Check a VIN

2005 Toyota Prius brakes complaints

Page 10 of 11: complaints 251 to 280 of 282, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2005 Toyota Prius brakes problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · NY

My 2005 toyota prius, exhibits the same symptoms of acceleration, skidding effect when hitting a bump and braking, as today's report of the 2010 prius doing the same thing. I thought it has been the anti-skidding mechanism all these years, but the description of this malady in the 2010 prius sounds like my 2005.

Filed Feb 3, 2010 · Brakes · 35,000 miles · CA

Brakes have begun to exhibit unusual behavior: inconsistent pressure to achieve the same stopping distance. Sometimes, inexplicably, the brakes are extremely sensitive...an extremely slight pressure leads to a sudden stop, almost like the brakes are jamming or grabbing something inside. It's a bit scary when it happens, because the wheels feel like they are going to lock up, and it's hard to control exactly where the car stops.

Filed Feb 2, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · NY

Abs & stability control lights stay on. Dealer says that systems are faulty. Not a warranty repair!!??!!! N.b.: it would help consumers if your complaint-search function would allow simultaneous searches for model of multiple years; and, for keywords so that results would appear regardless of whether complainant has chosen a different--or, even, an incorrect--category of equipment.

Filed Feb 2, 2010 · Brakes, Driver assistance · NY

'05 toyota prius. Chronic failure of antilock brakes and of vehicle stability control. Toyota dealers repair shop claims that this is to be fixed at my expense. Seems to me that important safety defects should be repaired for free. How many like-complaints have you rec'd.?

Filed Feb 1, 2010 · Brakes · CA

Sudden acceleration problem when braking in light rain; multiple occurrences * model year: 2005 * make: toyota * model: prius * component: antilock brakes before I bought my car, I went on a test drive of a prius with the salesman in the car. During the test drive, it began to rain lightly. When I approached a stop sign, I stepped on the brakes, and the car suddenly accelerated for a few seconds before slowing down and stopping. I asked the salesman next to me what that was all about. "that's the antilock brake system; isn't it great?" in fact, it was greatly terrifying. When I bought my own car, I also found that in a light rain, the car also consistently accelerates briefly before slowing down and stopping the car. This happened on many occasions, and now I do my best to avoid driving in the rain unless it is absolutely necessary. I realize that there have been many complaints about sudden acceleration lately, but this seems to be different from what is being looked at in that it only occurs (so far) on slippery roads, it only lasts a few seconds, and it occurs when I step on the brakes, not when I release the gas pedal. I've always allowed plenty of room for braking and so far have not crashed, but I'm hoping you'll find a solution besides luck to deal with this problem.

Filed Jan 4, 2010 · Brakes · CA

2005 prius brakes disengage briefly when going over rough pavement. Happens all the time when going downhill and braking to stop at low speed.

Filed Dec 29, 2009 · Acceleration, Brakes · 20,000 miles · CA

1. Multiple events, in order of frequency: a) high speed w/cruise control (65-75mph) b) high speed before braking (65-75mph) c) hitting a bump before braking 2. Multiple events: a) car suddenly accelerated on its own and was difficult to slow / occurred multiple times, maybe 12-15 occurrences / gained control by turning cruise control off and firmly pressing on brake pedal b&c) car was initially unresponsive to braking / multiple times, approximately 3-5 / eventually slowed after firm compression on the brake pedal 3. Multiple events: a) I no longer use cruise control b&c) I am very observant whenever I brake.

Filed Dec 23, 2009 · Brakes · 60,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact stated that while applying the emergency brake the pedal and bolts fell off. He drove the vehicle to the dealer to have the emergency brake repaired. The contact is aware of the safety risk because the emergency brake can't be applied when the vehicle is parked on a steep hill. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Nov 30, 2009 · Brakes · 97,000 miles · WA

I was in stop and go traffic on the freeway. A minor bump caused all warning lights associated with the brakes to come on, no braking occurred until pedal was pushed to the floor. Then it would brake hard, no gentle braking. Two days earlier the lights completely cut out at 65mph on the freeway in the dark. Turned lights on then off and they came back on. I took it to the dealership and they've reported that they can't replicate the problem, they're suggesting that I take the car back and continue to drive it like normal. Someone could get killed if it happens again, and I don't understand how they could feel that was okay.

Filed Aug 27, 2009 · Brakes · 63,174 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving 20 to 30 MPH the brakes started to fail cause the contact to use the emergency brake to slow down the vehicle. The dealer has stated that the skid control ecu needs to be replace on the vehicle. Contact feels the manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs because the brake failure can cause the vehicle to crash. The current and failure mileages were 63,174.

