ABS/Brake Actuators on these cars are faulty! Not able to apply adequate pressure on the brakes to stop the car confidently. Brake actuator hissing notating that pressure is being lost. Brakes feel like they are skipping, and also making a loud "quack/screeching" noise. Brakes were inspected on my vehicle, and the pads had over 60% life left, and no damage to the rotots, so its the brake actuator at fault. A very common issue on 3rd generation prius models, and a $3000+ repair through toyota. Customer support program ZJB issued. Its not a recall, but instead an "extended warranty". Toyota will not fix the problem without dash warning lights on, so my car is just waiting to break down or cause an accident. I worry about my life and the brakes failing at some point. Ive taken it to two different mechanics and they both noted its a well known problem that toyota is trying not to pay out for.
2012 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 6 of 8: complaints 131 to 160 of 201, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I write to report that I asked for help at TOYOTA on the repair of the brake booster pump program. On August 19th, 2021 I took my Toyota Prius 2012 to my nearest dealer, in this case, Toyota of Homestead in Florida, US (I have a screen capture of the appointment); because the brake pump was pumping continuedly every 15 seconds regardless of the vehicle was in motion or stop parked; also the breaking felt like spongy and hesitant. I explained that to the Toyota dealer employee and he told me that the pump running every 15 seconds is not normal and agree that something was not right with my car's brake, but if there is not a MIL light ON, they can not replace my brake booster under the Toyota Program, and I have to pay $170.-first to "scan" the vehicle and make a diagnostic, well I told him that was too much money just to scan the vehicle since there was no light on in the dash the Toyota employee told me I will need to pay for the full brake pump replacement. That was unfair because the Toyota employee agree that definitely the brake was bad, but can not do anything. Took my car home and a few days later September 2nd, the brake lights came on. Well, my wife uses this car daily to transport our kids to school and to do the shopping necessary for food and supplies, and definitely, the cars do NOT break AS IT SHOULD. Toyota employee told me the repair will cost between $3000.- to $4000.-, I took the car to the Dealer when was covered under the Customer Support Program, but the light on the dash should NOT be the main factor to determine that the brake booster needs to be replaced. To be fair TOYOTA should recall all those vehicles. The Toyota dealer employee witness that there was a problem with the pump, and anybody with common sense that know this cars should immediately notice that the sound of the pump going on every 15 seconds is NOT NORMAL. This is my second Prius (My first one was a Toyota Prius C 2014) and I detect almost immediately with something is WRONG.
ABS Actuator and Booster Assembly failing. No recall was issued but a safety bulletin to the dealer with a cutoff date and nothing issued to consumer to know it needs to be replaced. Now I am outside their service bulleting window with a 3,000 repair that should be covered indefinitely by toyota
Brake Booster assembly has failed on my car preventing the regenerative braking to function normally and it could potentially lead to the brakes failing all together. Upon further research it seems to be a common issues with these vehicles and Toyota has a "Customer Support Program" under the code "ZJB" that will replace the faulty brake booster assembly. My car is still technically covered under the service bulletin that Toyota sent out but when I called several dealers and Toyota corporate, they notified me that my car was ineligible due to mileage. I was quoted over $3,000 at various dealers to replace the part to what amounts to a basically very expensive brake job. I am concerned for my safety in terms of the brakes failing while driving. This is my only vehicle and I have started to resort to driving on the city streets as opposed to the freeway.
The brake, abs, and stability control light come on and the brakes require more pressure to function. The problem is intermittent, but has been happening more often and for longer. The rotors, pads, and brake fluid were looked at within the last month and have no issues. I am getting a code C1391 Abnormal Leak in the Accumulator. The symptoms, as well as my car year and make match this recall, but I was never informed of this recall and there are no open recalls associated with my VIN. https://toyotatalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ZJB-Phase-2-.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1I91f2ohQk73kYnbBYOlOi-yYlpgVNQ0leI3N8uWbg7V4IMKgULdG7F10
The brakes felt very spongy and the car was having a difficult time coming to a complete stop. The ABS, brake, and stability control lights turned on at the same time. Also, a whirring noise close to the passenger side started happening every 2-3 seconds. After some research I later learned that the noise is most probably coming from a brake pump assembly that has failed and is not able to keep pressure. The car is currently parked since I don’t feel safe to drive it. I contacted a local dealer to see if this part can be changed for free since this is not normal wear and is unsafe. I also learned in online Prius owner forums that there is a large group of Toyota Prius owners with the exact same issue.
