I have been experiencing some problems with my headlights. I changed the bulb and a month later the light stopped working again. I took it to the dealership they blamed it on the bulb, I tried to return the bulb to the store and they tested it and said everything was ok with the bulb so it had to be the headlights. I'm also having problems with the dashboard lights. The speedometer and gas gage completely failed. At the same time I was told my ABS brake system needs to be replaced! this is too much happening at the same time and I have to pay for all of it out of pocket.

- Pompano Beach, FL, USA

While driving in traffic and making a turn into a parking lot the brakes failed on this car. They reacted as if there was no brakes until you pressed harder and then they would lock up. The lights for ABS had come on. We took it to a repair shop that specializes in Toyota repair and they reset the ECM, ECU for the brakes. It worked for a few days and it happened again. After the third time we decided that the ECM or ECU had to be replaced. $1800 and it worked for about 7 months. It happened again in heavy traffic in spokane Washington and we nearly had a wreck! we shut the car off after a hair raising drive to our motel and called the dealer to have it checked out. The next morning we got in the car and the brakes were back to normal. We decided to drive it and see if it would hold up. It happened again today, two weeks after the spokane trip. It reset itself again but this won't do! it's a dangerous car with this condition! we plan to take it to the repair shop as soon as we can. Toyota is very aware of this problem but has not really come up with a solution. I refuse to take it to Toyota for repair anymore because of the extremely high cost for their work and their ineptitude. Every report from consumers that I have read has led me to believe the problems Toyota cars have are not being resolved by the dealers. I will not be buying another Toyota of any kind..

- Florence , MT, USA

The automatic braking system (ABS), vehicle stability control (vsc), brake light, and brake system warning lights (4) on the Prius all came on and vehicle became very unstable while out of town. The owner's manual indicated that the dealership should be contacted and car should be taken in immediately for service. Since no dealership was available at the immediate location, the car was driven home (60 miles) in very unstable conditions. Upon bringing it to the dealership I was told it was a miracle nothing bad had happened because the "computer skid assembly" needed to be replaced at a cost of $1570.97 for just the part!!! I found it very interesting that the part was readily available as if I were replacing an oil or air filter. After confirming the cost with other dealerships, I consented to the work to be performed. Is this just another "built in obsolescence" feature? there appears to be nothing I could have done to properly maintain this new piece of technology and the sudden failure of the part posses a significant safety concern to consumers. In addition, how can any reasonable consumer be certain that this part failure was not input by the manufacturer into the car's control system. Makes me long for the days of manual vehicles and shade tree mechanics.

- Portland, OR, USA

I went from a stationary driving position, to driving off at 20 mph down a 3 lane highway, suddenly a few seconds after, all these lights came on: Flashing warning light, brake lights, ABS light and a loud beeping noise. I had no power, no brakes?.. fortunately there was nobody in front of me or close behind and I could veer into the side of the road. I turned the car off totally. And then tried to turn it back on again to see what would happen, and all the same lights and beeping noise started again. Had the car towed to Toyota in santa monica. There was no manager on site. One of the service guys said he would have it checked. They refused to give me a temporary rental or substitute car - they said they would give me a ride to a rental place! this is 11 a.M. the following morning. The manager at the dealership is still not there. The associate called me and said I could pay to have it repaired !! I have called the Toyota customer relations service, who say they will get back to me in "a day or so". aside from my life and others lives, being put in total jeopardy by my cars' failure, I think the lack of urgency on this matter is appalling. There may be other Prius cars that will have the same failure, and people killed.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

