My Prius had brake warning lights come on around December 2025. Turns out the brake accumulator had an internal leak. After doing some research, I discovered this was a known brake booster issue that Toyota has not issued a recall on. They do have an extended warranty program, but my vehicle did not qualify. The warning lights did not come on until after the 10 years or 150k miles cutoff for the warranty. Toyota's refusal to issue a recall and limits of their warranty program are clearly a move to avoid paying for repairs incurred as a result of defective manufacturing. Why should I be ineligible for reimbursement just because my vehicle is 13 years old rather than 10? Please make Toyota issue a recall or extend their Customer Support Program No. POL18-03.
2013 Toyota Prius V brakes problems
68 complaints (54% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 79,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 68
- of this car's complaints
- 54%
- typical mileage
- 79,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Toyota Prius V brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2013 Toyota Prius V brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2013 Toyota Prius V owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Suddenly Cars Brakes failed with vehicle almost lunged forward. I had to slam the brakes heavily for it to stop; Took the vehicle to Toyota Service and clearly its a QUALITY issue toyota acknowledged as a know problem with error code C1391. They even had customer support program 20TE07 acknowledging it as their issue; I almost got killed for this. The repair costs are abnormally high at 4900$'s putting me a financial burden also and currently unsafe car; Toyota - they literally KNOW THIS ISSUE and still put me at risk. They are refusing any kind of assistance to help too.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius V. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking space at approximately 15 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal felt spongy, but the vehicle responded as intended. The brake, the ABS, the traction control warning lights, and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact scanned the vehicle with a code reader and retrieved diagnostic trouble codes for the brake booster and brake accumulator systems failure. The contact related the failure to the Toyota Customer Satisfaction Program: 20TE07 (Certain 2012 - 2014 Model Year Prius V Coverage for Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies). The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered because the 10-year limit was exceeded. The contact was referred to the dealer, who provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
When I'm in the car, the brake booster keeps recharging with out touching the brake pedal. Also, the car has problems when I apply the brakes while driving. They make a hissing and popping noise and the braking is spongy. I have had braking warning lights come on as well. It is similar to what others have been describing as the brake booster and pump actuator issue with these Prius V cars. This has been happening ongoing for about two years or so. I called the Toyota dealership and they would not check it out for free or remedy the issue that was part of their Customer Support Program (Policy 13V‑235) for booster pump issues.
Spontaneous failure of brake actuator system.
Upon a hard (but not emergency) brake, my ABS and brake warning lights came on and my car began whirring once every few seconds. I immediately took the car to the Toyota dealership, who informed me that my master brake cylinder and booster had to be replaced, and that issues with the booster were something they had seen frequently in this generation of Priuses. I paid $5095 for repairs and inspection, but I had no other choice, as my brakes could have gone out at any moment whilst I was on the road and caused a very serious accident.
The brake actuator and compressor is having repeated problems and causing the brakes to lock up completely while driving both in city and ON THE HIGHWAY. Abs/parking/normal brakes The lights on the dash all start flashing and beeping. ABS / emergency brake / exclamation warning / sliding / lights all on It also caused the speedometer to stop working and most of the lights of the computer part of my dash to not display information Problem code 1391 confirmed by mechanic This is a danger to me and other drivers and Toyota needs to take responsibility for these repairs because it can cost us our lives.
Brake booster failure
The ABS brake actuator in my 2013 Prius V failed at just over 91,000 miles in December 2025, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. I understand that this is a known issue with this model of vehicle.
Upon acceleration, several brake related warning lights came on along with a consistent chime. When it came time to stop. The vehicle would not stop then with great pressure on the pedal, I was able to slow the vehicle narrowly avoiding a collision with another vehicle. The vehicle then drove normal after that and a few minutes later the lights went out. When I got home, I scanned for codes and got C1252 and C1256. This appears to be a common problem with these vehicles that Toyota does not want to address.
Questions about the 2013 Toyota Prius V brakes
Does the 2013 Toyota Prius V have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 68 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Toyota Prius V, 54% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2013 Toyota Prius V brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 79,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Toyota Prius V brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Toyota Prius V have bad brakes?
The Toyota Prius V model years with the most brakes complaints are 2012 (133 complaints), 2013 (68 complaints) and 2014 (44 complaints).
Other 2013 Toyota Prius V problems
Electrical 16Engine 16Fuel system 12Lights 7Transmission 7Acceleration 6Airbags 6Driver assistance 6Suspension 4Body 3Seat belts 2Seats 1Steering 1
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