Lights came on and code are c1252 and c1253, beeping sounded and brakes when to floor and wouldn't stop.
My toyota prius 2012 with 95k mil. Abs, traction and brake lights came on while driving on highway, the breaking wasn't like used to be, it was mushy after the warning lights, took it to toyota dealership they estimated $3500 for the brake replacement the fault codes c1241, c1247, c1391 found break booster and pump assy, needed. This should be recalled by toyota, its safety issue, I have owned the car since it had 41k miles and regularly maintained the car throughout my ownership period.
Brake master cylinder and brake booster failed and needed to be replaced.
Abs , traction control,brake lights on. No power assist brake, no ABS, no traction control
My 2012 prius was diagnosed at our toyota dealership. They said it needs a brake booster/solenoid. When I looked into it, it seems that this has happened to hundreds of consumers with prius cars from the same era. It is a devastating $3,000 repair. Total injustice if it is a manufacturer issue as it seems.
Abs warning light indicating trouble with the braking system, I took the car to an independent auto repair store and the mechanic checked the codes on his computer and received 2 codes that indicating that the ABS pump needs to be replaced. The total cost would be between $3000 to $5000. The ABS light goes on when I start the car
I have never received a recall mail regarding the car. I used an insurance tracking plugin, and all the problems started.pcs error message on my dashboard, due to a leak in brake booster they said. My dealership will not tell me it's a recall, made it seem like they helped me instead of charging as high as $4000. I was not given a loaner car for the 4days they had my car, and did not get any refunds for the rental car I got
The problem started with a chirping noise when the brake pedal is depressed. Today the car appears to lose regenerative braking charging. The vehicle stability control and ABS light and brake light came on. The brake appeared to be mushied.
I replaced my brake booster three times in two months.still I have big issues with toyata company.
More than once I was driving about 40/45mph, once on a curve, anyhow as I was going through the curve it felt as though the brakes engaged, without me touching them. I understand the safety thing, however at both instances it was not necessary. It caused the car to pull to the left. Almost causing me to loose control.
I started my car and my dash lights for brakes, anti-lock, anti-skid came on and brakes became spongy. This happens intermittently. I parked the car and later checked the lights and the car was operating normal. I drove the car around the neighborhood to try to duplicate the issue. Could not duplicate. The next day I started the car the lights came on again and brakes were not operating normally. Spongy and no anti-lock. I checked recalls and found the issue was recalled in 2010. I also found numerous complaints on prius forums for this issue covering 2012 prius. I think this is a safety issue toyota should recall for 2012 as well.
Car was in motion and brake pedal went half way to floor and ABS, brake, traction control and tire sensor lights came on. Master cylinder or brake booster seem to have failed. Dealer didn't recognize codes and could only recommend changing spark plugs when I just had them replace 6-8 months prior. Explained that did think that had anything to do with brakes giving out. They reset codes and sure enough happened again within the next 30 days. Toyota admitted to since receiving many reports of certain internal malfunctions of brake booster assemblies. 4 trips later to dealer the response is the codes are not coming up (dtcs) c1391, c1252, c1256 or c1253 in order to be covered it's voluntary customer support program which has brake booster and brake booster pump coverage. Very frustrating!
My car has the same brake booster/master cylinder defect that the 2010/11 model prius were recalled for. Brake booster or brake pressure accumulator failure on 2012 models causes loss of braking effectiveness. Serious safety issue that can cause death. Toyota is well aware of this. This happens in motion at highway speeds.
My 2012 toyota prius ii threw error code c1391 abnormal leak in accumulator. I've reset it and its come back on again. Regenerative braking has gone out and stopping is difficult. This is not right. My car has just over 130,000 miles
Vsa, avs, and brake lights on with decreased resistance in petal. Brakes will return to normal without warning periodically while driving. This makes driving and stopping unsafe and unpredictable.
