general problems of the 2004 Toyota Prius

Codes c1256 and c1391 acc low pressure and abnormal leak of acc press.

Abs failure. Won't pressurize. Anti-lock brakes quit working.

Toyota has issued time-limited 'warranty enhancement program zg1' instead of working with the nhsta to issue a comprehensive brake actuator assembly recall. Zg1 was explicitly in place only from April 2016 to Dec 2017, requiring dealer verification of an actual system failure prior to 31 Dec 2017. My failure occurred in 2021 and Toyota will not extend zg1 for me (case 211015000390). Obviously the brake actuator is a key safety component. Obviously this is a design flaw - brake systems must be designed to last the life of the vehicle. Obviously Toyota has had an excessive number of failures. Toyota is improperly using this 'warranty enhancement program zg1' to avoid the nhsta and to avoid responsibility for the poor brake actuator assembly design. Per their letter to owners, Toyota was not replacing the brake actuator assembly on a preventive basis prior to actual brake failure. Because of the importance and severity, Toyota should have replaced the brake actuators via a recall. I would like Toyota to fix my faulty brakes at their expense.

Brake actuator went out and dealer said Toyota used to cover it, but not anymore. I searched the internet and discovered this [part is bad in most Prius vehicles and Toyota extended the coverage on the 2010-2015 until August 31, 2021. Unfortunately my car is 2004 and does not get the benefit of the extension. The cost to repair is almost $4,000. Toyota knows of this issue and should repair my car as they are with the other years 2010-2015. This is a driver safety issue.

I was driving the Prius on city streets in rain. I came to a stop and started to drive and a bunch of emergency lights and beeping started. There was no unusual noise or grinding until I applied the brakes. The brake pedal was hard and had significantly lost braking power. All lights and beeping continued after turning of and restarting the Prius. I took it to a certified Toyota dealership and the diagnosed the problem as a bad brake actuator. As being a Prius owner I've done my research and know this is a very common problem with these cars and that 9 months ago Toyota was replacing this part for free. I feel like Toyota needs to address this problem as my Prius only has 80k miles and a 3 thousand dollar repair is pretty outrageous for a car that hasn't even hit 100k miles.

Bought car a few weeks ago and lights came on and brakes did t work. Very scary. Toyota dealer said I missed a warranty extension last year. Brake actuator problems they said. Very dangerous. Why is there no recall?.

Takata recall. My car's break lights went on, as well as the abs and vsc warning lights. Strange noises are coming from inside the hood of the car due to that. I also feel like my car does not break properly.

The brake actuator in my car, which is a known problem in these cars gave out as confirmed by both Toyota and an independent mechanic shop. This is a very dangerous safety issue that could get easily cause an accident. It is unacceptable.

The contact owned a 2004 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 15 mph and while attempting to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal, the brakes malfunctioned and the vehicle crashed into the rear of an SUV. The contact sustained multiple toe injuries on the right foot, including one fractured toe. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 205,000.

2004 & 2010 Toyota Prius. Consumer writes in regards to rear view visibility and braking issues in both vehicles.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he depressed the brakes to slow the vehicle but the vehicle took an extended amount of time to slow down. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or mechanic for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that the brakes malfunctioned and the contact crashed into another vehicle. No one was injured during the crash and the air bags did not deploy. The manufacturer was contacted to have the vehicle inspected for the faulty brakes. The manufacturer did not inspect the vehicle and no repairs were performed. The failure mileage was 90,000.

I was coming off of an onramp and intending to turn right at the light. I needed to get into the left lane as I was turning left at the next block. I applied the brakes to slow down and make the turn and nothing happened when I pressed on the brakes. I ended up going up over the curb and the plants stopped the car. The engine was off when I came to a stop, though I didn't turn it off. If there hadn't been a meridian in between the cross traffic, I would have gone into the lanes ahead of me. Very scary. I had my car towed to Toyota to check it out first, but there looks to be thousands of dollars of damage to my Prius. The whole lower front is smashed and crunched, the two left side tires are flat and the rim is partially torn off on the front tire.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Prius. While attempting to stop the vehicle, the brakes would not engage and the contact crashed into a vehicle ahead of her. The vehicle sustained extensive front end damage but she was able to drive the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed and she had not contacted the dealer or manufacturer for repairs. The failure and current mileages were 32,000.