Filed Aug 17, 2009 · Brakes · 90,000 miles · CO

Tl*the contact has a 2005 toyota pruis. She stated while driving home all warning lights on the dash board illuminated and within eight minutes there was brake failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer . The dealer had the vehicle for a week but was not able to locate the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Filed Apr 1, 2009 · Brakes, Electrical · 62 miles · MD · crash · 2 injuries

On 2/27/09, my 2005 toyota prius' brakes completely failed. I was going downhill in an highly transited urban road (rte 123 in va, close to tysons corner). Thankfully I was only going about 40mph when the light changed to red. The 2 vehicles in front of me stopped. I pressed the brake pedal and my car accelerated initially, and then nothing. Brakes are meant to work. Always. I kept pumping the pedal hoping to engage the breaks, but they did not engage. What stopped me was the rear of a bmw x5. Thankfully I was the only injured party, and my injuries are mostly muscular. I could have died or I could have killed someone. In january, I had taking my car to the dealer because all the alert lights on the dash would sporadically go off. They kept the car for a week and claimed that the secondary battery needed to be replaced. I got my vehicle back and on 2/23/09 the issue restarted. I was due to take my car back to the dealer the day of the accident. I called a lawyer to see if I had a case, and was told no. I am still researching the issue because someone should be held accountable and future tragedies should be avoided. If anyone has started a class action suit, please do let me know as I would like to join you.

Filed Feb 28, 2009 · Brakes · SC

Coming to a stop at less than 10mph I depressed the brake pedal only to have it go to the floor without any results. I quickly engaged the emergency brake but not before hitting a service truck. This resulted in a small dent in my front bumper. The light turned green the truck moved off but for me to release the emergency brake I had to reach with my hand to find the release lever. I went to a toyota service department immediately. They spent a couple of hours trying to find the problem this included driving my car for 30 minutes. They did not find anything to explain the problem. Reading in discussion formats online I have found this to be a problem others have experienced. My incident, as many online, happened in the rain.

Filed Feb 4, 2009 · Brakes · 53,000 miles · CA

While I was driving down the street, suddenly an ABS warning light and a beeping sound engaged. To investigate the abrupt occurrence I attempted to pull over. However as I applied my brakes they wouldn't work. My brakes completely failed. I'm extremely fortunate that I was afforded the distance to allow my car to slow down on its own. To make a complete stop I applied my parking bake. I was lucky to avoid crashing into the car just feet in front of mine. I can only imagine the devastation if this was to happen on a busy intersection or a freeway off ramp. Thankfully, there are no injuries to report. My car is currently at a dealer/service center. They said the brake actuator and speed sensor needs to be replaced. I've opened a case with toyota to investigate the failure.

Filed Dec 8, 2008 · Brakes · 37,000 miles · CA · crash

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While attempting to park the vehicle at 5 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact crashed the vehicle into a gate. The vehicle eventually stopped and nearly crashed into a garage. The vehicle sustained damage on the passenger side. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a body shop to repair the damage on the passenger side. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified. The current and failure mileages were 37,000.

Filed Nov 15, 2008 · Brakes · 53,200 miles · CA

Driving down a hill next to our home. The red brake light came for a short period at the top of the hill. When brakes were applied more aggressively towards the bottom of the hill they did not respond. The brake pedal was pushed to the floor (the road was dry and the temp. Was in the 60s, there were no leaves etc on the road) and the brakes still did not respond sufficiently to stop the car...it slowed us some but we would have run into the car in front of us if we did not swerve sharply to avoid it and then drive into an adjacent parking lot. The car was turn off and then on again. When it was turned on again, the brakes responded correctly. The car was immediately brought to the toyota dealership for inspection. The mechanic said that he had found an error code (the ABS system) in the commuter and they tech's at the dealership said that they had seen this happen with a few other prius (this is what I found concerning?there were also similar incidents posted on the web). No mechanical problem was found with the brakes. The mechanics spoke to toyota head office (??) and they were told to reset the computer and run a number of tests. The car responded correctly after the reset and it was given back to me no mechanic problem was found..

Filed Aug 5, 2008 · Brakes · 16,000 miles · CA · crash

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving 25 MPH, the contact had to depress the brake pedal very hard to avoid crashing into the preceding vehicle. The brakes did not respond when they were applied, which caused the contact to rear end the vehicle anyway. There were no injuries and the contact did not notice any prior warnings. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 16,000.

