Five problems related to brake disc pads have been reported for the 2007 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My wife was driving her car to work, an audio warning and lights on the dash came on indicating that the abs system had a problem. She was able to pull to the side of the road and turned off the car. She started the car and the lights had reset and no sound. Later in the day she started her car and the symptoms happened again but the brake pedal was mushy. I got the car home and looked at the front and rear brake pads and replaced thinking that was the problem. It did not work. After doing some research I found what the problem could be, Toyota had a item called a brake actuator that seems to fail after some time. After reading some forums it sounded like there were alot of people having the same issues. Toyota wants around $6,000 to replace this unit and it isn't as easy as replacing a couple of brake pads.
Brake (red color) warning lights appear while driving at 55 mph; yellow color indicator on abs, vsc. Once these warning lights appear, I somehow lose 25-50% of my braking power. Not sure what is wrong despite getting brand new wheels, replaced all-new rotors, brake pads, oil and filter change. This is the 5th time it has happened in the last few weeks. Toyota should be held liable and to replace the full cost of any necessary fixes to the hydraulic brakes or run a diagnostic of the entire vehicle's electrical or brakes system or anything that leads to the dashboard warning lights at 100%. This will be a serious issue because it can lead to serious accidents if owners of this vehicle experience the same issues.
Two months ago, I purchased a used 2007 Prius and have been experiencing some odd incidents with the brakes. For instance, when I was exiting the freeway last week, I ran over a small pothole and the car lunged forward even though I was braking the whole time. Also, when I drive at speeds higher than 60 mph and press on the brake, it always feels like there is a slight delay before the brakes actually take hold. It feels as if the brake pads on the tires are momentarily disconnected (for less than a second). I asked the Toyota dealership if the 2007 model has been affected by all of the recent recalls, but they reassured me that my Prius is fine. Nonetheless, I wanted to report these incidents to the NHTSA in case others are experiencing similar problems. Thank you.
Constant peculiar noises from brake system, premature brake wear computer system had to be re-initialized at 15,000 miles. Brakes pads had to be replaced and rotors resurfaced at same mileage. Brake pedal depressed to the floor before vehicle stopped, it was an emergency stop. These problems have persisted for almost 3 years and the dealer and factory rep. Says it is normal. Arbitration in favor of Toyota. I have never heard these noises in any other vehicle I have driven in 62 years. These noises could be a problem waiting to happen.
Driver was on a local road, accelerated and turned left to pull into a commercial parking lot, then applied brakes when the front tires left the road and made contact with the parking lot entrance (slight concrete curb between asphalt road and lot). The brake pedal depressed fully with little resistance, and neither the regenerative braking system nor the brake pads were activated. After approximately two seconds, the regenerative braking system applied, braking the car normally. No visible indicators were noticed on the dashboard.