10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,766 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.

2013 Toyota Prius v brakes problems

brakes problem

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2013 Toyota Prius v Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #27

Nov 142023

Prius v

  • miles

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

It happened overnight. 4 different warning lights on dashboard ( abs, brake, red triangle, ) car 100% unsafe to drive with faulty brakes. Dealer said its brake booster and brake assembly). They refused to cover expenses. 4 K total to fix it. This should be recall 100%. Please do something.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #26

Sep 192023

Prius v

  • miles
Driving 2013 Prius V multiple lights suddenly came up on dash Brake System, ABS, Master Warning, SLIP indicator Safety put at severe risk while driving. These defective parts installed were never disclosed, or notified, by Toyota and put in severe risk for consumers to drive as a National Recall was NEVER issued. Toyota was called since this and refused to fix. Toyota acknowledges parts are defective yet refutes liability despite acknowledgment of defective parts. Defective parts never disclosed to me by any entity of Toyota including Dealerships/Corporate despite willful knowledge of national defective parts in model 2013 Prius V. This is a liable safety situation that can cause irreparable human life damage.

- Franklin, TN, USA

problem #25

Jul 092023

Prius v

  • miles
When braking to slow down in a roundabout, I had to push my brakes down further than usual to stop. After this various warning, signals came on my dashboard: brakes, slip indicator, brake system warning light, PCS, ABS. I took it in to Toyota dealer they said I needed to replace my master cylinder kit and brake booster pump. My concern is that when I went online, I discovered this has been an on going problem with no recall. It has caused accidents!

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #24

Nov 012022

Prius v

  • miles

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

The brake booster begins to show signs of failure and Toyota refuses to address it citing expired warranty. The faulty brake booster in Toyota Prius is a known issue to Toyota since there are numerous accidents happened because of it and a class action lawsuit brought against Toyota.

- Arcadia , CA, USA

problem #23

Dec 022022

Prius v

  • miles
As my wife was driving my children to school All the lights on my 2013 Prius V dash came on as I was driving on December 2, 2022. All braking power became stiff and it was hard for me to stop. I pulled over turned off my car called AAA. When the AAA driver came to check out the vehicle she was surprised he told me -€œoh ya this is a common problem. He told me is most likely was the ABS master cylinder and brake boosters needing to be replaced. I would take it to Lithia Toyota of Missoula. A representative from BOSCH came to look at the vehicle made a special appointment for this person to meet me and my wife at my local Toyota dealership. They checked the car and told me there wasn-€™t a problem with my brakes. The Bosch representative said the car was fine. My wife and I would then leave and exactly one week my wife called me at work to say all the lights on the dash would came on again as she was driving. We would then take it back to Lithia Toyota for them to tell me it was the ABS braking system and I would need to spend $5000 to get the car repaired. Parts and labor. Her car is only worth 11500. They wanted me to spend more then half of what the car was worth. I would research and learn so many people are having this issue. There was a -€œcustomer support program that ended at the end of August 2022. This would be there way of weaseling themselves out of the issue. I am reporting this to help me and other drivers. Please don-€™t ignore. There are TOO MANY COMPLAINTS FOR YOU TO IGNORE. People have HAD MAJOR ACCIDENTS my wife and Children-€™s lives were at jeopardy due to your incompetence of over looking this issue.

- Missoula, MT, USA

problem #22

Jul 082022

Prius v

  • miles
All brake and traction lights illuminated. Brake pedal developed variable pressure. Brake Booster diagnosed. This particular issue is now appearing across many Toyota Prius V of the same vintage. A TSB and Recall should be announced, extremely unsafe to drive as is.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #21

Apr 042022

Prius v

  • miles

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

Completely unexpected, I started my Prius V and the ABS warning light, Traction control and parking brake lights were on. I had been hearing a high pitched thumping sound when stopped at street light or other times when brakes were engaged, but my mechanic was unable to locate the source. After the warning lights came on, The brakes still worked in a limited fashion requiring several seconds to engage. Had I not been an experienced driver using longer distance between myself and other drivers, I am sure I would have wrecked. Took the car to my mechanic. He ran the codes and found C 1391. After researching the chat groups, I found this to be a long term known defect. Disappointed that consumers reports did not mention. Called dealership and they required their machines run diagnostic codes. I decided to call Toyota customer service and talked to several levels of associates and I am stone walled. By the way: I feel for those people in their jobs. The supervisor I talked with kept mentioning the distressing lights. My concern is the wrecks I, and other drivers, could cause. I do see people stating in chat groups that thry have wrecked. And someone mentioned that if the dealership runs the code, the receipt will say -€œ do not drive-€ and -€œToyota is not liable-€ if car is driven and a wreck occurs. ( my summary may not be exact.) I now have a fabulous non-functioning car.