In 2007, we purchased a certified used Toyota Prius 2005 with 13,298 miles. We have owned this car ever since. We currently have about 81,000 miles on this vehicle. Brake failure incident on June 30, 2014, I was driving the 2005 Prius slowly (10-15 mph) along a roadway located in a tecumseh, mi city park: As the car approached a local street, I braked for a stop before making a right-hand turn. As I engaged the brake, the ABS system red light appeared, the red brake light was lit and the related buzzer was activated as well. As I braked, my right foot went all the way to the floor. I experienced complete and total brake failure. I finally stopped the car with the emergency brake. I drove the Prius very slowly over the two miles home, using the emergency brake to stop as needed. My wife and daughter were riding with me in the car and witnessed the incident. On July 1, 2014, I contacted aaa and arranged to have the car towed to a repair shop in ann arbor, mi ' 30 miles away. After a week, at the repair shop I arranged to have the vehicle towed to the local Toyota service facility. Over the previous five months, I experienced another curious problem that may be brake related. When braking on bumpy roads (we have horrible pot holes on many major streets and roads) or curb cuts, the car accelerates ever so briefly. The feeling of loss of control is very disturbing. It remains to be seen if this problem is related to the brake failure noted above. There were no injuries as a result of this brake failure. However, I had just returned home from business in a neighboring community 35 miles away. I often drive backcountry county roads with posted speeds of 55 mph. If I had experienced the brake failure then, I might well have been killed along with others.

- Tecumseh, MI, USA

Brake, ABS and (O) with exclamation mark inside have been on, the seller was not honest with me about why the lights were on, I went to the Toyota dealer and they said it is not safe to drive the vehicle, repairs would cost $7000.

- Hilo, HI, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the brakes were depressed and failed to respond. The contact crashed into the rear end of another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the chest, a leg gash and a pulled muscle in the back. The front passenger sustained whiplash. Both the contact and the front passenger required medical attention. A police report was filed. Additionally, the contact stated that the flat surface warning indicator illuminated intermittently as a result the contact had to restart the vehicle on multiple occasions. The key failed to exit the ignition switch on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the brake and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where unknown repairs were performed however, the failure recurred three days later. The contact stated that the brakes malfunctioned and additional pressure to the brake pedal was needed to stop the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 92,000. The VIN was not available.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

While driving home on the fast lane driving 65 mph a sudden alarm came up. The red triangle with exclamation mark, ABS and brake light came on with a tone. When I press the brake the car, it would not brake. I was able to slow down my car by releasing the throttle off. I brought my car to the dealer only to find that would have to pay $3000 for the replacement of the brake ECU and actuator. The other problem is if you drive a bit fast over pothole and speed bump. You lose braking for a moment. Updated 8/2017

- Canoga Park, CA, USA

I had just had my oil changed and when I was leaving I started the car but the dashboard lights didn't come on. I drove on and still nothing. When I was at a stop light, the lights came on with the error message that my brakes were engaged. I tried multiple times to depress and release the emergency brake, but the same message. I couldn't move the vehicle because the front brakes were locked. I had it towed to the dealership and they said they had to get Toyota involved but it sounds like three computers are fried. This is very frustrating since I got the vehicle because it had such wonderful reviews (yes this was some years ago) how do computers just "up and fry" without any warning. I am hopeful that Toyota will do the right thing and step up and take the necessary steps to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. Also, whatever they could do for me would be greatly appreciated since I was a die hard Prius fan.....until now"?"

- Garland, TX, USA

Brakes did not apply instantly when coming to a stop light. We almost hit the car in front of us. Thankfully we applied the brakes early, but it seemed like the brakes were not being applied and that the wheels just kept on moving. I had to pump the brake again to make sure it would apply more pressure. We came within a few inches of rear ending the car in front of us. And this has happened about 10 times now. This should be a recall before a major accident or death, heaven forbid, occurs.

- Ewa Beach, HI, USA

The braking system for my 2005 Prius has been malfunctioning since I bought the car in the summer of 2012. While trying to slow down on a rough road surface the brakes refused to brake for 1 or 2 seconds, causing a higher-than-anticipated speed when going around a turn. This problem increases the distance the vehicle needs to stop and I consider this a high safety concern and a major product defect. No accidents or injuries have been sustained from the problem on this vehicle so far.

- Sterling Heights, MI, USA

Headlights go out while driving. Driver headlight went out while driving 55mph. Pulled over & noted driver headlight out. Turned car off & then restarted & both headlights went on. Drove a couple miles & noted headlight out & this time it was the passenger headlight that was out. This has happened a few times in the year @ 1/2. we also had a problem in the past with the headlights being aimed too low in front of the car causing trouble seeing. It turned out to be the auto aiming computer was malfunctioning & it was replaced by warranty. We also had to have the skid control brake computer ($2500.) replaced 12/06/2012 due to brake malfunctioning (brakes would hardly stop the car).

