2007 Toyota Prius: grinding or squealing brakes

Filed Oct 2, 2020 · Brakes · 145,000 miles · CA

Started getting brake actuator failure noises in my 2007 prius back in march 2020 and took it to the west coast toyota dealership in long beach, ca. They didn't find anything wrong with the ABS system even though the grinding noise I now know is commonly associated with the problem was going off. The other day the ABS light warning came on as well as the emergency brake light. I pulled over on washington blvd and arlington in los angeles and when I started the car again and started to move forward I had no control of the brakes and turned the car off immediately. From what I've read this is extremely common! Toyota extended the warranty's on many of their vehicles to 10 years but there were no recalls so if this part malfunctions a day after the warranty then you are out of luck. The brake system is just about the most dangerous part to fail. I can't imagine what would have happened if the same thing happened at a higher speed.

Filed Aug 22, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 184,000 miles · CO

While driving around a corner on city streets, braking suddenly became very difficult, and caused the vehicle to skid when brakes were applied. A high-pitched electronic squeal came from the dashboard, and the brake system light, ABS light, vsc light, and master warning light all turned on. These are all listed as symptoms of a failed brake actuator. After contacting a licensed toyota dealership, I was directed to the toyota customer care department. After being escalated to a supervisor, I was informed that toyota is aware of this problem, but that the warranty extension they used to cover it expired in 2017, and they refused to cover the cost of replacement (~$3000). I believe this issue should be cause for a safety recall, as it happened suddenly and without warning while the vehicle was in motion. It was pure luck that this didn't result in a crash.

Filed Jan 31, 2019 · Brakes · 84,000 miles · IL

Squealing brake actuator. Occurs when car is stopped, in gear, brake pedal pushed down. This is an indicator actuator is failing, causing complete loss of brakes.

Filed Feb 17, 2010 · Brakes, Lights · 1,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. While driving over any potholes in the road at speeds of over 10 MPH, the traction warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The vehicle also made a loud grinding noise while depressing the brake pedal and they would not engage. The contact confirmed that the brakes felt as if they were "locking." the manufacturer and a local dealer were contacted, both of which were not willing to offer any assistance. No repairs were made to the vehicle. On a separate occasion, the headlights intermittently failed to operate. The dealer replaced the bulbs in both headlights. There were no recalls. The failure mileage was under 1,000 and the current mileage was 20,400. Updated 03/04/10. *lj updated 05/10/10

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Brakes · PA

Please probe 2007 toyota prius brakes too. My brakes have felt weak for some time now. I brought it to the repair shop in december 2009 and they said they were fine and were at 50% worn. The repair shop thought I was nuts. They still grind, squeak and feel weak.

Filed Sep 18, 2007 · Steering · 450 miles · MD

The first sign of a problem was a squeaking sound coming from the steering column. The next couple of times powering on the car, the steering wheel would jerk as soon as the car received power. This jerking became progressively worse. The next couple of starts, the steering wheel would vibrate violently when backing up and starting to move forward. Finally, it got to a point where, as I was driving away, the powering steering just became disabled. I was unable to drive the car and the info panel was reporting a major system failure in the steering. I was informed after an initial inspection by the dealership that a fuse had blown. After a longer period of time, I was told that the ecu had gone bad and needed to be replaced.