I had my car serviced Oct 21 and when I picked it up the vehicle brakes made a whooshing noise and felt spongy. I thought it must be ok as they had just serviced it but when it became apparent this could be a problem I took it back Nov 1 and was told the hydraulic brake booster pump needing replacing at the cost of $3400. I was shocked as they told me it could break completely AT ANY TIME but the brakes would still work. I decided to drive it home as that is an enormous car repair bill and I would have to get financing or get a different car. I didn't want to make rash decisions. I investigated the issue and found out this was a recall for these vehicles for 2010 through 2019 models. This same dealer did not mention this to me at the time of sale, that they had been subject to a recall, and since I did not have them inspect the car immediately after service (I had to miss work and my son drove me after he was off work and I feared they would close before I arrived so I had them park the car outside and the sales desk had the key). I thought I would drive it but after reflection I do not want to endanger other people if my brakes fail. This is a clear violation of the public trust that these cars are yet on the road.
2013 Toyota Prius brakes complaints
Page 3 of 9: complaints 41 to 70 of 242, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The brake booster fail and I'm at like 140k. It was very scary when it happen to me today. I press on the brake think it would brake like normal but no. It kept sliding. I felt like I was going to crash. I don't have any paper report on it yet but they are certain it's the brake booster.
Last night, the brakes stopped responding, warning lights came on (ABS warning light, brake system warning light, and the slip indicator light). This morning, a local auto repair shop diagnosed the problem as a failed brake booster assembly. This is a safety issue and we have been told we have no option but to pay to replace the entire assembly. The repair shop has contacted the local Toyota dealership, from which we have to purchase the replacement brake booster assembly.
ABS, BRAKE AND Stability lights came on, i have to press all the way down the brake pedal for car to stop.
while driving the 2013 Prius hybrid , the ABS , brake light, and traction control lights came on. The brake was rock hard and the car would not stop at the light, causing me to swerve away from the cars in front of me and pull into a nearby parking lot. The brake would not work. There is a constant beeping noise in the car , which is a brake warning. I looked up the problem and just like many other Prius owners, there is a brake booster and brake accumulator issue and Toyota is not owning up to this problem. Many Toyota Prius owners are complaining of this loss of brakes issue. How long until the federal safety agency forces Toyota to do a proper recall about this very dangerous loss of brakes issue ??? They recalled a few vehicles, but the recall does not seem to cover many Prius vehicle owners that are complaining. Mine has 140 000 miles now, but this part is failing even on cars with 40 000 miles. Toyota knows very well that they have a big serious issue costing upwards of $4000 to fix. They are just refusing to recall this issue. the federal safety agency has to address this issue please. They are many complaints about this loss of brakes issue.
The brake pedals felt very soft with no resistance and barely had braking power. Was taken to dealership and they said it’s the brake booster which was a common thing on these cars, but there’s no recall to fix it and they won’t replace it.
On this 2013 Toyota Prius 2, the brake actuator is starting to make more and more rhythmic noise. A mechanic just alerted me that the seal is leaking, requiring a costly repair - to which he said to check for a recall as he has seen many Priuses with the same issue. While no Toyota recall is present, I can see that the federal safety agency is already investigating the issue for a potential recall. As this is a live example in the Los Angeles, CA area, I am happy to demonstrate this issue to a the federal safety agency office, if necessary and/or available.
My Prius has a brake actuator defect that is common among 2013 Priuses. Supposedly Toyota mailed a notification of this problem, but did not do a recall. The notification offered to fix the problem, but you had to know that your Prius had the problem. I did not know. Once I understood that my Prius had this problem, the Toyota repair window had closed. The Prius is dangerous to drive. I approached Toyota and the dealer that sold me the car, and Toyota refused to authorize the repair and so the dealership refused to fix at their expense. I spent thousands on unnecessary brake replacement because the problem was never the brakes but the brake actuator, which is a KNOWN PROBLEM! Yes, the problem is able to be discerned upon request and I have taken video and you can hear the noise. This problem puts the driver, passengers and other vehicles at risk. There are no warnings or lights showing this problem, but the noise is loud, grinding and obvious.
Full brake actuator assembly failed. Brakes started responding differently and we became uncomfortable with driving the car. Problem was confirmed by ISC. The part has not been inspected, but I will ask them to save the part for me. No, it all happened at once while driving at speed on the freeway.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound every 30-seconds. The contact stated the vehicle then stopped making the sound. The ABS warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the brake actuator and the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted for parts information. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The hybrid braking systems on Toyota Prius' manufactured from 2010-2015 had a serious failure of the hybrid braking system that had additional long term warranties to repair, but never recalled in order to save the money from a total recall. The Sloan Toyota dealership in Glenside knew before I purchased the 2013 Toyota Prius I purchased that a serious brake system failure was very probable with my car but failed to tell me. If they did, i would not have purchased the car. I had the 5000 mile oil change in early August and three days later after the service and a clear 25 point inspection, and the system failed. I want full reimbursement or just pay for the repair.