Filed Jul 18, 2008 · Brakes, Suspension · 18,799 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. The contact stated that the vehicle began making unfamiliar noises while parked. While driving 30 MPH, the noise continued in intervals. The service brake and the ABS warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the brake actuator assembly (part number 4450047090) needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $2,600. The year before, the brake actuator assembly was replaced under warranty by an authorized toyota dealer. The manufacturer confirmed that the part was previously replaced in may of 2007. The failure mileage was 18,799 and current mileage is 32,016. Updated 10-07-08 *bf the tire showed unusual wear patterns. The vehicle pulled to the right. Updated 10/07/08.

Filed Jul 10, 2008 · Brakes · 25,133 miles · CA

Toyota prius 2005 failing brake system- for the second time (the first incident was on 27-jun-2008) my brakes were not functioning properly. The first time the toyota dealership "recalibrated the computer" and could not tell me why is failed or that it would not happen again. The second occasion, yesterday, I actually rearended another car. No damage other than a complaint of possible whiplash and a warning that I may hear from him in a few days. The dealer just called me this afternoon to tell me that now they are "replacing the computer." does this happen to prius's. It was very frightening and really makes me feel quite unsafe to drive my car which presented no major problems until the present braking issue. The anti skid light comes on a fair amount and my tires slip. I have been on line and there seems to be a number of complaints similar to mine and in different model years.

Filed May 21, 2008 · Brakes · 22,000 miles · NY

Spontaneous failure of regenerative and power braking systems on prius, resulting in extremely difficult braking and long stopping distance; the 2 occurrences happened at a speed of less than 30mph so I was able to safely come to a stop, but at a higher speed it could have been disastrous. There was no warning, and in one case, the brakes were not even being applied at the time, if I remember correctly. The problem, brake, ABS, and ps warning lights illuminate, and there is an audible alarm. The dealer did not perform any repairs after the original incident but after a second incident they are now replacing the ABS electronic control unit and several other electronic components.

Filed Mar 2, 2007 · Brakes · 22,000 miles · NJ

March 2, 2007 5:01 pm on september 7, 2006 it rained and my car had been in the parking lot all morning during the rain. I drove it from work to a bus stop with clients in the back seat. When I depressed the brakes, the car slowed and at approximately 15 MPH, the brakes grabbed and all occupants were jolted forward. I have never experienced this before. This has happened repeatedly when the brakes are wet from rain. After discussing with toyota I explained the problem to the toyota team leader at my dealer. Before test driving the car, he said he would take it inside and pull the tires and inspect the brakes. I was then advised by service manager that the rear brakes (drum) were filled with brake dust. I find it inconsistent that the large accumulation of brake dust did not exist about 8,000 miles ago when the grabbing condition first presented after I had driven without the problem for about 21,000 miles. (car now has about 30,000 miles.) I find it very strange that the "large accumulation of brake dust" was not found when the brakes were inspected by morristown toyota on 2/16/07 when the warranty work was done and the brake issue was presented. After leaving morristown toyota I phoned my mechanic. He said that there was no buildup of dust at any time the brakes were pulled. I watched him perform both services in september and 500 miles ago (I have the next change sticker in my car set for 5,000 miles and only 500 miles have elapsed since the last change). I change the oil every time the computer indicates that the car is due for service and, since september, it was during those oil changes that the mechanic would pull the wheels, check the brakes, clean the brakes (in september) and rotate the tires. I believe the brakes are defective and dangerous. It has nothing to do with the rear drums suddenly being filled with brake dust (which, based on the fact that the brakes were checked on february 16th by morristown toyota, was generated in 2 weeks).

Filed Feb 14, 2007 · Brakes · 12,000 miles · NJ

Every time our 2005 prius is operated in rain snow slush the rear brakes are so grabby that it makes the car unstable. On dry days brakes are fine when you start out on wet days the antilock brakes act normal as time goes on they get more and more grabby to where it is unsafe.

Filed Jan 3, 2007 · Brakes · 18,000 miles · OH

Tl* - the contact has a 2005 toyota prius, with an odometer reading of 18000 miles complained about a a massive brake failure. The contact stated that on 12-4-06, under dry conditions, while driving at 25 MPH, she tried to apply the brakes which failed. The contact was able to use the emergence brake to stop the vehicle without a crash. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer., she had taken the vehicle to the dealer several times because the brake warning light kept turning on while she was driving. The dealer told her that she did not have a problem with her braking system. The dealer had the regional toyota representative check the vehicle, who was unable to find a problem as well. The contact also stated that when the brake light turned on the cruise control was inoperable.

