When applying the brakes in traffic on a city road with a posted 35 MPH speed limit, the car felt as though it surged forward briefly and accelerated followed by the anti-lock brake dashboard light coming on and off and then the brakes finally started working to slow the car down. This has happened about 10 times the last few weeks and has nearly caused me to rear-end other vehicles on the road.
2007 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 5 of 12: complaints 101 to 130 of 331, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On tuesday, may 26, 2015 at 5:04 pm while traveling at about 57 MPH south on hi way 101 at about the mile post 255.5, my 2007 toyota prius suddenly and without any change in steering by me, veered to the right off the road and into the guardrail. There seemed to be no reaction to my frantic steering and braking in the attempt to return the car to the road. After the car hit the guardrail it traveled about 15 feet spun back out into the southbound lane and was hit on the rear right side by a car traveling in the southbound lane. This caused the car to be propelled across 2 northbound lanes of traffic and come to rest with rear of my car embedded into the far side guardrail. Miraculously no one was hurt. The police were called and my 61 year perfect driving record was ruined. My car was totaled by the insurance company...updated 08/27/15 *bf update 9/15/15*cw*dt *cn updated 4/21/20
I was not the driver, but the passenger who was asleep until the car felt like it hit a pot hole. The accident was nearly fatal. This is an update of an initial report based on what I now believe. We were east on I-80 at near mile 21, which has no exit (as reported by tow truck driver). Since my initial report I used satellite images to verify the approximate area of highway to match what I saw when I woke up after experiencing the car doing what felt like hitting a pot hole, but which I now believe was a new run offset run of partial shoulder. Speed is an estimate. My wife was looking for a place to pull over and change drivers on the shoulder. I think she did pull on the shoulder and the ABS brakes engaged on the dirt side of the partial shoulder and steered the car off the highway. When I opened my eyes I could see the car was heading back to the highway, but the car was at small slope of perhaps 20 or so degrees. She wife should have stopped on the grass following the contour down the slope but followed reflexes trying to get back on the highway. I believe that is the actual cause of the roll over, but it would not have happened had the car stayed on the pavement. Abs should never engage when the car is moving in a straight line. It only helps when turning and otherwise harms. In the prius everything is computer controlled and this could have been implemented. I had one other incident where ABS brakes from toyota caused my prism to spin off the highway on ice when I was driving straight ahead. The prius computer should also have been programmed to restrict the steering radius based on the car's speed and side directional slope. This was a doubly design preventable accident that nearly killed my wife, who has no recall of the accident before rescue due to injuries. Without redesign ABS brakes should be banned especially with bad shoulders.
Initially I felt like it accelerated littlebit as I brake but I was able to stop.
The vehicle mileage given is approximate. The passenger estimates the speed at about city street speeds at time of accident since the car was slowed to get on the shoulder. The accident is complicated because the driver can't remember much of what happened beyond she was pulling over to the right shoulder to change drivers or rest, but the front seat passenger was abruptly woken up from a scheduled nap by what seemed to him like a pothole or perhaps an abrupt edge to the road followed quickly by a rough ride. When he opened his eyes he saw the car on the wild clumps of grass like vegetation on the outside of the reflector stake line and an odd shoulder that was only partially cement or pavement with a substantial gap between the side reflectors and hard surface. This was semi-confirmed when reentering wyoming with his oldest son driving and seeing similar partial shoulders, but the son was unwilling to drive farther to the accident scene. The passenger's believes the traction control engaged and caused the car to go off the shoulder, in part because of a similar problem with a geo prius lsi ABS brake system on ice that caused what would have not otherwise have been significant vehicle damage. The alternative explanation is a defect or debris on the shoulder itself. The driver tried to get back on the highway instead of following the slight contour down of the shoulder outside right of way and that or traction control may have caused the car to leave the partial shoulder. The vehicle was last seen at hp towing in evanston, wyoming. It was totaled and title will be transferred to allstate insurance. The seat belts in this car are too thin and tend to twist up preventing consistent support. The passenger protective cage in the toyota prius did an impressive job of protecting the occupants but a plastic layer would have prevented injuries and contents loss.