- Maryville, TN, USA

problem #20

Jul 262021

Prius v

  • 125,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving with the brake pedal applied, the vehicle hesitated and was slow to respond. The brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

- Brainerd, MN, USA

problem #19

May 122021

Prius v

  • 102,000 miles
Prius displayed all brake warning lights when car was running. Toyota dealership confirmed that brake booster and pump assembly need to be replaced, but would not replace them under customer support program 20te07 because they could not pull the specified diagnostic code. Dealer acknowledged that the battery dying two weeks prior could have erased the necessary codes, but still refused to fix the car. After calling the corporate customer service line and speaking to someone for 30 minutes, they stated that Toyota could fix the problem, but made a business decision not to.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #18

May 262020

Prius v

  • 137,500 miles
My brakes failed on a two-lane divided street in lutz. We were driving straight, and when my husband put his foot on the brake, they failed. We drove to the nearest Toyota garage and the agent said that it was a master cylinder problem but the prius would be covered under a recall - prius' less than 10 years old and less than 150,000 miles on the clock were covered. My car fit both criteria. On returning to collect the car, none of the V class prius' were included. The part number was C1391. We had to pay $3886.09. Our manufacturer number was not covered. It was one number different. I spoke to the most senior executive I could contact at Toyota. (danny castro). Danny had no answers that I found satisfactory. His basic reply was: 'your manufacturers number is not included.' These are my concerns and reasons: 1. there is a known fault with the master cylinder with all prius cars, but the company says that it is only responsible for certain manufacturer part numbers, which doesn't include the V's. I think it's a design fault and by giving the part a different number to avoid the recall on V's, seems underhanded. 2. there is nothing I have done to instigate or aggravate this problem. 3. my car has been perfectly serviced and I have not missed any mileage dates. 4. we were lucky. With the brakes failing abruptly and without warning, we were at risk and I believe that my complaint may save others that aren't so fortunate as us. All prius cars should be covered under the recall program.the internet documents master cylinder failures on all prius models, the top one being a leak; my problem. 1.5 million cars are being recalled - why not mine!!!!

- Tequesta, FL, USA

problem #17

Apr 182020

Prius v 4-cyl

  • 79,000 miles

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

This is something that's happening occasionally, I'm driving and all of the sudden, the traction control, ABS and brake lights, turn on and the brake pedal feels sluggish and starts to apply at a dangerous low level, the pedal almost hits the floor, then a day may pass, then it starts normal again, for a couple of hours, then, the lights come on again, and the pedal starts with the problem again, it's getting very dangerous for me to drive the car. That happened with my youngest son and my grandson, this started at April, and it still doing it 'till this day, please help.

- Bayamon, PR, USA

problem #16

Apr 242020

Prius v 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 129,000 miles
While driving the vehicle a sequence of 4 lights appears on the dash- 1. brake light 2. master warning light 3. slip indicator light and 4. ABS (anti-lock brake system indicator light). When this happens the vehicle's power braking system goes into what seems to be a manual mode making the pedal hard to press and brakes to malfunction, it is so dangerous. I took the vehicle to my local Toyota dealer and they confirmed fault code C1391 (abnormal leak in the accumulator) and the "brake cylinder assy. ABS pump, part # 47050-47110 is defective. The estimate given by the dealer for my repair was $3040. After doing my research on the condition, it was discovered that Toyota has issued a warranty enhancement letter coded "zjb" for similar prius vehicles of the same year span as my vehicle. After contacting Toyota, they stated the enhancement is VIN-specific and the Prius V model does not fall within the "zjb" enhancement. The enhancement currently applies to 2012-2015 prius and prius phv vehicles, but not the Prius V. the program offers complete repair, at zero cost to the customer. It is my position that the Prius V should be included in this rework as it affects the same components, same fault codes, and same symptoms affected on the covered models. Toyota is well aware of the issue with these ABS brake pumps going back to their 2010 cars. It is also my position that since there are less Prius V models on the road, there just hasn't been enough complaints to make it relevant. I currently have an open file with Toyota, the file number is 2005133097. At this time they have agreed to make some adjustments on the repair costs, however, Toyota should be required to add the Prius V model to the "zjb" warranty enhancement rework letter. There are many other Prius V model owners that this issue is affecting and not being treated fairly by Toyota. Please do what you can to help?

