10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
44 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
20 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,230 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2010 Toyota Prius:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #541

Sep 192024

Prius

  • miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle lunged forward. On a most recent occasion, the contact was attempting to park the vehicle and after shifting into the park position, the vehicle lunged forward as the brake pedal was depressed causing a minor collision with a curb and another vehicle. The contact mentioned the brake pedal required excessive force in order to come to a stop and that there was an abnormal noise present. The contact was concerned that the failure would progress causing a severe accident. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ABS System failed and advised the vehicle be taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

- Arnold, MD, USA

problem #540

Sep 262024

Prius

  • miles
Toyota refuses to cover a recall that I was never made aware of. My Prius need to have ABS Brake Accumulator and other components replaced. My VIN I was told had a recall but I was never made aware. I was told it may not be safe to drive my car. Toyota told me I would have to cover all cost for the repair and for my family that is just not possible. For the safety of my family, I am hoping NHTSA can help me in anyway.

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #539

Sep 202024

Prius

  • miles
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 13V235000 Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected brake booster pump assemblies. The recall is expected to begin late July 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota is no longer honoring this recall. They think it is acceptable for me to drive around with unsafe and defective brakes.

- Charlotte , NC, USA

problem #538

Sep 052024

Prius

  • miles
In 2015 I purchased my Toyota Prius in VA. I now live in Indiana and had my car checked for a possible sensor issue because the traction, brake & abs light were coming on and off. The diagnostic showed a brake accumulator leak malfunction. I contacted Toyota dealership once I was told there was a recall. The dealership said that it was showing it was replaced in 2013 from the previous owner in VA. It was listed then as a recall. I contacted Toyota Corporate and they said that it went from a recall to customer support with a maximum of 150,000 miles. I did not have any more problems until just recent. My argument is once a recall it should still be repaired. The part appears to be the problem. It is a safety issue and I need Toyota to fix the problem. Thank you!

- Corydon, IN, USA

problem #537

Aug 222024

Prius

  • miles
The car suddenly threw a C1391 code yesterday with no previous warning. The traction, parking brake, brake system, and ABS lights are all lit on the dashboard. As this vehicle is my daily commuting vehicle, I must have the costly repairs performed, which are estimated at roughly $2,400. I will ask to retain the parts for inspection. The brakes are softer, and the breaking distance required has increased by approximately fifteen feet.

- Wiggins, MS, USA

problem #536

Aug 082024

Prius

  • miles
The ABS Pump( Accumulator and booster) are regularly failing on all Toyota Prius( 2010-2015). When the ABS pump starts to fail, the warning lights for Traction control, Brake and ABS come on. These lights come on at all speeds and its very hard to bring the vehicle to a complete stop when this happens. The brakes completely stop working and the brakes become rock solid. The brakes become so hard that they can-??t be possibly be depressed to stop in time. I nearly missed getting killed from this as I am out of country and Toyota is refusing to fix it since its not a recall and I am in Canada. Toyota is asking $3500 in parts and $1500 in labor to repair. I can not afford it and this issue is on all Prius from 2010-2015. This is a major safety hazard and can cause serious injury and damage. Toyota is refusing to repair it since they believe the cars are out of warranty. However Toyota has been notified about this safety hazard arising on all Prius(2010-2015) but decline to respond or take action. I urge NHTSA to take action and get this resolved as the ABS brakes failing on the Prius can be really dangerous and can cause life threatening accidents.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #535

Aug 072024

Prius

  • 166,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. In addition, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with brake system failure. The contact was informed that the braking system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for service. The contact was made aware of Customer Satisfaction Program: C1391. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with brake system failure. The contact was informed that the braking system needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the Customer Satisfaction Program: C1391, because the mileage had been exceeded. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.

- Dublin, CA, USA

problem #534

Jul 022024

Prius

  • miles
ABS Lights turned on and need replacement. This is my 3rd Prius that have the Issue.