The 2004 - 2009 ABS/brake actuator assemblies have known issues. The repair cost is approximately $2000 or more. The part alone is $1500 or more. It appears with this being a common issue (per the service center associate and prius forums), that even a used part would not sustain without recurring issues thereby making it a requirement to use only new oem parts. The ABS/brake actuator assembly failures can cause severe safety consequences due to brake failure. Given that the issue commonly occurs when the warranty expires but with less than 200,000 miles this should be something that is covered by toyota and the problem should be addressed with the manufacturing of defective parts in all subsequent prius models.
Attempted emergency low-speed stop to avoid a bicyclist running a red light in front of me. Bicyclist took evasive action to avoid collision because the brakes failed to fully activate. Pedal went completely hard, ABS did not activate, and vehicle slowly halted (no jerk or throwing occupants against seat belts, as would happen with normal brakes). System works normally under light braking. Inability to brake fully under low-speed conditions is a serious failure. Road was dry and tires are only a few months old.
Vsc, ABS, brake and ((!)) lights came on, buzzing in cabin. Attempted to stop the vehicle and the brake pedal went to the floor, vehicle stopped but took a long distance to do so and driver had no control of the braking system. Took vehicle to mechanic, he states he cannot do anything for this vehicle, took to toyota, they stated it was the 12v battery, replaced, technician stated that if the lights came back on the actuator would need to be replaced for $2100.00.lights out on dash for less than 48 hours, came back on, returned to toyota, now a different technician states the ecu and the actuator are in the same assembly and it will cost $2869.73 to replace. The technician stated that if we don't want to replace it right now that's okay because the conventional brakes will still work just fine. Left the dealership and picked up my daughter, took her to pick up her glasses and when we left the brakes did the same thing, the buzzing in the cabin and the brakes went all the way to the floor and stopped after a long distance with no driver control. Took to another mechanic and although the same lights are all lit up across the dash they could pull no codes at all. When the car was started again the lights were all off although the mechanic could not clear any codes. It seems no one is really sure what is causing this or if the codes when they do show are valid codes. I just know that the vehicle is not safe and toyota could not guarantee that if they replace the ecu and the actuator that it would be fixed. One of the technicians stated that this may be a problem that I will just have to throw money at.
Going around a corner at a reasonable speed, traction dash light lit up and alarm sounded. Brakes failed to engage. Let off accelerator and slowed. Pulled car off road. Car makes clicks and noises of a small electrical motor engaging whenever vehicle is at rest with foot on brake. Brake system was bled - did not resolve the issue. Any time a small bump in the road is encountered, dash warning light and alarm comes on brakes do not respond for a short time afterward.
Driving to my job and went to park. I put my foot on the brakes to slowly enter the space about 10 feet away traveling about 2 to 5 MPH and never taking my foot off the brake, the car accelerator went into full throttle and I hit the wall damaging the front end. Is this a common occurrence? .
Frequently the brakes would feel hard and fail to fully engage once putting the car in drive and releasing the parking brake. This was most apparent when parked on a hill. Once the parking brake was released, with the brake pedal fully pressed, the car would roll forward a couple of feet before stopping unfortunately it has now done the same thing to me in the middle of an intersection and as a result I rear ended another car. I was waffling about going because I was turning left. I remember pressing lightly on the gas, then brake, then gas when the car in front of me stopped. I slammed the brakes and nothing happened. The pedal was hard but the car did not slow down so I hit the car in front of me.
When I am braking and my car hits a bump in the road, my brakes stop working and the "skidding" icon lights up. In order to reengage the brakes, I have to take my foot off the brake and reapply the brakes. This increases the distance I have to brake before hitting something or overrunning a red light. This has been happening since I got the car. I have learned to live with it, but I have overshot red lights and nearly hit other cars many times. I told the dealership shortly after I got the car and they told me there was no recall regarding this matter and would not even check out the complaint.
While driving the car, the dash symbols vsc, ABS and the (!) turned on and the car started to beep inside. Alarmed at what was happening, I hit the brakes to find that they were not working and there was no resistance when pushing down on the brake pedal. I was in a parking lot when this happened and had to swerve to avoid hitting people walking around. After a minute or 2 of coasting I was approaching a dead end and chose to literally stand on my brakes which didn't immediately stop the car. After standing on the brakes with my full weight, the car slowly came to a rolling stop where I proceeded to put the car in park and turn it off.