The Toyota brake booster system failed and is no longer safe to be on the road. The car will no longer brake properly and is a danger to anyone else on the road. It was inspected by Toyota prior. The entire dashboard warning lights for the brake system lit up 2 years ago and has fully failed now.
I have a 2013 Toyota Prius with 164,000 miles. A mechanic confirmed that the master cylinder and brake booster are failing and are not covered since warranty expired 14,000 miles ago. I have heard this is a common issue with this vehicle. Traction light, brake light and ABS light are all on. The earring lights go on and off.
when test driving the vehicle I asked about this buzzing/ whirring noise while sitting in the running but parked car. I was told these cars are hybrids, the electrical components make all sorts of whirring and humming noises and not to be concerned. Over the years I heard this noise, increasingly more and more, but I never knew it was something to pay attention to. Fast forward to July 2025. I noticed the car is inching forward while I’ve been stopped for a while at a red light almost like the brakes don’t want to hold. This has been happening so often that I have began to put the car in park while waiting for lights to turn green because it gets painful having to push the brake so far down. I take my car to a mechanic, explain all of the noises and the sensations and two mechanics Drive it but say it feels fine and there are no recalls. They say my front brake pads are low and that must be what I’m feeling. After replacing the brake pads nothing had changed. Now there is also a squeak while moving at a slow speed in stop and go traffic. 1 week later i bring it up while getting an oil change and ask if they know what it could be. They said brakes seemed fine. A couple weeks go by and yesterday while I was driving down the highway in heavy school traffic out of nowhere my car makes a clunk noise and all of these lights pop up on the dash. I roll the windows down and scream for my children to hold on because something was wrong. Luckily we were able to get to safety but I definitely had reduced breaking capabilities. I immediately take the car in and and find out my brake booster and accumulator has failed. service tech brings up the consumer program but my car is a 2013 and it is not eligible to be repaired bc it’s 10+ yrs. Even though Toyota admits to internal malfunctions of the Brake Booster Assembly, and my car is only at 76,000 mi it’s not being fixed. This is negligence on Toyotas part. Not fixing these faulty parts is endangering lives.
Car currently at 88k miles. Spongy and weakening brake pressure. Slower to stop. Brake constantly priming indicates brake actuator and brake boost failure. Confirmed by independent mechanic.
I was driving normally, about 30 mph in a residential area and the brakes all of sudden became soft. It was very scary and I didn’t know if it was safe to drive the vehicle. The brake, ABS, and traction control sign all came on at the same time. I scanned the car and it was a C1391 error code. The Toyota dealership said it is not covered under any recalls. I called Toyota and asked about the ZJB program that covered the repair but they said it expires. Toyota has a repair program for the defective part but no longer covers it. This issue is a known manufacturing issue and it’s dangerous. Toyota should cover it free of charge.
Brake booster, ABS controller, and brake booster pump have failed for a second time. Parts replaced with new, in box from aftermarket dealer. Dealer/Manufacturer refuses to accept that there are design flaws and will not recall.
Failed brake booster, pump, fluid, and actuator on my Toyota Prius 2013 with 143,972 miles on it.
Around May 2025, the brake booster and pump in the car stopped working. There was no clear warning lamp or indicator prior to it failing. While driving on the highway, the part stopped working and significantly changed the car's braking power. Rather than smoothly braking as it did before, the car's brakes have significantly less braking power. The defective part also affects the car's ABS system, making the car unsafe if a sudden stop were required as the brakes will lock up and the car will lose grip on the road and start skidding. Significantly longer braking distances is needed and it's not clear the car would be able to safely stop at a short distance in the event of an emergency. It's a miracle we didn't get into any accidents when the part suddenly failed. There is a significant risk that failure of this part will be the cause of a car accident when the car suddenly no longer brakes how the driver is used to. Toyota has previously offered an extended warranty on the part, but the part did not fail until shortly after the warranty expired. The car has been within my family since it was originally put into service and none of the owners were ever notified that the part could be replaced or even fail in such a manner. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer but they have only offered to fix it at a significant cost. The vehicle does not feel safe to drive. Warning lights only appeared after the part failed but they weren't particularly helpful in diagnosing the problem in the moment because 4 different lights turned on all at once.
When I’ve hit a pothole or hit the breaks to hard by ABS, and traction control lights would come on and then turn off. The other day they all turned on and stayed on with the break light on as well. Breaks all seemed to work fine, just a little spongy. I brought it in to a shop and they estimated 3k to repair Remove, replace, calibrate, and bleed ABS accumulator assembly and brake master cylinder assembly. Test drive-New OEM Toyota Parts. These parts were recalled but only up to 10 years or 150k miles. I’m at 164k so ineligible for the recall but if this part completely failed while I was driving I could have been killed or caused someone serious harm.