My 2004 Prius feels like the brakes lose control when I'm going over a bump. I apply the brake, it catches, then releases momentarily, then grabs. The time of the release feels too long to be safe, and I am never really sure that it will grab eventually. This problem has continued since I bought it, and Toyota assures me it's not a problem.

I have a 2004 Toyota Prius. I have noticed that when going over a bumpy patch of road, if I brake, sometimes the brake appears to not catch for a brief time (1 second or so). At first I thought it was my imagination, but over the years it has happened often enough that I am convinced the sensation is real. I have recently read about others describing the same experience. I cannot give an approximate date or mileage; this has happened repeatedly over the 6 years I've owned the car. Consequently, the date and mileage I am entering is the most recent time when I noticed it.

I was turning my 2004 Prius into a parking garage at between 2-5 miles an hour, applied the brakes as I was going in over a small lip/bump in the pavement, and the car accelerated on it's own. I was lucky enough to swerve and reapply the brakes in time to avoid hitting an oncoming exiting car. It was very scary and I almost hit the other driver. I have never had this happen before. There has been a couple similar incidences where I was braking while coming up to a stop, hit a bump or pothole in the road and the brakes felt like they stopped working for a split second and then seemed to have resumed. It is a strange sensation when you are expecting a stop. The car has always been serviced at a Toyota dealership every 5,000 miles since it was new and will be due again in about 2 weeks.

I have a 2004 Toyota Prius. I find that when applying the brakes on a road surface with bumps, there appears to be a lag before the brakes engage. This is especially noticeable when driving down a hill. The brakes do not hesitate to engage on level road surfaces. I always attributed this to the abs system engaging, but after the recent recall of the 2010 Prius for a similar complaint, I felt it was important to at least advise of this situation.

On the 2004 Toyota Prius when driving from a stop across a rough road or pot holes the anti-lock brakes/anti-skid system engages and makes the car skid on wet surfaces. In winter on icy roads the (proper - non-pumping) application of the brakes on moderately icy or wet road surfaces causes the brakes to lock up and the car skids uncontrollably. The later occurred today while the second issue has been going on since I purchased the Prius but I never thought that it might be a defect.

Problem with anti-lock brakes not working when hitting rough surfaces such as potholes.

The contact owns 2004 Toyota Prius. While driving downhill out of her driveway, she depressed the brake pedal and the brakes would not engage. The vehicle proceeded to crash into a nearby tree at unknown speeds and continued to push the tree further into the street. The contact's foot remained on the brake pedal; however, the vehicle would not stop. There were no injuries. The police arrived and a report was filed. The police observed skid and brake marks in the driveway, confirming she was attempting to brake at the time of the crash. No repairs were made to date. The contact was unaware if the vehicle was under recall at the time. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 50,000.

I have a 2004 Prius which I bought used about a year ago and when I read the line that I cut and pasted right from your news release, I couldn't believe it because it describes exactly what has happened to me numerous times. "allegations of momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump," but this problem which has happened repeatedly (usually on the same pothole on the same street) has never caused me to loose control of the car for more than a split second. So until I read this passage I thought I might just be imagining this problem. If it happened for even more than a split second I could see how it would cause me to lose control and possibly get in an accident. But that hasn't happened yet.

I have a 2004 Toyota Prius that experiences braking problems when traveling over bumpy surfaces, railroad tracks, potholes, etc. I can feel the car lose braking power and the car seems to skip/ lunge forward and then suddenly seize to a stop. For years I just thought it was an issue with anti-lock brakes in general but now that I've heard descriptions of the problem identified with the '10 models, I know that's what my car does. I've learned to anticipate and compensate when approaching road surfaces where this occurs and so I brake in advance to avoid danger.