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #533

May 122024

Prius

  • 153,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard initially without warning. Over time, the brake pedal had become stiff upon depression with several warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a code reader confirmed a defect with the braking system. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective brake booster. The mechanic then informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes) which was linked to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #532

Nov 222023

Prius

  • miles
Prius Gen III has a known defect with failing Brake booster parts. In Nov 2023, while driving my 2010 Prius (~160K miles), suddenly brake, ABS, Traction control, skid indicator lights popped up on the dashboard and I have lost the ability to brake effectively. There was a brake pressure loss and I had to slam hard the brakes to slow the car. The error code was 'C1391' and the mechanic diagnosed it as failure of Brake booster parts ABS Brake booster pump (accumulator) - part#47070 47060 and Brake master cylinder (actuator), part#47050-47140 and he replaced both these parts. Toyota is aware of these failures which are very frequent and hence they issued a brake booster -??customer service program-?? ZJB - which extended the warranty for these parts. But many of us were not covered by this warranty either because of the time or mileage restrictions. This was a costly repair and we had to fix it out of pocket at the cost of ~$3000 as this is safety hazard without proper braking. To make matters worse, 3 months after the repair, the newly installed parts failed again and I had to go through the same repair. I called to Toyota to complain about this and they cannot do anything about it and advised me to report it to NHTSA.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #531

Jun 122024

Prius

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, with the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brakes failed to adequately slow the vehicle. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #530

May 232024

Prius

  • miles
My car accelerated significantly on its own while I was pulling into a parking stall in a private parking lot. It caused my vehicle to jump a curb and accelerate up a dirt divider and push over a bush that was planted in the dirt divider. Depressing my brakes did not Decelerate the car, so I pressed the Park button to eventually stop the vehicle. I-??m not sure what speed it was traveling when it accelerated, but I could smell burning rubber at the end of the incident. I-??m not sure when the smell first occurred.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #529

May 192024

Prius

  • miles
Brake booster assembly failure. Code C1391 - accumulator pressure leak. Toyota previously agreed to extend the warranty on this part on this year of Toyota Prius due to the known issue and the time limit for this repair was set to be in 2019. Toyota agreed to replace the unit only if it fails before that timeframe. My Toyota got recently affected by this issue resulting in over $3,000 estimate for a repair as Toyota no longer covers this repair for my vehicle. That-??s a known issue with this part, Toyota knows it-??s faulty and yet no recall has been issued. Now I have to pay for a repair out of pocket. I can-??t drive the vehicle until it-??s fixed. This should be handled as a recall with all faulty units being replaced regardless of millage. A few people opened lawsuits on this issue before and some got a settlement. I believe there is enough evidence that this should be classified as a recall and a free of charge repair should be provided to the owners. The brake booster unit has been buzzing a lot for quite a few months ( due to the pressure leak it had to work more than normal). Now it completely failed with the leak being so excessive that the brakes are very soft.

- Grandville, MI, USA

problem #528

Apr 242024

Prius

  • miles
I-??m encountering multiple dash lights with the brakes being very unreliable and no that-??s no regenerative breaking. I checked with an obd2 kit and the app shows that I have a code C1391.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #527

Mar 182024

Prius

  • miles
Faulty brake boosters that crack and leak, making brakes unusable and draining the battery (diagnostic code C1391). There was a Toyota service repair where they exchanged the faulty brake boosters with properly working ones, but it has lapsed.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #526

Feb 092024

Prius

  • miles
[XXX] We took in 2010 Prius to Toyota Dealership in Pharr Texas because road hazard light, ABS, Brake and low tire alarm came on while driving car. They ran diagnostic and found out that the brake pump assembly and brake cylinder assembly has to be replaced. We called Toyota Cooperate to ask for assistance to pay for cost and after 4 weeks of reviewing issue they said they could not help us because the CSP had expired. This car was given to us by a friend of ours and they had not used it for 2-3 years so we got it we repaired and got car running again. After we drove it we came across this problem with the brakes. This car was was built in the same plant as the other recalled cars going by by the vehicle number. We believe that the CSP should be extended or changed to a Recall" Will you help us or direct us to whom we can contact with this safety issue" I have the Toyota diagnostic report from Toyota and Toyota Corporate Letter on email. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Mcallen, TX, USA

