I was driving and suddenly the car started beeping and the brake, e-brake, abs, and traction control lights came on. As soon as I found an opportunity I tried to brake but the car would not stop and the brake pedal became really hard. I had swerve to avoid hitting cars in front of me. It was the scariest moment of my life. I shifted the car from D to B to use the engine braking. I finally was able to slow down enough to turn right on a side Street and pushed on the brake pedal with all my strength and it finally came to a stop. I was lucky I didn't have a collision or strike a pedestrian, that I also drive defensively and leave enough space in front of me, and that I was on a surface street and not on a freeway which I frequently use because if I was I would have surely crashed. This is NOT right. Brakes should NOT suddenly fail! Under any circumstances. It was confirmed by a mechanic that it's the BRAKE BOOSTER AND BRAKE BOOSTER PUMP ASSEMBLIES had failed and had the following codes C1252, C1253, and C1256 were found. The same issue and codes reported in tsb pol18-03.
2013 Toyota Prius electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 52, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 to 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the battery on two occasions, but the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 173,699.
Took vehicle for state inspection on 2/13/2024, failed inspection because of brake warning lights. Slip indicator, Electronically controlled brake warning light, Brake warning light, Anti-lock brake system, and Low tire pressure lights are all on. I have looked into it, and it seems the brake actuator/booster used to be under warranty, however since this is a 2013 in 2024 with almost 210k miles on it, it no longer qualifies for the original recall.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that after several days of torrential rainfall, the contact noticed there was water in the tire and 12-volt battery compartment. After having a routine oil change at an independent mechanic, while the contact was driving, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light illuminated after the failure. The driver was able to restart the vehicle and pull over to the side of the road. The contact called Roadside Assistance and was informed that there was a code for the hybrid battery system that needed to be checked. The contact noticed that water might have entered through the rear passenger’s side brake light. The contact removed the water with a sump pump. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to assist. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.
ABS Brake Warning Light On-stays on-this just happened within last 2 weeks. Not sure on safety measures but unsure if I keep driving it the brakes will just give out. The problem has been confirmed and seen by Tire Max but no diagnostic tests were ran. The just saw the light was on. No one has inspected the vehicle component by the manufacturer, police, or insurance company. No warning lamps prior to the problem but the ABC Warning light stays on while cranked and it first appeared about 2 weeks ago. I do want to add that a similiar recall or warranty had been put out by Toyota on Sept 4th 2020-(T-SB-0089-20) for 2012-2014 Prius V & C stating: "Some 2012-2014 model year Prius V hybrid vehicles may exhibit a condition where the brake, ABS, and/or TRAC warning lights are on and/or a Check VSC message displays. Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCS) C1391, C1252, C1256, C1253 may be stored. This condition may be caused by a small internal brake fluid leak inside the brake booster assembly with master cylinder. The warranty was for Prius V or C but my Prius(no V or C) has been affected with the same issue but Toyota will not honor this warranty or recall due to the problem not showing as specific to my vin#. So I am reporting this problem so it can be submitted that there is a similar problem with my Prius as well as the Prius V or C so others could submit their problem as well. I cannot afford to fix this myself. I need Toyota to back up their cars.
Brake system failure. Traction control light, brake light, abs light, and brake system warning light all lit up on dash. The regenerative braking is no longer working or charging battery. Obvious loss of stopping power. Does not feel safe to drive at all. Toyota wants $3,000-$4,000 for the repair. Toyota should be held liable for these failures causing crashes and potential fatalities. This should already be a recall.
Check hybrid system. Stop the vehicle in a safe place. About 90,000 miles 2013 Prius bought brand new and regular all dealer maintenance completed. Lost power on the road and very slow pickup. Not drivable and very unsafe car. Thanks.
Driving down the road and the brake light, ABS light, VSC light and a ! with a circle around turned on in the dash. My breaks almost stopped working I almost hit the car in front of me. I've been try to figure out what's wrong and keep hearing this is a brake booster/ actuator problem. I have parked the car due to the brakes barley working.
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the hazard lights would activate inadvertently and were not able to be turned off as designed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000
We have been experiencing on multiple occasions car while driving will slow down, hybrid safety warning light on dashboard will turn on and tell us we have to go to a safe area and turn off car. The car will automatically shut down like a golf cart feeling. We have had near incidents were we have almost crashed. The car now will not go past 35 miles. We brought the car to a Toyota Dealership because we noticed their was a software update recall. When we left the car repeated the warning again about 5 minutes leaving the dealership. The dealership has not helped us and refuses to fix car. We mentioned to them that there have been many complaints regarding the same issue.
The car has been stopping on me anytime I go 35 mph or more. The check hybrid system warning light appears then the far shuts down.I have been having this problem for over a year now after Toyota techs have performed all other software updates.I have replaced hybrid battery 12 v battery both water pumps sensors along with a low mile engine.my year car is on all recall list except the inverter replacement which is the problem.I have spent several thousand dollars on a no end issue .