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #15

Nov 212019

Prius v

  • 35 miles
2013 prius, mileage 100,590 car in motion driving on city streets. While breaking on uneven roads/potholes, the car skids and front wheels lock up and traction control/break assist light appears on the dashboard. When this occurs the car is dangerously slow to break and takes far too long to stop. This happens almost daily on my commute to work in both dry and wet conditions. This seems to be an issue with the breaking/stability system.

- Aguas Buenas, PR, USA

problem #14

Oct 052019

Prius v

  • 65,000 miles
Own a 2013 Prius V. noticed about 5 times over past 2 years-when car starts after sitting overnight (12 hours) and put into gear, car will roll back while foot is depressed on brake. After a few feet of rolling and pumping brakes, car will stop.no injuries or damage sustained as car was in flat carport. Over past 6 months, braking while at low speeds (less than 5 mph), produced a rhythmic jerking type of stop. Dealership diagnosed problem as needing replacement of brake booster pump and master booster assembly. Drove car without repair for 1.5 more months when ABS warning lights came on while on the freeway. Stopping distance greatly increased and need to press the brake down hard was a significant difference. Wrote to Toyota headquarters as well as local servco which is the main Toyota/Lexus/Subaru dealer in Hawaii. They declined to my request to repair the defect at no charge stating car is not covered under the zjb customer support program that Toyota already has in place for 2010-2015 prius and prius plug in (but not the Prius V). Dealer states the zjb program is a "courtesy" for those covered vehicles. This is a defective part that Toyota and servco knowingly sold to the consumer-it is a consumer safety issue.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #13

Sep 102019

Prius v

  • 93,119 miles
During an inspection, it was discovered that the brake accumulator and booster developed an internal leak. Fluid was accumulating on top of engine components and inside the cabin on the brake pedal. The repair cost nearly $3,000 and can only be performed at a Toyota dealer due to a special tool.

- Englewood, CO, USA

problem #12

Apr 122019

Prius v

  • 100,000 miles
Partial brake failure caused by faulty brake booster and actuator. Vehicle was in motionn on roadway when loss of braking suddenly happened.

- Port St Lucie, FL, USA

problem #11

Apr 252019

Prius v 4-cyl

  • 106,853 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius V. while driving approximately 20 mph and attempting to brake, the vehicle did not stop and the tire pressure monitoring system, anti-lock, brake, and electronic stability control indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to john elway's crown Toyota (1201 kettering dr, Ontario, ca 91761) where it was diagnosed that the brake booster/brake booster pump and master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the vehicle had a software failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,853. The consumer stated the vehicle over heated. The hybrid battery pack needed to be replaced and the was also an issue concerning the electric pump assembly. A recall repair was completed on the vehicle that caused issues with the master cylinder and brake booster pump assembly. The consumer has since not driven the vehicle.

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #10

Sep 122018

Prius v

  • 51,500 miles
This has happened five times now, thus far only on a level surface. Starting with the car off and parked with the parking brake on. I depress and hold the brake pedal with my right foot. Start the car by pressing power. While continuing to hold the brake pedal I depress and release the parking brake to disengage it. Then, still with my foot on the brake pedal, I shift into reverse. Instead of remaining still the car rolls backwards. Immediately depressing the brake pedal farther does not cause any braking. I have instinctively removed my foot from the pedal completely and then depressed the pedal again. The second attempt has always resulted in braking. Fortunately this has occurred only when there has been no traffic or obstacle behind the car but it is greatly concerning, particularly on san francisco hills, to worry that the brakes will not function when shifting into gear from park. Further there seems to be no warning when the brakes may malfunction. I can only tell the brakes aren't working when it starts rolling backward under power.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #9

Dec 142017

Prius v

  • miles
My wife started her car this morning, put it in park and then stepped out to get the mail. The vehicle unexpectedly moved forward running her over and pinning her leg underneath. She is currently at the hospital being checked for internal injuries. Has this been reported and if so, why not fully reported?

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #8

Jan 012017

Prius v

  • 30,000 miles
The ABS/regen/hydraulic braking conflict on 3rd gen prius' previously documented, is getting worse as my car ages. It was only slightly apparent in the first 2 years but is getting progressively worse. The brakes let go on constant brake pressure when the front wheels lose traction: Wet road, bumps, train tracks, gravel, uneven road surface, speed bumps, etc..previous models were subject to a recall. Brake problem documented here: Toyota-Alabama.com/Alabama-engineer-tackles-prius-brake-issues-and-discovers-potholes/; this now occurs on a daily basis, but I have inputted the event date as 1/1/17.

- Towson, MD, USA

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