problem #525

Mar 012024

Prius

  • miles
My 2010 Toyota Prius hatchback suddenly had 4 or 5 warning lights appear on the dashboard and my brakes failed to function properly. It felt like the power brakes was turned off ! Although I did get the vehicle stopped, it surely was a dangerous situation. I understand that Toyota knows about this problem, and have read that it was warranted if this happened before 150,000 miles. My Prius has approx 167,000 miles right now and to replace the Brake Actuator, the cost will be $ 3 - 5 thousand dollars-??absurd amount in my opinion. Since this critical feature (brakes) has a long known history of being faulty on Toyota vehicles it should be warranted for at least 25 years and at least 300k ! My Prius is -??unsafe to drive-?? and is nothing more than a paperweight-??I repeat, Toyota knows, and has known about this defective brake actuator problem for years and years!!! Please lean on Toyota to up the warranty of this faulty brake problem for the MANY, MANY Toyota owners who have purchased the Toyota product and and NOT screwing the public like they are doing now !

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #524

Mar 012024

Prius

  • miles
A warranty extension went out a few years back that said one might receive a "CHECK PCS SYSTEM" warning on the dash. This has happened to us, along with 7 other lights on the dash. Between the brakes being much less responsive, and all of the pre-crash warning / adaptive cruise / radar features being disabled, this could have caused an accident. The dealer checked out the car and states that the brake actuator has a leak and that it will be a costly repair - no less than $3000. This suspiciously all happened *just* outside of the warranty window (we are within the allowed number of miles but just out of time), and also suspiciously after Toyota released an upgraded version of the actuator, and *also* after a bunch of people are experiencing the same failure. Our best assessment at this time is that the brake actuators have a factory defect and that a recall should be done.

- Altoona, FL, USA

problem #523

Feb 232024

Prius

  • miles
The brake accumulator has failed on my prius which then deactivates regenerative braking, traction control, abs, and stability control. The lights for traction control, ABS, and stability control and parking brake are shown on the dash. The result for the driver is that the brake pedal has the same pressure, but does nothing until about 25% of pedal travel. At this point, the mechanical brakes will engage and provide a very sudden and jerky application to the brakes. In other words, a very non-linear brake control is present and is incredibly difficult to predict. If this vehicle is operated on the motorway, the safety of the vehicle's occupants as well as others on the road is greatly reduced. Street Toyota has confirmed this issue and its effects. They want to charge $3600 to fix this issue even though the car is only worth $5k. This problem has been investigated in the past buy Toyota and the NHTSA. Toyota has applied an extended warranty for this part meaning that they will only replace it once it goes out. They also failed to notify their consumers about this matter. It is a serious issue that has put many lives at risk and has caused multiple injuries. It is a matter that should not be ignored by either the NHTSA or Toyota.

- Canyon, TX, USA

problem #522

Feb 132024

Prius

  • miles
I noticed that the ratcheting parking brake pedal has stopped ratcheting correctly, and I planned to have it inspected on the next scheduled maintenance. Recently, the brake system illuminated the traction control, ALB and "BRAKE" lights simultaneously, and the braking power diminished by more than half, with no braking until the pedal was halfway down. I depressed the parking brake pedal a few times, which cleared the "BRAKE" symbol and the problem stopped and normal braking returned. This has now happened three times with the same fix. It appears that when the "BRAKE" symbol is no longer illuminated, the problem goes away. This appears to be a software problem that triggers a braking problem to engage the traction control and ABS icons when the "BRAKE" icon associated with the parking brake is illuminated. This web site has other instances reported with the same symptoms, and Toyota had a service bulletin, which has expired, which leads to a $2000-$3000 repair bill to replace a brake booster. It appears to be software related to me, not mechanical. It poses a safety risk because braking performance is severely compromised with no warning. NHTSB needs to look into this, as rear end accidents can easily happen if strong braking in heavy traffic is required to avoid a collision. I recommend that a recall be established to fix this. An alternative cause may be a misaligned micro switch in the parking brake mechanism, which has been experiencing problems. This could lead to the "BRAKE" light being illuminated, and sending a bad signal to the computer.

- Upper Arlington, OH, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »