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.
ABS pump went bad. Also when braking hard, the car will let go of the brakes. Turning on the car and immediately reversing the car brakes will not work until after everything is loaded in the car. Making backing up dangerous.
Sometimes the brakes don't work. It happened to me as I was exiting a parking spot, I've put the gear in reverse with my foot on the brake but tha car kept moving and the brake pedal felt hard.
My ABS, traction control, and master brake light came up on the dash. The problem is a failing brake actuator, which is a known issue by Toyota. Spoke to Toyota a dwas told that I am out of their ten year extended warrenty for this issue and it would be a roughly $2700 repair. Why this brake actuator was never placed as a recall is beyond me as a complete failure is an accident waiting to happen. Toyota refuses to budge on their "extended" warrenty for a known defective part, that would cause a serious hazard if it failed while driving.
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving 25 mph, the brake pedal seized when it was depressed and all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact managed to pump the brake pedal three times and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to Toyota of braintree (210 union St, braintree, MA 02184, (781) 848-9300). A second diagnostic test was conducted, which rendered the same outcome. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 84,500.
ZG1 known issue with brake actuator assembly. Warranty enhancement program ZG1 was issued to cover 2nd gen Prius' for 10 years. At 10 year 3 months and 143K miles had unit fail, leaving driving with only functioning rear brakes. This large of a safety issue should have been a recall. How Toyota was able to avoid a recall with this limited warranty extension is concerning, I was away from home when I got into my car and all of the brake related warning lights turned on and a warning beep turned and remained on. Only rear brakes function. Toyota case number 1906130936
- Decker, MI, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Brake actuator not working properly when I use the diagnostic settings it works but then after a while it stops working again. Was going 50 on the highway when brakes stopped working almost wrecked. Brake light (!) light ABS light and vsc light are all on.
The ABS and other brake warning lights go on randomly and the brakes become stiff. Took the vehicle to the Toyota dealership and they said it is due to the brake actuator assembly. The ABS actuator assembly part was part of an extended Toyota warranty under notification ZG1. However my vehicle just missed the deadline for the warranty by three months. This is a safety issue for Toyota as they know this part has a high failure rate. Warranty should be extended in order to cover repairs. Filed a case with Toyota, case # 1901312287.
My Prius now has all those dash lights on: !, ABS, vcs. I was driving yesterday, on a city street and the lights came on, and the brakes suddenly did not work-hard to push. For months, when I would drive over rough terrain, I had the loss of braking, accelerating, and the slick road icon would illuminate. The is exactly the same ABS module problem affecting 2010 Prius, ands needs to be recalled and repairs covered.if I didn't stay so far behind other vehicles, I would have rear-ended someone.
Our Prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and I just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When I hit on brake, the brake makes very annoying noise.
Our Prius started making this noise recent... 4 seconds of spinning clicking, then quiet for 5 seconds then repeat. Happens while driving, while parked and I just went out there with my keys in my pocket and opened the door and it started making the noise when the engine starts...so does the rattling and knocking sounds. When I hit on brake, the brake booster makes very annoying noise.
My car has been intermittently displaying ABS vsc and brake warning lights. When they are on there is no brake regeneration. The lights have come on and gone off and now are on again. Getting obd code C1391 (abnormal leak in accumulator) my vehicle is just a small amount over mileage to cover this under enhanced warranty but Toyota knows they have a brake accumulator problem and wants 3K to fix what should have been a recall long ago. Have called and Toyota will not help.
The lightbulbs burn out very easily. The car stalls when you are trying to leave from a light or stop sign. There is a recall for this but not on my model and there should be sometimes when stopping on breaks the car will show slippery alert even thought there is no reason for it. All these things have caused danger for us while driving the vehicle. This has been happening for years
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that a warning indicator flashed on the instrument panel regarding the brake system when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact inspected the vehicle and found a leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to salinas Toyota (700 auto center cir, salinas, ca 93907, (831) 444-0700) where it was diagnosed that there was an internal brake fluid leak; however, the vehicle was excluded from the manufacturer warranty campaign. The manufacturer indicated that the obt2 sensor did not show the specific diagnostic trouble code (dtc) to receive the brake actuator replacement covered by the campaign. The dealer and the manufacturer refused to honor the warranty campaign for dtc number: C1240. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. Consumer stated smoke started coming under the hood. Noticed fluid dripping from engine onto the exhaust pipe. Dealer determined it was not an oil leak but empty brake reservoir. Updated 11/27/18
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 60 mph, all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately three other times. The contact also stated that the brakes seized while driving through a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact mentioned that there was a technical service bulletin (T-sb-0032-16) in reference to the ABS actuator, but the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and case number: 1806043060 was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 183,483.
Consumer writes in regards to vehicle steering loss, brake loss and acceleration issues, corporation failure to inform consumer of counterfeit drive train issues that injured consumer. Smd the consumer stated Toyota failed to warn them about being convicted of "using the intellectual property of hybrid drive inventor without his permission."
Four lights came on: Emergency brake, ABS, vsc, exclamation point an alarm will sound and the brakes will go out while driving in neighborhoods and on the highway. ABS also turns on when car is off.
When braking hard, the brakes lose all pressure, go straight to the floor and warning lights come on. As soon as brakes are released the lights go off and brakes again have pressure again. Toyota extended the warranty on this part, but it is was expired before problems arose.
Prius dashboard lights up with brake light, ABS and vsc light. Ran diagnostic codes and took to dealership- said vehicle was part of brake actuator manufacturer malfunction. Dealership would not resolve issue despite acknowledging that it was a manufacture defect. Concerned for my safety because brakes are not working well. Called customer service and they wont do anything.
I was driving my 2009 Toyota Prius on a very cold day (roughly 10 to 20 degrees F). The red brake warning light was on, along with the ABS, vcs and yellow "!" lights. The brakes were extremely soft for about the first 5-10 minutes of operation. I would push the brake pedal as far as it would go (it would not go all the way to the floor) and the brakes would seems to be engaging at about 30%-50% of their normal stopping power. After the vehicle warmed up, the warning lights on the dash went away and the brakes began operating normally. The following week, my wife was driving the vehicle on another very cold day (again probably about 10 degrees). She stated that the above mentioned lights stayed on for her entire commute (less than 10 minutes) but that when she arrived to work, her brakes were not working. She described that she pressed the brake pedal as far as it would go, but the brakes did not seem to be fully engaging. She stated that she nearly hit a wall as she was pulling into the parking lot at her work. I have found similar issues listed on Prius forums online. Perhaps it is a electrical or computer problem as opposed to a problem with the brakes. We have never had the problem when the temperature was above 25 degrees.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Coral Springs, FL, USA