I was traveling at 50mph when an alarm sounded in the car and 4 lights lit up on the dashboard ? The brake system warning light, master warning light, vsc and malfunction indicator lamp. The vehicle was taken to a toyota dealership where they advised the hybrid water pump needed replacing. I then discovered there is a recall on the hybrid water pumps but was advised my vehicle was not on the list for the recall. The details of my mishap correlate to the toyota recall notice that toyota put out regarding the hybrid water pumps. I believe my vehicle should have been on the recall list to have this safety issue addressed and that the recall notice does not adequately cover all toyota vehicles with this possible issue.
I had my car in for 110,000 mile service on april 25. They changed the oil, rotated the tires, installed a new air filter and said that I needed new front brakes and they cleaned and adjusted the back brakes. Yesterday after backing out of the garage the brake light warning light along with the ABS and vsc light came on briefly. On interstate 90 nearing downtown cleveland all of these lights came on again along with a noise. I called the toyota dealer and talked to the service advisor and asked if it was safe to go to cleveland and back and he said if the brakes work, it probably just a switch and it would be ok to bring it in tomorrow. While I still had him on the phone, we lost all power to the vehicle and it decelerated down to 30 before we were able to reach an exit ramp and stop the car in the grass. I was informed today that the problem is a low volt battery that needs to be replaced for $299. At no time did a low battery light come on and I have not had trouble starting the car nor do I have dim lights. We were fortunate that we were not killed on interstate 90 without power, steering or brakes. I think this is definitely a safety issue that needs to be addressed.
While driving on highway about 60mph, vehicle suddenly lost brakes. Brake, ABS and vsc idiot light went on. Inside vehicle buzzer sounded. Very little hydraulic braking. Was only able to stop vehicle because I was going up hill.
I was driving within the speed limit on I-40 east toward knoxville on a friday evening. Suddenly all the warning lights came on and buzzers went off. I pulled over to the right lane to prepare to pull over to the shoulder or take the nearest exit. Traffic was very heavy with lots of trucks. I saw an exit about a mile ahead and took it. I found I had very limited braking ability. I pressed on the brakes and slowed down just barely enough to make the turn off the exit ramp onto buttermilk rd. Where there were no services, and no open businesses. I called for a tow which arrived well after dark. The car was towed to the toyota of knoxville dealership which was closed. On saturday morning I found out I needed the brake accumulator replaced. They told me that the car could be driven but they did not recommend it because the incident would happen again. I am from maryland and was about a 10-hour drive from home. I did not want to risk it. The part was not available in the area and had to be ordered. It was tuesday evening before the car was fixed. This was the scariest incident I have ever had with any car. This part has been just recalled in other models of prius. What was described as the reason for those recalls is exactly what happened to me.
Stop and go traffic on the freeway, accelerating when the traffic started picking up but vehicles in front suddenly stop and as I hit the brakes on the bumping freeway the vehicle does a brief lurch forward as esp light blinks. Vehicle does not stop under this braking condition and feels momentarily like there is no brake pressure. As a result, vehicle doesn't stop in time and hits the vehicle in front even though it could've been avoided had the brakes worked as they should've.
Brake (red color) warning lights appear while driving at 55 MPH; yellow color indicator on ABS, vsc. Once these warning lights appear, I somehow lose 25-50% of my braking power. Not sure what is wrong despite getting brand new wheels, replaced all-new rotors, brake pads, oil and filter change. This is the 5th time it has happened in the last few weeks. Toyota should be held liable and to replace the full cost of any necessary fixes to the hydraulic brakes or run a diagnostic of the entire vehicle's electrical or brakes system or anything that leads to the dashboard warning lights at 100%. This will be a serious issue because it can lead to serious accidents if owners of this vehicle experience the same issues.
Brake system: ABS warning malfunction light will illuminate when brake is tapped, but there is no malfunction or issue. Have to turn off vehicle to reset it. Handle on rear door/hatchback door: handle melted into a black gooey mess, hatchback could not be opened. Went to dealership, they would not fix without charging me even though they admitted it was a known issue with the vehicles. The first quote we got was almost $300 to fix, waited a couple of months, dealer finally dropped to $138 to fix it. This is obviously a known defective issue--no one should be charged anything. It is a safety issue as the door cannot be opened in an emergency. Why toyota will not fix this without causing their customer's potential danger/harm speaks volumes to them not caring about the customer. Dashboard warping: dashboard on driver side buckles up where it meets the edge of the windshield, was told it was in issue with the material that the dashboard was made from. Very poor quality to have this happen.
