10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,799 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #16

Feb 022020

Prius

  • 149,700 miles
Traction control, ABS and brake lights came on today and brake pressure dropped severely while driving on the highway. Not safe to drive.

- Sheffield Village, OH, USA

problem #15

Aug 122019

Prius

  • 130,000 miles
My 2011 Prius very recently has started making audibly noise while pressing the brake pedal, whether in motion or stopped. This noise contains continuous whirring, whining and loud clicking noise. These noises where not seen before completely. I spoke to dealer mentioning a tsb pertaining to this particular issue in specific and was told nothing can be done until it fails completely, which is bad, as I have a family of 3 and god forbid if this were to happen while driving on freeway, a serious safety hazard and Toyota dealer (rudy luther) response is irresponsible. I am actually worried more now on waiting for the brakes to fail. This loud continuous clicking noises occurs the moment car is turned on and the noises lingers on for short while after the car is turned off, at moments I have to press on the brakes really harder than usual to get the car slowed and is a tremendous panicky situation. I am registering and requesting for this to be looked immediately before any catastrophe.

- Wayzata, MN, USA

problem #14

May 252019

Prius

  • 180,000 miles
Brake light, antilock light, vehicle stability light, and yellow trains came on. Having problem with braking. Does not not seem to brake as good. It is very dangerous when driving.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #13

May 012019

Prius

  • 40 miles
Well I was driving and suddenly my car battery turned off and check hybrid system came on the dashboard it stopped so I parked it on side and unplug battery wires so it start working again the weird thing is that when I check to see any code but nothing came recently it was happening and one recall came for hybrid battery after that it was working fine but now this thing happened again and it was dangerous because I was in the middle of highway and car stopped.

- Lorton, VA, USA

problem #12

Feb 082019

Prius

  • miles
The car stop working all the dash lights stop working, the brakes start getting harder and the don't stop at all and beeping without stop that noise and the hibryd system stop working after I living for some recalls repairs and the want me to fix the car to pay and I know is not my fault everything is because is this car is all electronic system.never on my live I have this problem with my other cars.only with this one and now they one me to pay for something the company makes wrong.this is not fair at all.before I was recomended this car but right now people ask me and I have to talk negative situation about it.

- Enfield, CT, USA

problem #11

Mar 112019

Prius

  • 80,464 miles
The car starts as normal and drives normally but once you start to come to a stop the car shuts off and will only restart when you depress the gas pedal but shuts down again when you release the gas pedal, normal city streets and highway

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #10

Nov 292018

Prius

  • miles
Driving vehicle down highway, tapped brakes but brakes did not work, all the lights on my dash lit up. I lost traction in brakes causing vehicle to lose control.

- Oxford, GA, USA

problem #9

Oct 252018

Prius

  • miles
Got in car one morning and all the brake / traction control system related lights are on. Turned car off, waited 10 minutes restarted car and lights are still on. Tested brake function in yard, reduced but still able to get car stopped. Took it to shop and read codes, came back as the actuator which is already recalled on previous year model pruis', obviously they did not fix the issue on the early gen 3 models (2010 & 2011). I have found multiple other people with gen-3's that have had the same issue os these should be included in the gen-2 recall because they are having the same issue. With it being a dealer only part at $4500-$5000 (parts and labor) to fix on a car that's only worth about $10,000 I wonder if it's really worth fixing. At this point the car is parked because with the diminished braking performance I don't feel safe driving it.

- Brewton, AL, USA

problem #8

Oct 282018

Prius

  • 119,632 miles
Brake accentuator failed - no warning and traction control/brake light/ABS warning lights all illuminated. Hard breaking test @25 mph confirms ABS not working (I.e. tires skid) and breaking distance adversely impacted for normal braking. Hybrid system charging from braking is diminished.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #7

Sep 202018

Prius

  • 60,000 miles
The traction control, ABS light and warning light all came which I believe all to be a safety issue