Filed Dec 21, 2006 · Brakes · 70,000 miles · CA

We kept hearing a sound which appeared to be coming from the drivers side and sounded like a light horn or alarm sound. It seemed to be connected with braking and yet at other times my foot was on the brake and the sound would occur over and over. We took the car to the local dealership who diagnosed the problem as a brake actuator and has informed us that it will cost approximately $2500 to repair the problem. This seems excessive. It would be nice to know if anyone else has experienced this problem. This is a 2005 prius.

Filed Dec 19, 2006 · Brakes · 25,568 miles · CA

On december 14th, 2006, I was driving my 2005 toytota prius from berkeley, ca to monterey, ca. At 18 miles outside of monterey. Ca, and while still on the freeway traveling at 65 MPH, a continuous loud and high frequency buzzer went on and the panel warning lights went on including the red brake light on the panel. I pulled off a freeway exit near castroville, ca and stepped on my brakes to slow into the exit, the brakes did not work until I stomped on them with much pressure. I turned off the engine, waited a few minutes and turned the engine back on. I drove back onto the freeway to monterey, ca at approximately 35-40 MPH, when I drove into town once again the buzzer and red brake lights went on.I pulled over to the curb and had to stomp on the brake again. The car was towed to a toyota dealership in seaside ca. The vehicle was tested and I was shown a test form indicating that there was a computer malfunction listed as cm1300. The conclusion of the mechanic was that it was possible that a replacement part may be needed which would take a few days and that there was some reference to my use of skid control at the time of the malfunctions that I experienced. I was told that I could drive the car home and that I should stop every 15 miles to stop and reboot the car again to prevent the malfunction from occurring again. I was told that if the malfunction occurred again that I should stomp on the brake really hard and the skid control would somehow be activated. I made it home safely and drove as advised to. I took the car the next morning to berkeley, toyota and was informed that the test drive and their testing showed no malfunction and that I should take the car home, but the malfunction might occur again. I find this an unsatisfactory response. I am extremely fearful of driving the car without an explanation to why the car malfunctioned in a very dangerous way where it was difficult to use my brakes!!

Filed May 26, 2006 · Brakes · 14,318 miles · CA

While stopped at a stop light, my brakes failed and pedal released to the floor. Toyota of visalia service manager stated that computer showed codes c1357 and detail code 28. They were unable to determine case of brake failure, or duplicate problem. Although I requested they replace components that may be responsible for the incident, given the catastrophic possibilities associated with brake failure at high speeds, they refused.

Filed Apr 17, 2006 · Airbags, Body · 7,532 miles · MD · crash

I was involved in a low-speed accident in which the brakes in my car (2005 toyota prius) did not slow or stop the car and caused me to run into the back of another vehicle. No one was injured, the airbags did not deploy and there was no damage to the vehicle my car collided with. The exterior damage to my car was estimated approximately $6700. Soon after, I was notified by the insurance company that my car was totaled due to damage sustained to the hybrid system. I requested that the event data recorder be downloaded to determine if there had been a failure in the brake system. My insurance company refused and toyota appears to have ignored my request. I also find it disturbing and curious that the front end and hence the hybrid system was destroyed beyond repair in an accident so minor that the police would not even give it a report number.

Filed Nov 10, 2005 · Brakes · CA

Dt: the contact stated while stopping the brakes released. The parking brake was used to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealership, but they could not duplicate the problem. There have been no repairs made at this time.

Filed Jun 30, 2005 · Brakes, Steering · 300 miles · NY

(1) driving at speeds between 60-75mph on smooth flat roads (2) vehicle sways or "floats" side to side, especially during crosswind conditions (3) report to dealer, no repair was done by dealer as they think it was caused by grooves in the road

Filed Jun 7, 2005 · Acceleration, Brakes · 6,000 miles · CA

2005 toyota prius -- floormat becomes lodged between pedals. -- while driving at high speeds (60-70 MPH) on the freeway, I noticed a loss of sensitivity on both the brake and gas pedals. I had to press very hard to get a reaction from either pedal. As a result I was unable to keep driving at the same speed as the surrounding cars. Everything else seemed to be operating normally. The sensation continued for a few minutes until I could safely pull off of the freeway. Upon investigation, I realized that the floormat had come unhooked from its restraints and stuck between the pedals and the floor. I secured the floormat to its hooks once again and continued driving without trouble. This has happened a couple times since, but I recognize the symptoms and fix it promptly. However, I fear that another owner might experience this when they need to brake or accelerate suddenly to avoid an accident. (I noticed another posting that described the same problem). Perhaps toyota should install locking hooks rather than the current ones that easily twist and unhook from the mats.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2005 Toyota Prius?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history