2004 Toyota Prius brakes problems

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Brakes · MD

Codes C1256 and C1391 ACC low pressure and abnormal leak of ACC press

Filed Feb 17, 2022 · Brakes · TX

ABS failure. Won't pressurize. Anti-lock brakes quit working.

Filed Nov 27, 2021 · Brakes · CA

Toyota has issued time-limited 'Warranty enhancement program ZG1' instead of working with the NHSTA to issue a comprehensive BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY RECALL. ZG1 was explicitly in place only from April 2016 to Dec 2017, requiring dealer verification of an actual system failure prior to 31 Dec 2017. My failure occurred in 2021 and Toyota will not extend ZG1 for me (case 211015000390). Obviously the BRAKE ACTUATOR is a key safety component. Obviously this is a design flaw - brake systems MUST be designed to last the life of the vehicle. Obviously Toyota has had an excessive number of failures. Toyota is improperly using this 'warranty enhancement program ZG1' to avoid the NHSTA and to avoid responsibility for the poor BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY design. Per their letter to owners, Toyota was NOT replacing the BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY on a preventive basis prior to actual brake failure. Because of the importance and severity, Toyota should have replaced the BRAKE ACTUATORS via a recall. I would like Toyota to fix my faulty brakes at their expense.

Filed May 12, 2021 · Brakes · 242,520 miles · CA

Brake actuator went out and dealer said toyota used to cover it, but not anymore. I searched the internet and discovered this [part is bad in most prius vehicles and toyota extended the coverage on the 2010-2015 until august 31, 2021. Unfortunately my car is 2004 and does not get the benefit of the extension. The cost to repair is almost $4,000. Toyota knows of this issue and should repair my car as they are with the other years 2010-2015. This is a driver safety issue.

Filed Sep 25, 2019 · Brakes · 138,000 miles · MA · crash

When stopping suddenly sometimes the brakes on my 2004 prius would not respond immediately as they should. They would release the calipers completely and the only way to stop would be to let off the brakes and press them again. It does not happen often but it is regular enough that this has always concerned me very much. Today I was following a car who slammed on their brakes very suddenly and therefor I also had to slam on my brakes. This same issue occurred and I did not have time to release the brakes and press them again causing me to hit the back of the car that I was following. I maintain my cars very well and this car was in top condition with brand new tires. The brakes do not even activate enough to squeal or leave any rubber behind. There is no way that I could possibly have stopped in time. This is not safe and needs to be resolved for other people who have these cars.

Filed Aug 26, 2019 · Brakes · 138,900 miles · TX

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. This failure happened on I-45 near madisonville and I had to pull off the road because a warning light brake light went on.

Filed May 21, 2019 · Brakes · 190,000 miles · FL

When driving down the road all of a sudden we tried to use the brakes and it felt like we only had 10% of our braking ability. The brake light came on and ABS light went on and the stability control light came on as well as a warning buzzer. It felt like we had manual brakes.

Filed Feb 7, 2019 · Brakes · 111,000 miles · MD

While driving, the ABS, vcs and red brake light all came on. Had it towed to the dealership and was told the brake actuator needed to be replaced for $3,000. It was diagnosed as: replace brake accumulator assy. (brake accumulator assy. Leak/ low pressure (c1256, c1391))

Filed Aug 29, 2018 · Brakes · 82,000 miles · IA

I was driving the prius on city streets in rain. I came to a stop and started to drive and a bunch of emergency lights and beeping started. There was no unusual noise or grinding until I applied the brakes. The brake pedal was hard and had significantly lost braking power. All lights and beeping continued after turning of and restarting the prius. I took it to a certified toyota dealership and the diagnosed the problem as a bad brake actuator. As being a prius owner I've done my research and know this is a very common problem with these cars and that 9 months ago toyota was replacing this part for free. I feel like toyota needs to address this problem as my prius only has 80k miles and a 3 thousand dollar repair is pretty outrageous for a car that hasn't even hit 100k miles.

Filed Aug 6, 2018 · Brakes · 147,000 miles · NJ

I was driving my 2004 toyota prius on the highway there were 5 passengers in the car including me. Suddenly there was a loud alarm in the car. It was a loud beep. The breaks completely failed. When I stepped on the breaks they did not react. I was going 65 miles an hour on the highway and thankfully we were not going down hill. I used the engine brake and pressed really hard on the breaks to bring the car to a stop on an off-ramp. Since I weight 300 pounds I could put all my weight into the brakes and finally brought it to a stop. If my wife was driving we would have crashed. The whole episode took like 3 minutes. It was agonizing because I thought we were going to crash against other cars because I had no way of informing them that I had no brakes. The idea of going in the ramp was trying to minimize the damage to other people. The alarm continues when I turned on the car. I took the the car to the dealership and they said that the actuator was the culprit. They told me it was a matter of time. I was sitting on a faulty part. They said it was on a warranty and not on a recall so they could have only fixed it if it failed and I was too late for the fix. The warranty expired on december 31, 2017. In other words, my 147,700 miles toyota is essentially totaled. The fix cost more than the value of the car. They told me to disable the ABS and I would be ok. A mavis brake mechanic tells me not risk it. I always took my toyota to service at toyota dealerships. They never mentioned the recall in spite of the fact that the brake light was on. When they performed the oil change the light would turn off for several weeks and then turn on. I could have killed myself in the car. I feel lucky that nothing happened. I am looking for a mechanic to fix the problem but it is hard to find independent hybrid mechanics. Toyota wants to charge $2800