slow. ABS light and red triangle came on. I entered into a construction zone so was unable to pull to the shoulder. I restarted my car and drove home without brakes. I took the vehicle to Toyota and spent $2,500 to fix since the warranty on the actuator ended in 2017. This should be recalled and I should be refunded as this is a dangerous risk and is still happening to many 05 priuses still on the road.
Drove to work on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 no issue with the car all day. Left work at 8:30pm and brakes did not work unless pressed extremely hard. Dash lit, brake light on left, ABS on right of dash lit, triangle with exclamation mark in center with high pitched buzzing noise. Backing up was fine but not when the car was in drive. Contacted Toyota dealership in wilmington, Delaware and they stated no current recall on brakes for 2005 Prius. Checked recall history which showed zero unrepaired recalls which means the pump was replaced prior to my purchase of vehicle. However, still having problems with brakes.
My 2005 Prius has an ABS and brake light on. Fail to stop. One day I was on highway and the ABS start making noise. ( alarm). And brake stop working. Almost got into the accident. When I got home, I start call Toyota to report and check on my brake and ABS light and any other recall. They said no more recall for my Prius 2005. I think whoever own the Prius have the same problem. And out of luck for the ABS brake recall and have the accident. I hope Toyota extend the recall the brake, ABS,
The dashboard lighting system quit turning on in July 2019. I could not tell how fast or how slow I was driving. The anti lock brake system light turned on while the car was running on Sep 23 2019 and the brakes failed to operate while on the road outside my house
Brake actuator assembly malfunctioned, and had to be replaced, just as predicted in Toyota's warranty enhancement ZG1. Toyota knows the part is defective, but they refused to replace it until it failed, and mine did not fail until after the extended warranty deadline.
Sudden failure of ABS, accompanied by dashboard lights for ABS and regular brakes. Vehicle was in driveway, and I did not continue to take it out into the road due to safety concerns. Toyota extended warranty to 12/31/17 (regardless of mileage), but the part should be recalled because it can fail for drivers (like me) who did not have the issue arise prior to 12/31/17.
Brake acutator failed again after 1 year of use. The brakes failed on this car a year and a half ago, resulting in pedal to the floor and many warning lights going off. Dealer and Toyota replaced brake actuator through hidden warranty I had to fight for them to pay. Drove car out of dealership, and it made a squeaky sound coming from under hood, not from brake pads. Turned car around and they took it back. Said they bled air out of brakes. Squawk came back and on next oil change, told them. "no codes, so don't worry about it." Was the diagnosis. Squawk continued over the next year and a half, and the same reply from service advisors. "no codes, no worry - maybe we need another brake bleed, but not mandatory." 2 more oil changes at dealer, and the last time, I mentioned the squawk again and the brake bleed to a new advisor and new ownership. "needs a brake actuator - and we will not pay for it this time." I reported the problem to them many times during the one year warranty of the actuator. Now they want me to spend over $2500 on a new actuator because I was a few months out of warranty on new part. Toyota also refused to pay. The brake actuator and accumulator have failed on this car and our other Prius a total of 4 times now. This is obviously a major safety issue, and I'm really surprised you are not working with them on a mandatory service campaign. The service manager said they see this issue over and over again, and that Toyota did a full redesign of the braking system on the new 2017 model year. Brakes are the most important system on a car. Without them, an accident almost always follows. Please initiate a recall on this as soon as you can. Thank you.
I was driving down the street, all of a sudden my ABS lights came on with a loud hi pitched alarm noise, and when I came up to the next stoplight and pressed on my brakes, there was virtually no brakes so I had to stand on the brake pedal to get the car to stop in time. Fortunately I often pump my brakes so noticed they were not working. I have investigated the issue and have found it is a faulty brake pump accumulator. Upon checking the cost to replace is $2800. Ridiculous. I learned of an extended warranty and many complaints on this issue by searching on the internet. I never received the letter or was notified of this defective part by Toyota.
Brakes suddenly locked while car in motion, red triangle amd xheck engine light turned on. Luckily I did not caused an accident. Towed it to Toyota dealer and they said my ABS brake pump actuator failed. Notorious part to fail on generation 2 Prius. Out of pocket cost to fix it was $1900
While driving the car locks up it brakes and cause the vehicle to skid. Serious risk for hitting other cars on the road and public safety is in danger. ABS, brake, check engine light and (!) lights are on. When code is pulled it a issue with the brake actuator. The car has a faulty brake actuator. Toyota is aware of the issue as it affects many other Prius owners and is a common problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. Every time the vehicle was started, all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. Also, the brake pedal was more difficult to depress than usual and took longer to stop the vehicle. Toyota of vero beach (1075 us-1, vero beach, fl 32962) diagnosed that a new brake actuator needed to be installed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 76,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Akron, OH, USA