Just like many prius owners have complained of brake actuator/booster failure , my brake booster has failed also. Toyota recalled some cars and then decided to not own up to this issue which they know is affecting many pruis owners and costs between $3000 and $4500 for dealers to fix, therefore Toyota has just decided to refuse to do this repair and leave their customers high and dry with a known major safety brake issue affecting these most prius vehicles. Toyota needs to be forced to recall these cars and own up to this issue. Look at how many complaints Toyota has had on this brake booster issue and yet they are refusing to recall or even offer help to resolve this major safety issue. the federal safety agency needs to put pressure on Toyota to recall this brake issue affecting many prius owners as shown by the volume of complaints.
The ABS system and the brake actuator began to fail, which triggered multiple warning lights. The Toyota dealership service department confirmed that the Anti-lock brake system and the actuator needed to be replaced, a $3800 value.
I am experiencing the issue described in the BRAKE BOOSTER AND BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLIES recall issued by Toyota for the Prius, which for me ended in 2023. The vehicle is unsafe to drive without performing this $4000 repair (dealer cost), which is almost more than my car is worth. Toyota should issue another extension for the repair coverage since they are known to be faulty. The previous recall and extension of the recall can be found here: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated there was a constant beeping sound while attempting to depress the brake pedal while slowing down. Additionally, the brake pedal was very firm, requiring added for to be depressed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the brake booster assembly, brake master cylinder, and the brake booster pump were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.
A very common issue with 2012-2015 models caused by a defective part that causes the brake fluid to leak into the brake actuator causing an eventual DTC C1391 error code that Toyota previously had a recall and warranty on the parts. ABS has failed, traction control is non-responsive and the brake light is on. This is an issue that Toyota was previously aware of and only recently discontinued their “extended” warranty for the failed parts - despite this occurring in the upper mileage life of the car. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There has always been this ringing sound when releasing the brakes. I had it looked at and was told there was no issue. Then while driving it felt like the brakes locked and all of the sensors came on the dashboard. I had those scanned and was told they were sensor issues but car started driving/braking ok. Few days later everything locked up. I can’t push the brake at all. I was told the Brake Booster Pump Assembly with Accumulator was shot. So i began research and saw hundreds of complaints for the exact thing in my make and model and year. This could have killed someone had it happened on a highway. This should be a recall, major issue that numerous are experiencing.
While driving on Highway 316E on March 31, 2022, at approximately 10am, at some point, as traffic started to slow down and I applied my brakes I was dumbfounded when my car would not stop! It was frightening, as I watched my car get closer and closer to the large truck in front of it. I kept applying the brake and then pumping the brake. The brakes kept failing and had no pressure or tension in them to stop the car. The brake pedal was flat on the floor. But, thanks to a sufficient distance between my car and the truck in front of it, it rolled to a stop just short of crashing into the back of said truck by an inch or two. Sometime in October of 2024 , I spoke with a Service Rep at Marietta Toyota about a whizzing sound that appeared to be coming from under the hood on the driver’s side. This sound would occur while I was driving and even when I turned the car off. It would continue making this whizzing sound sometimes for as long as 45 minutes after the ignition was turned off. I took the car back to Marietta Toyota and the service rep said the problem was related to the weather. On December 24, 2024, at around 11:00am EST, I parked my car in the parking lot in front of a print shop. The weather was clear, and the pavement was dry as I pulled my car into a clean, unfettered spot. Upon returning to my car, I could see a fresh puddle under the front passenger side. I ran my finger across the liquid that presented itself as a clean, thin oil that was as smooth as silk. It was odorless and sat in a pristine area looking freshly run out from the underside of my car. On February 27, 2025, when driving in the middle lane on Highway I-20 West, the ABS warning lights came on my dashboard screen along with the image of a skidding car. I was frozen with fear and did not know what would happen next. I would have to cross over multiple lanes to exit off Highway 1-20. I put on hazard lights and drove at 25-35 mph. Took car in for diagnostic and repair.
For last 4 years i have been noticing a hissing sound when brake pedal is pressed. At first it was unclear to me where it could be coming from, and no indicator light has triggered. I have brought this to the attention of toyota dealership when i first noticed it and the individual couldn't really make out what it was. The sound has now gotten worse, and upon further studies i am learning that there was indeed a recall pertaining to the brake booster and actuator, but my car for some reason is not included. This is a major safety issue and i expect toyota to help resolve. Please help.
Break booster issue. Car only has 63,465 miles. Toyota has received reports about certain internal malfunctions of the brake booster. Problem is, not many have had luck getting the part covered because it's likely that the problem does not commonly present itself until after the warranty expires.
The ABS system has failed, and I have to pony up $3000 + for repair, since the warranty extension from Toyota has expired - 10 years since first use (even though I have only had it for 5 years). I have less than 150,000 miles on this car, which is the the other parameter for service coverage for this problem. Toyota knows these parts fail, and they extended the warranty, BUT there is no recourse if your car is over the 10 year limit, even if under the mileage limit. it is a safety issue and should be addressed no matter the age of the car. I can't afford the cost of repair and so will gamble on not needing to use the antilock brakes.
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