I was loving my Prius until yesterday June 9, 2021 when I took it to Toyota of Riverhead, NY to have my Hazard lights checked because they would not shut off. I was told that the technician found ABS actuator shorting out causing the hazards to not go off. The replacement would be $2664. I had the fuse removed because it was causing my battery to die with the hazard lights being on. I was also advised by Tonianne Rempel (service advisor) that Toyota was familiar with this problem with 2013 Prius. I have a problem with Toyota knowing that there is a problem with the hazards for this is potentially dangerous for it makes your battery die and leaving the owner stranded. This should have been a recall. I had removed the fuse so now I have no hazards or directionals leaving me to use hand signals. Which is extremely dangerous for other drivers do not look for driver using hand signals. This embarrassing for Toyota drivers seeing that somebody driving a Toyota is using hand signals because the directionals don’t function. Toyota should have done a recall knowing that this hazardous situation exists. I am asking Toyota to pay for this repair. I do not have $2664 to repair this hazardous situation that should have been addressed by Toyota and leaving me in a very dangerous situation without hazards or directionals.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to hamer toyota (11041 sepulveda blvd, mission hills, ca 91345) however, the mechanic was unable to determine cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v684000 (hybrid propulsion system). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall, after the remedy was completed. The failure mileage was 65,000.
I keep getting a p0136 bank 1 sensor 2 error code. Took it to several mechanics and they switched the 02 censor (downstream). Also shows that bank 1 sensor 2 has 0% voltage. Unplugged the downstream 02 sensor and got a reading but no reading when plugged in. Checked wiring harness to ECM and everything was fine. Both mechanics have determined that the issue is with the ECM. My vehicle has roughly about 70k miles on it. My car will not pass smog until this is fixed. Mechanic is recommending reflashing ECM or replacing it. P0136 comes up as pending and will stay permanent on the second drive cycle. Check engine light stays on.
My toyota prius was involved in a hit run accident. Yark collision completed work on vehicle. When picking up car from yark my car would not start spoke with one of the mechanic he said my battery died and I explained to them I had no issues ,prior to bringing my car to yark I had just had diagnostic test done at toyota. Vehicle sat at my residence over night and vehicle had died again. I contacted yark told them I was bringing battery in for them to charge because I was not sure as to what was going on since we had already replaced battery. Vehicle also had my skid plate in trunk prior to drop off and now I am having electrical issues my horn now does not work and I have children .I did not receive my car until 1 month and half due to insurance not getting back to us . Vehicle has been non drivable since pick up.
The car gave a triangle of death and looked it up if any recalls had been made that could possible cause this issue and there was 1 that called for an update to the system which I had done and they had told me if it didn't take they would have to do the invertor which was apart of the recall. A week after the system update the same issue arose and they refused to replace the invertor which drained the hybrid battery and ruined it also . This effects the driving ability and causes the car to shut down the lights to not work . It can stale at any given time and will not have power to continue
I am having problems with rodents getting into my car. I fear that they are chewing on electrical wiring and there is possible distraction to the driver. When I was driving (car was moving) a mouse crawled up on my shoulder. These problems appear to be a problem with this model toyota and could cause a distraction to the driver and a driving issue with wiring.
We have had multiple low beam bulb failures. Usually it starts with 1 the burns out the other within a week or two. In the last year we have replaced both bulbs 3 times. The last time was february 24th last night on march 11th we received a warning ticket for a headlight out. I went to replace the bulb again and it was good, after removing it I reinstalled and it worked. Shut the car off and came back out and it wouldn't come on again without disconnecting the harness and plugging it back in. There is noticeable discoloration on both headlight plugs.
My car has stopped running with all warning lights and hybrid system failure warning three times now. First time I was driving when lights came on but got to parking lot where it died. I was able to restart car after a couple of hours, still all warning lights and hybrid warning showing but was able to get it to dealership. Second time I was driving on small road and was able to get car to side of road. Again it started after a couple hours with all warnings lit and I was able to drive to dealership were it also died again but they started it later by resetting codes. Third time it stopped in driveway and I was unable to start it. Had it towed to dealership. First time. 12v battery was replaced and software update performed. Second two times ira toyota dealership has sent me back out on the road to wait and see if it happens again.
While driving our 2013 prius on a 5 five-lane highway 2-10-20, our prius goes into limp home mode all the sudden and slows the car down significantly while driving at highway speed. This occurred at the same time as I was passing a car to exit the highway, also with another car close at the rear clearly intending to get ahead of me after I had passed the other car. I unexpectedly realized that I had no acceleration and that the all the dash lights had come on. I was very fortunately to be able to maneuver across the driving lanes to the highway exit without being hit as my speed go down. The situation was extremely hazardous. Took the car to the toyota dealership the next day on 2-11-20 and the tech discovered the car went into the limp home mode because of a catastrophe inverter failure. We did receive the updated software from the recall in 2014, yet the inverter still failed. The inverter was repaired by the toyota dealership 100% under warranty.