I have a 2007 prius. The car was involved in an accident on august 30, 2013 because "no brake". It was in a stop and go situation traveling at about 20 miles per hour. The car in front stopped, I slammed on the brake and total brake failure. My 16 years old son sitting in the car observed the "no brake" scenario. There was a 25 pound of rice in the truck did not even move. No skip mark... Nothing. Took my car to longo toyota and found nothing with the brake system, other than the front pad was thin, tires were marginal etc. None of the findings explained the no brake scenario. For some reason I cannot make this no brake to appear again. I want people to aware of this and gather information. It appears to me the prius cannot response to a quick stop at slow speed. Somehow, the car takes more than a second for the braking to kick in - the reaction does not appear to be instantaneous. And if you are too close, that extra one second wait will cause a collision.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated the brakes seized whenever it rained. When the brakes seized excessively it caused them to lean forward towards the windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but they were unable to determine what caused the failure to occur. The failure mileage was 5 and the current mileage was 65,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that she was driving 2 MPH and made a stop at a traffic stop when the brake warning light illuminated. There was also an accompanying beep that sounded as the brakes failed. The vehicle was inspected at a local dealer and the contact was advised that the brake actuator failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to cover 30 percent of the repair costs. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving 7 MPH and pulling into a parking space, he attempted to engage the brakes and it failed to stop the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the vehicle kept moving forward, went over a divider, and crashed into two vehicles. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicles front bumper was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 112,000. *tr updated 06/25/13
I experienced a scary situation with my 2007 prius today. While I was driving all of a sudden the ABS brake light and dsc light and (!) light and brake light came on and stayed on. The car also made a loud buzzing noise in the cabin. I pumped the brakes and it was not very responsive. Luckily nobody was around because I felt had I needed to stop on a dime, I probably wouldn't be able to. I looked around online to find if others have had this problem and it appears there are plenty of cases where this type of sudden failure has occurred under 2007 ABS toyota prius brake module complaints. I believe that there is a recall for this issue from the manufacturer. Please contact me - I need help!
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH over a bump in the road and the brake pedal engaged; the vehicle failed to accelerate. After the failure occurred, the ABS warning indicator illuminated. ...updated 04/25/13 *bf the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The technician stated the vehicle operated as designed. In addition, when the anti skid was activated it would not respond during inclement weather. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000. The consumer stated at foward speed of 0 MPH the stability control activated, on a slippery surface that had 1 inch of snow and an incline of approximately 15 degrees. The anti skid light blinked and the vehicle would not move foward up the incline. The same failure occured in the dealer's parking lot. The dealerstated the vehicle was operating as designed.the dealer suggested the consumer switch to snow tires. Updated 06/04/2013
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, he applied the brakes and one of the rear tires seized. The contact removed his foot from the brake pedal and the tire retuned to normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they advised that there was a failure with the anti- lock brake actuator, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 4/15/13 *cn updated 05/16/2013 *js the consumer stated the vehicle was invovled in an accident. The brakes did not stop the vehicle, causing it to crash into the back of another. Updated 05/16/2013
Anti-lock brake system on dry and wet roads have adversely effected braking on my 2007 prius for as long as I've owned it (since 10/2010). When the anti-lock brake system engages while pressing the brake with your foot the car slightly accelerates (or jumps/lunges) forward for a fraction of a second before the brakes then engage. On 11/02/2012 this issue contributed to a collision. Without this "glitch," I may have been able to stop my car completely (as I was already only going very slowly). On previous visits to the dealer, I was told that's "just the way the car is built" and that there's nothing that can be done to change it.
I was driving in heavy traffic about 20 or 25 MPH the cars in front of me stopped, when I applied the brake nothing happened, my car crashed into the rear of the car in front of me. The time was about 2:30pm july 10/2012 the car had just been serviced by a toyota dealer on june 28th/2012 for the 30,000 mile check up. We live in west los angeles.
When the brakes are applied in deceleration and the vehicle hits a bump or pothole, the brakes release for a second, then grab again, even though foot pressure has not changed.
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