When going over uneven pavement, or hitting debris or driving over a pothole, when pressing on the brakes, the pedal goes to the floor, with no braking power. This has happened ever since we got the car, many times. The dealer told us it was the anti-skidding system and that there was nothing to be done.

2004 Prius on several occasions, while braking, there was no initial response to the application of the brake. I thought it was because I had not pressed the pedal firmly enough, but given the publicity about braking hesitation, I wonder if these were vehicle problems.

I was driving my 2004 Toyota Prius with my wife and infant during the evening last summer, and out of the blue three red indicator lights came on as well as a buzzer, and my brakes stopped working. The pedal was able to be pushed all the way down to the floor. Pumping did nothing. Since it was late there were no other cars around, so we were able to coast to a stop using the emergency brake. I got out of the car and checked for any damage underneath the vehicle, and found nothing. Over the next hour while waiting for the tow truck, we tried restarting the vehicle several times, and the brakes were just gone. We finally got towed and got a loaner car. The next morning after the Toyota dealer had a chance to look at the car, they notified me that they found nothing wrong with the car. They did a couple hours of diagnostics on my dime and reset the fault codes. There was no air in the brakes, fluid levels were just fine, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with anything. Apparently the brakes fixed themselves in the parking lot over night. This has made me fearful since that day that it could happen to me again at anytime, perhaps during rush hour next time. I've contacted Toyota and the dealership since then, and the only solution they have to give me is to have my brake system checked regularly. This doesn't seem like a normal thing to happen at all, and I would feel guilty even selling this car to someone else at this point. I'm not sure what more I can do so I am now reporting to safercar. Gov.

I complained about a year ago to Toyota about my car losing braking on the ice. I drive a 2004 Toyota Prius. I read they are recalling the 2010 model and I believe the problem goes much further back and needs to be investigated.

The brakes suddenly seize when attempting to slow at times after going through a puddle or when the road is wet from rain. This poses a risk as I fear that if another car were close behind I could get rear-ended as the car rapidly slows as if one were slamming on the brakes. The brakes "let go" after taking my foot off the brake pedal, but this occurs unpredictably, except that it happens on wet roads.

My 2004 Toyota Prius does have an acceleration issue. Just wanted to bring to notice that the acceleration issue does not only effect the 2010 model. When ever traveling around 40 mph and you brake -- there is a sudden acceleration for lest than 30 seconds -- this is very much intermittent. This started happening in Dec 15th 2008. The car always stop with no other issues. I have learned to be cautious and slow down well ahead.

Twice while driving my 2004 Toyota Prius, I encountered a small slick patch on the roadway surface, felt my front tires slip momentarily, then grab, the warning lights came on lighting up the dash. It said I shouldn't drive it. I took the car to the dealer. The first time they said it was the small battery and replaced it for the third time. The second time, they said it was the computer and replaced that.

When applying brakes in normal city street traffic at approximately 20 mph, brakes pulsed slowly several times and then failed. Brake pedal went to floor, car crashed into rear-end of car ahead.

Odd braking behavior in 2004 Toyota Prius. When car is in its first few minutes of operation after sitting overnight, this odd behavior occurs: the first or second time I apply the brakes, they grab as though the pedal has been pressed very hard. The car lurches to a stop. I release the brake pedal to go forward again, applying pressure to the accelerator pedal. Then I apply pressure to the brake pedal and the grabbing happens again. Usually by the third braking action the 'grabby' behavior stops. This has not happened at high speeds, presumably because the car gets it 'out of its system' by the time it is warmed up. I used to be a mechanic and this is definitely something I have never felt before, such as condensation on the disc rotors. This has been happening since the car wa new in 2004. I worked around it. But now with the news about braking problems on new Priuses, I thought I should report it.

My 2004 Prius has the same braking problem that has been reported for the 2010 Prius, that is, when I am slowing down and hit a bump or hole, there is a momentary acceleration. I reported this to Toyota in 2004 and regional Toyota rep came out and looked at the car and said it was normal. So. . . This problem is not limited to 2010 Prius.

2004 Toyota Prius with brake problems. Consumer states that when applying the brakes the vehicle skids out of control.