Hybrid system shuts down while driving without warning and happens every day
Car stalls out and won't accelerate
I was driving down a city road at 25-30 MPH at dusk (5:15pm), and with my headlights on. The first indication of a problem was the smell of burning rubber when I turned on the heater. Assuming the problem was with another vehicle ahead of me, I turned off the heater and kept driving. A mile later, as I was nearing my destination, I noticed several warning lights turn on (skid light and exclamation mark light) and the steering became less responsive. I then saw smoke emitting from under my hood. A few seconds later, the front passenger-side corner of the car burst into flames. I managed to pull over, woke up my two young children from their car seats, and got everyone out. Within a minute, the entire hood was ablaze. Given where the fire started, I suspect the headlight. I replaced it the day before. The light seemed to work fine for 1 day, but it is suspicious that is also the area where the fire started.
Car was being driven about 15-20 MPH when it just stopped with a jolt as if it had been hit from behind. Car would not move. Towed to shop where it was diagnosed as bad inverter.
As a safety professional, I have a safety concern on the inverter not operating correctly and putting me, my family, and the general public in harms way. I am therefore holding the federal safety agency and toyota corporation responsible here on forward. I am driving my vehicle in california busy freeways.
Engine warning light at start up came on with no degradation of operation. Car was taken to originating manufacture dealer for diagnosis. When car was purchased as certified pre-owned the sales rep upsold extended 3rd party warranty coverage that they said 'would cover everything including diagnosis labor fees.' when vehicle was diagnosed from dealer service dept they said it was faulty o2 sensor, caused 'by rodent damage to cable'. No validation or evidence of this was provided; cable/parts not presented for inspection to customer. Customer was told lack of sensor would result in reduced gas milage. Customer asked about safety of vehicle and was told vehicle was safe to drive without part repair. Customer asked if repair was covered under warranty and was told that it was not. Customer declined repair at that time; customer was forced to pay ~$150 labor charge for inspection. Customer returned at a late time to complete repair. Again no evidence of part failure was presented and repair cost ~$400 was forced to be paid. Customer then found extended warranty coverage documents and called them to ask why repair was not covered as program documentation and contract seemed to include coverage of this issue; provider noted that dealer did not call to authorize repair at no cost to customer and customer should submit paperwork to provider for review. Customer further researched on internet the issue and found multiple reports of faulty wiring and is concerned for safety of operation due to manufacture material flaws that allow animal damage to critical wiring of car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. While driving approximately 50 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, the driver depressed the brake pedal and the front end of the vehicle began to swerve and vibrate. The ecu sensor indicator illuminated and the brakes failed. The driver was unable to immediately stop the vehicle. The vehicle eventually stopped in the middle of a busy intersection. The vehicle was driven directly to allen jay toyota (40 us hwy 27 north, seabring, fl) who initially was unable to determine the cause of the failure. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ecu was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 90,000. *tt
On jan 2, 2017, I attempted to start my 2013 toyota prius. The vehicle dash had the following warning lights illuminated, check hybrid, electronic power steering warning, brake warning light and the master warning light. The vehicle would not shift into drive or reverse and would only default to the neutral position. Upon opening the hood of the engine compartment I noticed the wiring to the hybrid inverter had been extensively damaged (chewed, gnawed) to the extent that the physical wires were touching each other and possibly shorting or grounding to each other. My vehicle was towed to stevenson toyota west located at 780 indiana st, lakewood, co. On jan 3, 2017. On jan 4, 2017 I was contacted by service advisor mike hashman who told me the damage was caused by a rodent(s) chewing on the wiring. The damage was as follows: hv invertor wires (2) were damaged, A/C compressor hv wire was damaged, invertor coolant tank were all replaced because or extensive damage. Along with invertor coolant and labor the total cost of the repair was $1,279.63. We have a $1,000.00 deductible policy so our total cost was the deductible. I have since discovered that toyota has been, since approximately 2009 through 2016 and possibly 2017, been using soy based wiring covering and cable wrap which is very attractive to rodents. In our case the rodent would be brown squirrels. I have also found a class action lawsuit filed on jan. 6, 2017, in the us district court for the western district of washington, alleging toyota has known of the problem but has refused steadfastly refused to accept responsibility. My concern is had the catastrophic failure of the electronics occurred while I was driving the consequences could have been fatal to myself, passengers and others occupying vehicles next to or near me because of the power steering and brake errors. The vehicle was parked in our driveway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 toyota prius. While driving at approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileages was 21,934.
Display disappears. Display black/dark. Display brightness: zero. From dark parking lot into bright sunshine. Started car which was parked in the shaded parking lot of mall. Display ok/bright (as should be). Drove to exit of parking lot: display is fine (as should be). Drive car from exit of shaded parking lot into bright sunlight outside. The display goes dark. I got worried, and drove in bright sunlight in the residential area around parking lot for twenty minutes, circling the area slowly. After driving for twenty two minutes, the display was still dark, but the car was running fine without any problems whatsoever. Decided to drive towards my home without stopping the car, as I did not want the prius to stall in a place far from home. On the freeway, (still bright sunlight), I decided to try the brightness control switch. I barely touched the brightness control switch, and the dashboard brightness came back. I had lost the display twice previously. , I had switched the engine off/on with the power button, to restore the brightness. If you have similar display brightness problem, the easy solution is to touch the brightness control switch.
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