Traction, brake and ABS lights all came on at once, pratically lost all braking while driving but able to slowly stop. Squishy brakes. "pump" sounding noise like it's having trouble pumping brake fluid.
I having a problem with the brake booster on my prius and the toyota dealership I went to said I need to replace both the master cylinder and booster pump which would be 3000 dollars worth of parts and labor. After research this issue I have found serval people have the same issue. Also the parts are on back order, showing you how big of issue this is. The breaking system felt spongy, my traction control braking system and ABS lights came on. Thankfully I had just a couple of feet to my driveway.
When the brakes are applied and going over a rough road surface, or pothole, the brake warning light appears, and the brakes suddenly stop functioning until back on a smooth road surface. This happens all of the time under these conditions. It is really scary when the vehicle suddenly loses all braking while trying to stop. I have a 2012 toyota prius and a 2010 toyota prius. They both have the same problem with the ABS braking system. Cannot understand why this is not a full recall on this potentially dangerous condition.
The car has been suffering all of the brake symptoms for the recall of the 2010 prius brake booster system. I've repeatedly complained about losing braking power when the ABS light comes on when I go over uneven surfaces such as railroad tracks or a pothole. The brakes have benn farting from day one while sitting at a light or parked if the brakes are depressed and then slightly released. And now today the ABS brakes are on with the battery light and there is limited braking power. I have to push almost all the way down before the brake engages. Toyota tells me I need to replace the brake booster system for $3500 and there are only 70,000 miles on my 2012 car. I feel my brakes have the same issues as the 2010 recall and more years including mine are affected and should be recalled.
I was coming up the freeway off ramp and my car just turned off I had no braking I hit six other cars rolled over and was severly imjured in the hospital forr three days
Problem with braking system involving, the other day the car was on and suddenly three (3) warning lights came on: brake light, ABS light and traction control light. There is also now a pumping sound coming from under the interior of the dash (on it at least sounds that is where it's coming from. The car has 151,428 miles on it. I've included pictures of the current eror code, mileage and dash lights that are on.
The vehicle was traveling over 60 MPH when the ABS, brake and traction lights came on and the brake became immediately spongy and I had to depressed even harder (past the foaminess) to reduce speed. A motor could be heard trying to turn over on the brake system. The car speed was reduced to 25-30 MPH on the highway but the spongy brakes continued. Within 5 min I pulled off the highway and into a parking lot. Parked the car, turned it off and on to see if that would remedy the situation and nothing changed. I then called the toyota dealership's service department to book an immediate appointment and arrived at the dealership approximately 40 minutes later. The car was looked at and I was told that the brake actuator was the issue and that they would like to contact toyota to see if this was in warranty or part of the recall. I was told the next day that the cost of installation and parts would be at least $4,000 and that I would need to pay the full amount as toyota was taking no responsibility. I called the toyota customer service line, explained my situation and was told the same thing as I was told at the dealership. I feel that this brake actuator (its parts, its composition and/or its installation) is a systemic issue with toyota products and a known issue with toyota prius' in 2009 and 2010. Tangential to this issue, my father owns a toyota car as well and has also had to have his actuator replaced this year. Toyota should be held responsible for all faulty parts and installation and purchase of new parts. My maintenance record is exemplary and my driving record is as well so this is not regular wear and tear in my opinion.
I was traveling north on the highway. I was going between 50 and 55 MPH when the traffic light turned to yellow and then to red. When I applied the breaks nothing happened. My vehicle actually appeared to speed up. I released the brake then pumped the break twice then again applied the break, this time stomping harder and with both feet. My vehicle did not stop or even slow. I went through the light, resulting in a car accident. I t boned another car.
Brakes failing, getting a c1391 code, leak in accumulator. Toyota has a warranty enhancement for this issue on the 2010 model but it has not extended to 2011 or 2012 models. I contacted local dealer and national representatives and was refused any assistance from toyota. This issue happened twice over the last two days, both times while vehicle in motion on a city street. Warning lights came on and almost no stopping power.
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