- Fort Gratiot, MI, USA

I was driving with my three children coming from school and slowing down us 301 towards traffic light when T tried to apply the brakes, the car did not stop. I had to reapply the brakes and the pedal went down very deep before the car jerked and slowly stopped. Thank god there was no car in front, otherwise would have been a collision. Went to the Toyota car dealer and they said that the failure code was dtc C1247 and told us to replace the skid control unit. Basically, the ECU of the brakes malfunctioned and the car did not have brakes on it. Please do a recall before anyone gets hurt on this.

- Riverview, FL, USA

I was pressing the brake, but instead of stopping my Prius accelerated, and jerked under the stopped vehicle in front of me.the brakes acted like accelerated pedal. Prius occasionally had the accelerating jerks without pedal input, but after fixing all the recalls, I thought the car is fine. But this time, it was not a jerk, it was a full leap, that destroyed the whole front of the car. It was towed from the accident and it is beyond the repair. I had it only for 9 months.

- Stamford, CT, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, a grinding noise was heard from the rear end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technicians advised that the failure was undetected. The technician also stated that there were other vehicles with the same failure and the manufacturer was working on a remedy. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was taken to the dealer on numerous occasions for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was 2,122.

- Richfield, WA, USA

This complaint related to the brake system. Ever since the car was taken of the dealer ship, the brakes act in a sudden, jerky manner approaching a stop. The brakes function normally at normal speeds, but as I approach a stop, it feels like (for comparison purposes)as if you where pulling the emergency brake on a normal car while the car is moving slow. Along with this, when I press the brake pedal hard a noise is generated from the engine compartment. The above description has been exhibited ever since I bought the car brand new at triangle dealer at kennedy ave (carr#2) in san juan, puerto rico. I took the car to the dealership approximately on Jan 28, 2005 (I bought it October 16, 2004) to have the breaks checked and the service employee told me that because it was a hybrid car, that was normal behavior. For the time being the car always exhibited the brake strange behaviors and recently a brake light lit on for the ABS and brake warning light. My car is now 130,000miles and over 8 years. I took it to the dealership and they indicated that the brake actuator assembly was damaged and needed to be replaced at a cost of $2500. Im sure this is a design issue that Toyota has not claimed responsibility for. Im sure that due to the expense of it. I just want my experience to be accounted for. Thanks!

- Miami Lakes, FL, USA

While cruising at 35 mph, experienced sudden onset of high pitch noise along with the red warning light and ABS light being illuminated on console. When attempting to brake, noticed that the brake pedal felt very stiff and not depress. Fortunately, there were no cars in front, and was able to gradually stop the vehicle by pressing on the brake as hard as possible. The braking distance felt a lot further than usual. After coming to a stop and waiting a few minutes, stopped and restarted the engine. The high pitch noise stopped once the engine turned off. Once the engine was back on, the brake pedal felt normal again, and while the ABS light was no longer illuminated, the red warning light remained on. Took the car immediately to the Toyota dealer where my car is normally serviced, and they indicated there was a fault code C1300 and recommended replacing the skid control ECU (part# 89540-47130). Looks like there is at least one other incident reported on this (ODI id# 10320472). This seems to be a major safety hazard due to potential loss of braking power if this component goes out. Request investigation and safety recall as appropriate.

- Los Alamitos, CA, USA

I am the first owner of this 2005 Prius and have kept up with all maintenance and recall issues. This is my first complaint. On a perfectly fine weather day, I was driving my usual route home coming to a line of stopped cars in the left turn lane on a relatively flat, unbumpy surface street and was about 1 car length from the stopped car in front of me when I applied my brake. To my astonishment, with the brake fully engaged, my car kept going forward as if I had no brakes and rear ended the car ahead of me. Luckily neither of us were hurt as I had already slowed down for the stop. There was no damage to my car (my license plate holder hit her bumper and caused a couple of paint chips on hers, which will probably cost me thousands of dollars to repair) but I can tell you I was thoroughly shaken up. No emergency lights or code lights went on inside the car. From reading other complaints on this site, I see this is not a new problem. I will be reporting this to my Toyota dealer and to Toyota.

- Oakland, CA, USA