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #6

May 312017

Prius

  • 41,900 miles
My Toyota Prius warning lights brake, ABS and traction control came on. I check with the dealer and it said my accumulator was leaking. This part alone is $2600 plus $500 in labor. My cat has 41,900 miles on it. This part is an obvious problem because the 09-10 models had a recall for this exact problem. Amazing that the same part excise in newer models but no recall. Especially because it's the most expensive part other then the hybrid battery. I was driving my car when ththe lights came on and my brakes released when depressed and I almost hit the car waiting at a stop light. My kids drive this car often because I thought it was safe and inexpensive for gas. Perfect for a kid with not a lot of income. But, now they can't because of the risk and the pricey repair. If you look at forums this is a worldwide common problem and Toyota needs to fix it. Not just a recall for two years of the vehicle. If I had the money, I would take them to court. I'm just a little man thou. This is a major safety issue that Toyota has obviously gotten away with. If you do your research online, they're is enough evidence to show that they are not fixing their mistake. I would like a call from someone to make sure that others don't put their kids in the vehicles with these accumulators pressurizing their brakes. Someone will lose their life if it's left ignored. Please feel free to contact me at 808-721-718. I will also call Toyota corporation but that will probably get me no where. I'm a little guy against a big corporation.

- Mililani, HI, USA

problem #5

Jun 182012

Prius 4-cyl

  • 10 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle failed to drive in a straight line and drifted to the left and right. The contact had to constantly adjust the steering wheel. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 10. Updated 11/20/14 the consumer stated the vehicle was overly sensitive to heavy wind. The consumer owns another Prius with the same failure. Updated 10/5/2015

- Blairsville, PA, USA

problem #4

Aug 012013

Prius 4-cyl

  • 51,045 miles
While driving at a slow speed, the traction control, brake and ABS failure lights came on. When I attempted to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal went to the floor without actuating the ABS system. I was unable to stop the vehicle using the service brakes. Since I was traveling at a low speed, I was able to slow down and come to a full stop using the parking brake. Now the vehicle is parked and undriveable. I contacted my local Toyota dealer requesting service and was told that they did not have a brake master cylinder or hydraulic brake booster in stock. I checked a second dealer and they told me that you can only get the two units together and that they were on national back order with no eta. Since purchase, I have experienced the issue that many people are reporting where the brakes release over rough road surfaces and the vehicle feels as if its accelerating. If you release and reapply the brakes it would stop. Like others, I dismissed this as a peculiar dynamic of the vehicle, however I am now convinced that there is a serious design flaw in this braking system which requires a deeper investigation. I have been in the auto industry for over 30 years and I can attest that it is not normal to have a total loss of your braking system like this, especially in a well maintained vehicle that is relatively new and have low mileage. This vehicle is now parked and available for your inspection if needed.

- Whitestone, NY, USA

problem #3

Oct 012011

Prius 4-cyl

  • 0 miles
Vehicle loses braking function while traveling over potholes, recessed manhole covers, and all other types of rough road surfaces. Braking function is delayed and does not return to previous power/braking strength after traversing the obstacle; this results in the need to depress the brake pedal further to re-engage enough braking function to stop the vehicle safely. Serious concern is that if the vehicle is under hard braking at the time of the event will there be enough travel left in the brake pedal to reengage the brakes enough to stop. I have experienced this regularly, one or more times per month, since I purchased the car. Up until now most occurrences have been just a minor annoyance. I researched the phenomenon on the web and many just write it off as a nuisance / minor quirk of the vehicle so I accepted that opinion and continued on enjoying the car. That is until May 21, 2013 when under hard braking (30-35mph driving speed then heavy braking to 0mph) the vehicle traveled over a recessed manhole cover and it felt like it fully lost all of its braking power and nearly sent me into the back of the vehicle stopping hard ahead of me. I had to floor the brakes before I felt any braking power return after the bump. This issue will lead to an accident if it has not already. Please keep an eye on it.

- Cottage Grove, MN, USA

problem #2

May 132012

Prius 4-cyl

  • 36,000 miles
Happen twice hit the brakes fairly hard on rough pavement not real rough didn't bounce just felt like I was on ice nothing there just a second or so but felt like a long time if a car would have been in front of me don't know if I could have stopped in time.

- French Lick, IN, USA

problem #1

Feb 032012

Prius

  • 12,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Prius. The contact was driving uphill at 5 mph and in three inches of snow when the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the sds warning light. The dealer was notified of the failure who stated that the warning light was illuminated in forward mode only to demonstrate in what mode the vehicle was operating. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact no longer owned the vehicle. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 12,000.

- Waynesboro, VA, USA